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Crash-landed on a desolate planet light-years from Earth, seventeen-year-old Jessica Mathers must unravel the mystery of the bloody destruction all around her—and the questionable intentions of a familiar stranger.

2199. Deep-space exploration is a reality and teleportation is routine. But this time something seems to have gone very, very wrong. Seventeen-year-old Jessica Mathers wakes up in a lander that’s crashed onto the surface of Carver 1061c, a desolate, post-extinction planet fourteen light-years from Earth. The planet she was supposed to be viewing from a ship orbiting far above.

The corridors of the empty lander are covered in bloodyhand prints; the machines are silent and dark. And outside, in the alien dirt, there are fresh graves carefully marked with names she doesn’t recognize. Now Jessica must unravel the mystery of the destruction all around her—and the questionable intentions of a familiar stranger.

Self-determination and survival collide in this haunting, pulse-pounding science fiction novel from Edgar Award–winning author Matthew J. Kirby that spans both space and time.

A 2024 Edgar Award Nominee!

A Best Fiction for Young Adults selection • A Kirkus Best Book of the Year • A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year A Core Excellence in Young Adult Science Fiction selection

“A twisty mystery of partial truths and unexpected reveals.″
BCCB

The expertly juggled storyline nurtures a tension that blossoms into a palpable sense of dread as the downright spooky nature of the disaster is explored. Themes of identity hit hard, as they come with high stakes. An intense, read-in-one-sitting kind of ride.” —Kirkus, starred review

Dual timelines imbued with believable hard science, harrowing action, and strong characterizations permeate Kirby’s breakneck adventure. Questions of personhood are skillfully elevated, explored against an inventive future backdrop in which cloning is the norm and the potential consequences of deceptively simple-sounding procedures come at high costs.” —Publishers Weekly

  • Pages: 320 Pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
  • Imprint: Dutton Books for Young Readers
  • ISBN: 9780735231351
Penguin Teen