First published 2005
Astronomer Dudley Bose stares at his instruments in disbelief. A star has disappeared. Not exploded, not collapsed into a black hole. Simply gone. The year is 2380, and the Intersolar Commonwealth spans six hundred worlds connected by wormhole tunnels across four hundred light years. The vanished star lies over a thousand light years away, far beyond wormhole reach. Wilson Kime, a five-time rejuvenated former NASA pilot, takes command of the starship Second Chance to investigate. But Bradley Johansson leads the Guardians of Selfhood, a group convinced that an alien entity called the Starflyer manipulates humanity. Johansson warns the mission serves the Starflyer's purposes and flees when Commonwealth agents pursue him as a dangerous fanatic. Kime suspects his crew may be compromised as the Second Chance travels toward the mystery. What they discover threatens not just the Commonwealth but human survival itself. Johansson's warnings about alien manipulation may prove terrifyingly accurate.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Intersolar Commonwealth, Second Chance
Period: 2380
768 pages · Hardcover · Del Rey