Introducing the first young adult novel from crime fiction writer Adrian McKintyโwhose adult books have been called โunputdownableโ (Washington Post), โexceptionalโ (San Francisco Chronicle), and โprofoundly satisfyingโ (Booklist)โthis is the start of an epic sci-fi trilogy with an unforgettable hero.
When Jamieโs mother inherits a small island and moves her little family from Harlem to Ireland, her troubled son sees a chance to start over, far away from the bullies and the pitying stares. Cancer has left Jamie without an arm or the will to speak. But Muck Island is no sanctuary, and it offers more than solitude and sea views. Jamie learns that he is heir to an ancient titleโLaird of Muck, Guardian of the Passageโand certain otherworldly responsibilities. With the help of a mysterious object he discovers in the islandโs old lighthouse, Jamie sets out on a dangerous interstellar mission that could change the course of his lifeโand the universeโforever.
Tautly paced and brilliantly imagined, this novel will thrill sci-fi fans eager for new heroes and new worlds to explore.
Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He studied philosophy at Oxford University before moving to Australia and to New York. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels, including the award-winning standalone thriller The Chain, which was a New York Times and #1 international bestseller. McKintyโs books have been translated into over forty languages, and he has won the Edgar Award, the International Thriller Writers Award, the Ned Kelly Award (three times), the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. His novel The Island was an instant New York Times bestseller and made their โBest Thrillers of 2022โ list.
Gerard Doyle has appeared in London's West End in The Hired Man and in Shakespeare's Coriolanus and The Winter's Tale, and has toured nationally and internationally with the English Shakespeare Company. He has appeared on Broadway in The Weir and on television in New York Undercover and Law and Order. Mr. Doyle is also an award-winning audiobook narrator.