Equilibrium

by Peter Cawdron

While on a routine resupply mission to the moons of Saturn, the crew of the Nocturne is attacked by pirates off the edge of Norse Skoll, one of 276 moons orbiting the gas giant. Missiles strike the Nocturne, causing the spacecraft to break up. Seven of the crew are trapped on the command deck. Slowly, they come to realize the danger they face lies not in outer space but within the severed bridge itself.Equilibrium is a stand-alone murder/mystery novella written as a tribute to Tom Godwin's 1954 classic, Cold Equations.

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery

77 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 5, 2025

Reviews

[Robert A Geloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great quick read

A who-done-it in space! Well done, too. Had me guessing until the end. As it was a Peter Cawdron story, I kept waiting for an alien to show up, and was slightly disappointed when I was almost to end when one didn’t. Lol. But then I realized this isn’t a first contact story.
Seven people trapped in a broken-off piece of a spaceship, hoping for rescue. The tension and terror builds as one by one, each crew member is killed. A surprise twist at the end reveals the killer and seals the fate of…oops, don’t want to give too much away.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equilibrium was a very fun read that you can easily read in under two hours. It's 75 pages so basically a novella.

This book is sci-fi but quickly turn into murder\mystery. You've got a space ship on route to one of the Saturn moons (one of the 276) and they are attacked by pirates. As the cockpit with 7 people are drifting through space someone is killed, then another... and the sci-fi turn into a whodunit.

Although it's 70 pages Cawdron really develops the characters and place we are in. It's what I wanted. A fast pace thriller mystery with sci-fi elements. 87/100

[Mark Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what an awesome story cut throat nail biter Peter redeemed himself

What a suspenseful edge of your seat book. A nail biting who dunnit of hitchcockian proportions. I highly recommend this book and say thank you Peter for a great read with a stunning ending. Great job and to ride the roller coaster with you was so much fun. Cheers, Mark

[Thomas J · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast - and good read

Novellas are great if you are looking for something to read while traveling or waiting for someone or something. I'm a slow reader and like to get into longer and more involved books. So this is very different: a short story without a lot of complex details. Peter Cawdron is currently my favorite author and he tells this story with the same expertise as his usual full length novels. Cawdron always makes sure his scifi is hard scifi. The story is about the last day or so of a fateful supply mission to Saturn's moons. It's a really good murder mystery story. Enjoy!

[Claire Sadowniczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional mystery that I could not solve. I felt like I was ON that space freighter to Saturn; the description made it so real. The tension and excitement with a life or death struggle made it impossible to put down. I highly recommend it.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equilibrium is Peter Cawdron’s homage to Tom Godwin’s classic 1954 short story, Cold Equations. I am a Science Fiction reader who was alive, although not reading much, in 1954 and yet I had never heard of Godwin’s story. I downloaded a copy and read it before starting this novella. I highly recommend that you do the same. It isn’t necessary to understand Cawdron’s book but (a) it gives you some insights into this story and, perhaps more importantly, (b) Godwin’s story is excellent.

Equilibrium is a murder mystery that takes place within a science fiction story. This is kind of like a Tootsie Pop - a lollipop with a hidden candy inside. While I’m not generally a fan of murder mysteries, wrap one inside of a great science fiction tale and I’m all in.

It is amazing how much Cawdron has managed to cram into less than eighty pages. There is a lot about space flight and space colonies but also some interesting characters, an evolving and twisting plot, pirates, a nod to the famous Trolley Problem, and, of course, the murder.

This story takes place on a cargo ship on a run to the moons of Saturn. I know little about this planet other than it has those great rings. Fortunately, this book has one of Cawdron’s famous afterwords, which are always one of my favorite parts of his books. Hmm, so maybe this is a Tootsie Pop with a second center inside of the first one. In the afterward, Cawdron not only gives the reader information about Saturn but expands on facts about the Space Shuttle he alluded to in the Novella.

One last thing, on my Kindle version of the book, the opening cover photo is on its side. I am not sure if this was intentional but it gave me pause to consider the meaning of the title, Equilibrium, as well as to remember that this is no up or down in weightlessness.

[inky · Rating 2 out of 5]

maybe if i hadn't known this was written as a tribute to cold calculations, i would have liked it more? as it is, though, eh. it partially redeemed itself at the end, but not enough for me to have really enjoyed it. i kept cringing when they mentioned "calculations" and "cold calculations" like. idk, this seemed to ignore the idea of subtlety. or trusting the audience. an interesting take on cold calculations as well, though it didn't feel even a fifth as believable or emotional, which i fear is kinda the point. the science is important. it's the impact of this harsh reality on character internalizations that's more interesting, and i didn't really see that here as much.

[Liz Fully Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was an interesting short story. Basically this was And Then There Were None in space. And I loved it! Equilibrium by Peter Cawdron was a suspenseful, thrilling sci fi space horror book.

After being attacked by pirates, seven crew members of a spacecraft are separated from the rest of the ship when it breaks apart. Trapped in the command deck, they turn on each other as one by one they start turning up dead in the tiny enclosed quarters. On top of that, they’re running out of oxygen. Who’s murdering them, and how are they not being seen?

Quick and thrilling, this short story provided just the right amount of sci fi to satisfy. I’m loving Peter Cawdron’s books!

[George Cox]

I thought this was a great tribute to The Cold Equations (Tom Godwin), and I admit that I did not predict the ending.
I love all of Mr. Cawdron's works, but I must admit that I like the novellas, not just because I can get them quicker, but because they are engaging and cram a lot of storytelling in a short space! Keep writing this thought-provoking and entertaining fiction!

[Read Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard science murder mystery. It really is more of a murder mystery set in a science fiction backdrop. It caught me a bit off guard since I was too focused on the science and not the mystery. If I read it as a mystery, the final outcome would have been a bit more familiar.

This was a GoodReads from one of my favorite authors.

[Karen Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

yurt another completely fascinating book from Peter Cawdron

I love mysteries and I love hard sci-fi, so this book hit a sweet spot for me. For those readers who love those two same things, enjoy!

[Damon McLay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but sweet read, different from the 1st contact novels

A damaged ship w/ too many mouth breathers to survive. It’s a tragedy & murder is afoot. Based on the short story called The Cold Equations.

[BERNARD ANDREWS · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* Above average Space Adventure

Very much in the style of classic science fiction stories, a nicely put together murder mystery in a isolated location with the added stress of Oxygen levels running down towards death for everyone.

[Graeme Dunlop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little novella by an Aussie writer! It's a murder mystery set in space, with quite a bit of hard science thrown in to make the spacecraft realistic. A short, easy read and definitely worth your time.

[Matthew Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

great mystery

Lots of twists and turns to the very end. You feel like you are trapped with the astronauts on a doomed ship

[Muhammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stationary never crashed just because you are intellect. Peace be upon him. Ahlussunnah wal jama'ah.

[Paul Triller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry, Audible's use of Virtual Voice always knocks one star off of my rating.

Great story...think "And Then There Were None", but in space.

[Connie Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, it’s different than any of the other books I’ve read by Peter and I loved it!

[George Martinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just want to say that I have read about 15 of Peter Cawdron's first contact sci-fi books. He is without reservation the best author of science fiction that I have ever read. His characters are deep, his plots are interesting, his science is good, and his ideas always amaze and surprise me.
This was OK, a short story, but he has some really good ones.