by Jeff Rake
First published 2026
Ryan Crane wants nothing more than his morning coffee when he spots a gunman stepping from an unmarked van. The police officer springs into action, unknowingly preventing the assassination of John Ward, a wealthy businessman with White House dreams. Ward rewards Ryan's heroism with an extraordinary opportunity: join a select group of civilians accompanying three astronauts to Saturn's moon Titan. Ryan hesitates to leave his family for two years, but his wife encourages him, and the massive payment will secure their disabled son's future care. The mission proceeds smoothly until unexplained explosions shake their spacecraft near Titan. The crew manages to return safely to Earth as celebrated heroes. But something has changed. Ryan and his crewmates find luxurious improvements to their homes alongside more troubling alterations to their world. Before they can compare notes, shadowy figures begin following them and their communications fail. Isolated from each other and growing paranoid, the astronauts must discover what happened during their absence and determine what sacrifices they'll make to reclaim their former lives.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, isolation
Setting: Saturn, Titan
Period: 21st-century
320 pages · Hardcover · Random House Worlds