IT TAKES DEATH TO REACH A STAR DUOLOGY

2019 IPPY BRONZE AWARD, BEST SCI FI NOVEL
2019 FEATHERED QUILL FIRST PLACE, SCI FI/FANTASY
2018 DRAGON AWARD FINALIST, BEST SCI FI NOVEL
2018 NEW YORK BOOK FESTIVAL WINNER, SCI FI
2018 CYGNUS AWARD FIRST PLACE RIBBON, DYSTOPIAN
2018 READERS' FAVOURITE BRONZE AWARD, SCI FI
2018 READERS' FAVORITE HONORABLE MENTION DYSTOPIAN FICTION
"...merging the best of apocalyptic fiction and
sci-fi ... compelling." - Library Journal

"Cinematic, thought-provoking, immersive ...
​in the manner of the novels of Philip K. Dick."
- Booklist
 
"[I] cannot fathom how Stu Jones and Gareth Worthington created this masterpiece."
- Reader's Favorite.
Find out more about the in-depth research at: www.ittakesdesthtoreachastar.com

The epidemic struck at the end of the Third World War. Fighting over oil, power, and religion, governments ignored the rise of an antibacterial-resistant plague. In just five years, the Earth was annihilated. Only one city survived—Etyom—a frozen hellhole in northern Siberia, engulfed in
​endless conflict.

The year is 2251.
​
Two groups emerged from the ashes of the old world. Within the walled city of Lower Etyom dwell the Robusts—descendants of the poor who were immune to the New Black Death. Above them, in a metropolis of pristine platforms called lillipads, live the Graciles—the progeny of the superrich, bio-engineered to resist the plague.
Mila Solokoff is a Robust who trades information in a world where knowing too much can get you killed. Caught in a deal gone bad, she's forced to take a high-risk job for a clandestine organization hell-bent on revolution.
Demitri Stasevich is a Gracile with a dark secret—a sickness that, if discovered, will get him Ax'd. His only relief is an illegal narcotic produced by the Robusts, and his only means of obtaining it is a journey to the arctic hell far below New Etyom.
Thrust together in the midst of a sinister plot that threatens all life above and below the cloud line, Mila and Demitri must master their demons and make a choice—one that will either salvage what's left of the human race or doom it to extinction …

​Four years have passed since the lillipads fell and Etyom slipped
into darkness.

The New Black Death has mutated again, spreading to near epidemic proportions. What little order existed in Earth’s last city has disintegrated into chaos. Rippers roam the Vapid, robbing and leaving their victims butchered. The Robusts have spilled out of their broken enclaves and hide in any dark corner that will conceal them. Meanwhile, the elite Graciles, fallen from their pristine towers in the sky, have all
​mysteriously disappeared.

Demitri is a prisoner in his own mind. His demon, Vedmak—now known as the Vardøger—is manipulating Demitri’s body and knowledge to execute a secret plan far more disastrous than even the Gracile Leader dared.

Mila, her status among the fractured resistance elevated to that of Paladyn—a protector of the people—leads the fight against zealots intent on destroying what little remains of Etyom. It is a responsibility she never wanted, a calling that prevents her from doing what she truly desires.

Yet, Mila should be careful for what she longs. Caught between annihilation and loyalties that refuse to die, she must reconcile a single immutable truth: following your heart comes at a price.