John Wells spent all of his adult life devoted to one goal: astronaut selection. From humble beginnings, he waited on God’s timing, becoming an experienced Navy pilot and spacecraft systems engineer. One amazing day, fighting a Russian attack submarine, he received the call to space and to his destiny. Thirteen years later, from the International Space Station, John witnesses a terrorist attack that decimates the nation’s capitol and national security systems. When it’s followed by strange indications of alien life on Mars, John’s call puts him in the midst of a great controversy that tests him and his faith to the limit. Self-proclaimed prophet Reverend Nick Rykert becomes a national lightning rod as he predicts the aliens’ behavior and messages. When aerospace industrialist Rex Edwards defies NASA by challenging the world to go to Mars on his thousand-day timetable, a savvy Presidential administration responds. But first, an unmanned robot is sent to observe the aliens in advance. Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Vincent Kerry begins to pull threads of intelligence together that point to the surprising identity of the murderous terrorists. To his surprise, John is called to crew the Mars mission, and he and his close-knit family struggle with the conflict and pain generated by this apparent good news. His friend, Reverend Jeff Dempsey, publicly preaches the need to keep the alien issue in balance and prayer: God calls all to a personal relationship with Him, and aliens, if they do exist, do not negate the Bible’s truths or the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Ham radio enthusiast Ronnie Williams foils NASA and exposes on the Internet the true nature of the frightening alien images from Mars. As millions fearfully watch menacing spider-like craft advance on the unmanned Earth Rover that has just landed, the aliens offer a surprising gift, and John realizes that this is the moment to which God has called him. This is where he will make his mark; he was made for such a time as this.
Austin W. Boyd is an award-winning author who writes extensively about faith issues related to technology and business. He published award winning poetry and more than two dozen technical articles and papers during his career as a Navy pilot, NASA astronaut finalist, and spacecraft engineer. The author of six novels, he is a Christy Gold Medal finalist (The Proof, 2007) and the winner of the Mount Hermon “Pacesetter Award.” Austin currently writes for a number of Christian publishers. He has several novels in work based on themes tied to faith dilemmas in bioethics, as well as a Christian layman’s guide to Islam. Austin is employed as the Chief Executive Officer for an engineering and design firm in Huntsville, Alabama. He is active in local ministry activities, Southwood Presbyterian Church of Huntsville, and First Baptist Church of Huntsville where he has served as a teacher, deacon, and evangelist.
