The First Peacemaker

Postgrad scientist Alexander Hawke is down to his last chance.

Brilliant but sheltered, every banker in New York rejects him and his ideas. But true innovation doesn't need permission or financing, for that matter; it needs a believer.

Enter the Russian—charming, dangerous, offering an Antarctic expedition that promises answers but guarantees nothing. The catch? It's a journey on a ship that's already sunk twice with a crew that might be aliens.

Alexander stands at the edge of a bottomless chasm, its inky mystery sprawling away into the frigid distance. With a helpful shove from his Russian benefactor, he plunges into adventure.

Landing in darkness, Alexander finds a portal to destiny—weirder than New York, colder than Russia, and filled with the ruins of an empire that once spanned the galaxy. Armed with his wits, he'll set forth on the journey of a lifetime, recruited by aliens for a civil war in which the good side is bad, the bad side is good, and somehow, Alexander ends square in the middle.

And his only way home is to save the world.

Join Alexander as he crosses the stars, makes a few friends, and learns that sometimes, the fall is just the beginning.