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First Ascent: Ascending Carbon Series, Book 1
Orbits in ruin. A tether into space. But how much is a lie?
When an unauthorized oil rig appears offshore of Ecuador, a military team is sent to investigate. The deep-water platform has no markings, no drilling rig, and no workers—but it's surrounded by a curious bank of fog. When their helicopter closes in, it's swallowed without a trace.
Sahalie Spark is the host of a popular TV show, Don't Believe It! Each week, she debunks another baseless conspiracy theory or takes a lighthearted poke at misinformation infecting unfiltered media. Like most, she dismisses the story out of Ecuador as nonsense, but when a Korean billionaire offers exclusive access, Sahalie connects the dots. It's not an oil platform, it's a tether into space, and it could be the solution to the debris catastrophe that has crippled spaceflight for years.
Questions remain, answers are elusive, and danger lurks along this vertical railway. With the world watching, Sahalie will need to climb ever higher to discover the truth or die trying.
From the author of the Quantum series comes an exciting new novel framed in real science that takes listeners on a journey of discovery through the back doors of reality.
When an unauthorized oil rig appears offshore of Ecuador, a military team is sent to investigate. The deep-water platform has no markings, no drilling rig, and no workers—but it's surrounded by a curious bank of fog. When their helicopter closes in, it's swallowed without a trace.
Sahalie Spark is the host of a popular TV show, Don't Believe It! Each week, she debunks another baseless conspiracy theory or takes a lighthearted poke at misinformation infecting unfiltered media. Like most, she dismisses the story out of Ecuador as nonsense, but when a Korean billionaire offers exclusive access, Sahalie connects the dots. It's not an oil platform, it's a tether into space, and it could be the solution to the debris catastrophe that has crippled spaceflight for years.
Questions remain, answers are elusive, and danger lurks along this vertical railway. With the world watching, Sahalie will need to climb ever higher to discover the truth or die trying.
From the author of the Quantum series comes an exciting new novel framed in real science that takes listeners on a journey of discovery through the back doors of reality.
Audible Audio
Published November 18, 2025
About the author
Douglas Phillips
45 books347 followersDouglas Phillips is the best-selling author of the Ascending Carbon Series, the Quantum Series, and more. The books are page-turning adventures that imagine scientific discovery as the path toward a positive future for humanity. Each story draws the reader deeper into mysteries that require intellect, not bullets, to resolve.
Doug has science degrees in Geomorphology and Meteorology, has designed and written predictive computer models, reads physics books for fun and peers into deep space through the eyepiece of his backyard telescope. He lives in Seattle, travels the world with his wife, hikes with his two sons, and becomes a child all over again with his grandchildren.
"I love science fiction, especially stories that begin with real science then ask, what if? I've studied a wide range of science throughout my life. Now, I'm turning that experience into the stories I've always wanted to read."
http://douglasphillipsbooks.com/
Doug has science degrees in Geomorphology and Meteorology, has designed and written predictive computer models, reads physics books for fun and peers into deep space through the eyepiece of his backyard telescope. He lives in Seattle, travels the world with his wife, hikes with his two sons, and becomes a child all over again with his grandchildren.
"I love science fiction, especially stories that begin with real science then ask, what if? I've studied a wide range of science throughout my life. Now, I'm turning that experience into the stories I've always wanted to read."
http://douglasphillipsbooks.com/
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