B. C. Giles

It’s the near future.  Space travel, once reserved for elite astronauts and the ultra-rich, is now more accessible than ever.  Daily life, on the other hand, is becoming harder and harder. James Wilmot, husband, father and middle-manager, finds himself out of a job, another victim of ever-increasing efficiency and automation.  To preserve his family’s privileged status, he must take an assignment that nobody else wants:  supervising a research facility on Mars, a task that promises to separate him from his family for over three years.  James is joined on his journey by a collection of unique and complicated souls, ranging from brilliant scientists to hardworking tradespeople, each compelled to leave Earth for their own reasons.  James must learn to lead this group of fascinating misfits while navigating the challenges of his new environment; an undertaking made more difficult when critical equipment begins to vanish without explanation, hinting at an unknown threat…