First published 2026
Arturo Mendez commands Skyward Flight in a universe where humans have finally defeated their alien oppressors. The war is over, but peace brings new challenges. The Defiant Defense Force assigns Arturo what looks like routine work: escort diplomats to contact isolated human settlements discovered during the conflict. His team expects a straightforward mission to the planet Blightfall. They find something else entirely. Massive invasive forests blanket the world, swallowing cities and civilizations. Mysterious debris fills the orbital space around the planet. When Arturo's team arrives, hostile forces attack them immediately. The human settlement they came to contact harbors secrets that run deeper than anyone suspected. Trapped on an alien world with compromised communications and uncertain allies, Arturo must navigate threats both obvious and hidden. His pilots depend on him to find a path home, but first they need to survive long enough to uncover what really happened on Blightfall.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, space-opera, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, secrets, trapped
Setting: Blightfall, Defiant Defense Force
496 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press