Jayson Adams, the award-winning author of Infernum, delivers an exciting, fast-paced mystery set on the dusty red plains of Mars.

Commander Kate Holman is on the verge of her life’s dream as the leader of the first manned mission to Mars. Minutes before setting foot on the red planet, her world comes crashing down when she’s abruptly relieved of command. Replaced by the mission’s security officer, she learns that a secret military objective is the true reason for their journey.

What military purpose could Mars possibly hold? The question takes Kate to the fabled “Face on Mars” and a mysterious discovery excavated from deep within. Is it an exotic, new element? Evidence of life? An alien artifact? Scurried away by the security officer, she can only speculate.

An astronaut dies. Systems malfunction. Some claim it’s the result of a rumored Martian “curse” that won’t lift until the unearthed item is returned. Kate seeks a more rational explanation for the problems befalling the mission, but suffers under debilitating headaches and the fear of their possible connection to her past.

When Kate uncovers the nature of the item, a secret some would kill to protect, can she overcome the powerful forces allied against her and make it back to Earth?

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In the heart of winter, we received an anonymous manuscript with no return address or author details, only a cryptic note that read, “If it captivates you, it deserves to be shared.” The manuscript, titled Illusion's Edge, was a masterfully woven thriller, filled with suspense and intricate characters. Its chilling narrative and nuanced plot resonated with our love for quality literature. It had to be shared with the world, yet, we found ourselves in an unusual predicament: an author-less masterpiece. Undeterred, we devised a unique approach to finding our mystery author. We published a single copy of this tale, and displayed it in the front window of the city’s most popular bookstore. Days turned to weeks, then months. Eventually, we accepted that our author might forever remain a phantom.

Months later, an elderly man walked into our office. He held up the book, the one published copy of the manuscript. He wasn’t happy. “Is this [so-and-so] publishing?” After I worked up the courage to confirm, he gritted his teeth and said, “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

We’ve seen so many manuscripts, it takes a lot to get us excited. We're really excited about Ares. Compared to Adams’s debut Infernum, he's really grown as a writer. The prose is crisper, tighter. And the story, a sci fi mystery, sets a fast pace from page 1 that doesn’t let up. Ares is destined to be high on the list of popular sci fi books. We can’t wait to get it into your hands! Writing the synopsis was a challenge because we had to describe the story without giving too much of the plot away. We think we did a good job, though there's so much more that happens. If this science fiction adventure doesn't sound the tiniest bit intriguing, you should not purchase this book.

We’ve priced the eReader version of Ares to sell lots of copies soon after its release. However, once we reach our initial sales goal, we’re going to bump it to the regular price. Our advice: order your copy now. If you come back later and find a different price, you’ll know what happened.

If you’re a sci-fi reader in search of a riveting science fiction thriller, Ares takes you on a heart-pounding rollercoaster. Unlike other books that plod along or lose your interest a couple chapters in, Ares is a sci fi mystery that grabs you and doesn’t let go. Packed with suspenseful twists and turns, you won’t want to put it down.