A global ice age... pushes humanity to the brink of extinction.As ice spreads across the planet, scientists race to figure out why the Earth is cooling.They send probes into space--and make a shocking discovery: there's a mysterious object drifting toward the sun.Could it save us from the ice age?Or is it the cause?With time running out, NASA launches a desperate mission to make contact with the object. But it isn't what they expected.* * *From A.G. Riddle, the worldwide bestselling author of The Atlantis Gene and Departure, comes a new sci-fi thriller that will change the way you look at Earth's place in the solar system forever.* * *Each month, Earth grows colder. Snow falls in summer. Glaciers trample cities across North America, Europe, and Asia. The new ice age gripping the planet shows no signs of stopping.Chaos erupts. Around the world, people abandon their homes, fleeing the cold, flocking to regions where they can survive.Nations prepare to go to war for the world's last habitable zones.NASA and other scientific organizations race to discover why the world is cooling. They send probes into the solar system to collect readings. Near Mars, one of the probes finds something no one expected: a mysterious object, drifting toward the sun. Could it be responsible for the new ice age? And if so, can we stop it? Or is the artifact merely an observer? Or neither? Could it be a relic from a long-extinct civilization? One thing is certain: investigating the artifact is humanity's best hope of survival.As the ice age claims more lives and the world slides into anarchy, an international consortium launches a mission into space to study the object and make contact. But the first contact mission doesn't go as planned. What the crew discovers out there is beyond anyone's imagination.Two members of the first contact mission may hold the keys to humanity's salvation.Dr. Emma Matthews is the commander aboard the International Space Station. For months, she has watched the world below freeze and civilization unravel. The headlines tell only half of the story. The messages from her sister tell the rest, of a world witnessing mass migrations, fighting for survival, struggling to provide a future for their children. When a catastrophe strikes the ISS, Emma faces her own fight for survival.Dr. James Sinclair is one of the greatest scientists alive. A mind before his time. Years ago, he invented something with the potential to change the world--an invention that would upset the balance of power in the world forever. Fearing that change, his enemies sent him to prison for a crime he didn't commit. But with humanity's future at stake, NASA asks him to join the first contact mission. His expertise is vital to the mission's success--and to saving Emma. With the clock ticking down to humanity's final days on Earth, James makes a decision that will change his life forever and may determine the fate of the entire human race.* * *Praise for A.G. Riddle...reads like a superior collaboration between Dan Brown and Michael Crichton.-- The Guardian on PandemicI finished the book fast because I just couldn't wait...-- WIRED GeekDad on DepartureRiddle... keep(s) the focus on his characters... rather than the technological marvels-- Publisher's Weekly on Departure
