First published 2011
Marcus Fenix stands among the final human survivors on Vectes island. Fifteen years of war against the underground Locust Horde has left billions dead and civilization in ruins. The Coalition of Ordered Governments destroyed their own cities to stop the alien invasion, reducing humanity to scattered refugees. On Vectes, Marcus and his fellow Gears attempt to rebuild what remains of their world. They forge unlikely alliances with former enemies and dare to imagine a future beyond mere survival. Their fragile peace shatters when the Lambent arrive. These mutating creatures prove even more lethal than the Locust, consuming everything they touch as they spread from the mainland to the island. Marcus realizes the Lambent drove the Locust to the surface, triggering the original war. Coalition Chairman Richard Prescott conceals a final secret about both alien species and humanity's fate. The survivors face an impossible choice: make their last stand against the Lambent or abandon civilization entirely to wander the wastelands like the outcast Stranded.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, action, apocalyptic
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, gritty
Setting: Vectes, Coalition of Ordered Governments
Period: Fifteen Years
443 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books
Content warnings: death, violence