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The First Rule is the most important: 'Always run, never fight'.

Over 100 generations, Mia's family has shaped Earth's history to push humanity to the stars, making brutal, wrenching choices along the way.

And now Mia finds herself about to help launch the first people into space. She can't take them to the stars, not quite yet. But with her adversary almost upon her, and with the future of the planet at stake, it's becoming clearer that obeying the First Rule is no longer an option.

For the first time since her line's first generation, Mia will have to choose to stand her ground, knowing that the overwhelming odds mean that she risks not only her bloodline, but also the future of the human race.

Showing that truth is stranger than fiction, Sylvain Neuvel weaves a sci-fi thriller reminiscent of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir in Until the Last of Me, blending a fast-moving, darkly satirical look at the 1960s space race with an exploration of the amorality of progress and the nature of violence.


Praise for Sylvain Neuvel

'It's fascinating to see how Neuvel weaves together fact and fiction . . . a blast. Seriously clever' - SFX

'An alt-history with a difference. Traces the true story of the development of rocket science but adds an alien-conspiracy-theory edge . . . Good fun' - Guardian

'Wry narration, wired action . . . Fans of alternate history and intelligent sci-fi will love this' - Publishers Weekly


© Sylvain Neuvel 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022