Book excerpt: Short stories and science writing from a Robert A. Heinlein Award winner: “Allen Steele is among the best.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch In Rude Astronauts, Allen Steele presents some of his finest stories—including the Diamondback Jack Trilogy and his first published story, “Live from the Mars Hotel”—along with excerpts of the nonfiction science writing with which he made his name. In Steele’s universe, the stars are cold, space is big, and it’s the normal people who make things interesting.