Bones

by Hal Emerson

Fifteen-year-old Augustus Hale was born to be perfect. A product of the great post-Earth city-station known as Arvun Cristi, his genes were chosen at conception, his body enhanced with nanotechnology, and his right arm replaced with a bionic computer. He is a Preset, a creation of the Genetic Revolution that has allowed the survival of the human race. But when an atmospheric breach forces him to evacuate Arvun Cristi and crash-land on the barren planet Spes, he finds himself abandoned and helpless. He and another boy, Jack, are pulled from the wreckage by scavengers and held for ransom. Their only hope comes when a Watch cruiser chases the scavengers into the deadly Rift, a thousand-mile valley preserve filled with creatures from across the galaxy. Stranded without means of survival, the mysterious Jack offers the scavenger crew an impossible map to an Arvun Cristi compound hidden deep within the Rift. It is only then that Augustus learns that Jack is a Bones – an illegal, natural-born human – with a hidden agenda all his own. Together the boys begin their journey across the treacherous Rift, unaware that what they find will change them both, and redefine humanity.

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2016

About the author

Hal Emerson is the author of eleven books, including the award-winning Exile Trilogy beginning with The Prince of Ravens. He is a graduate of UCLA with a BA in theatre, where he studied Shakespeare, Chekhov, and the Greek and Roman Classics. He also has an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Some of his favorite books and series include East of Eden, The Brothers Karamazov, The Lord of the Rings, and The Wheel of Time. As a young reader, he was particularly inspired by The Chronicles of Prydain, and he is an avid Harry Potter fan.

He still believes in the Oxford comma, and he has seen every Robin Williams movie.

Reviews

[Mishe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerson is really good at world-building, and creating flawed characters that you become invested in. Excited to see where the rest of the series go!