From Pittacus Lore, bestselling author of the I Am Number Four series, comes a gripping duology closer now in paperback about a teen who must choose between destroying and protecting humanity, putting the entire universe at risk.

Pittacus Lore finished telling the story of the Lorien Nine. Now, he’s back to recount an all-new adventure rooted in the real mysteries surrounding Roswell, New Mexico, that will enthrall fans of Jay Kristoff, Amie Kaufman, and Brandon Sanderson.

Syd Chambers grew up on Earth with his human mother and barely remembers his alien father, who left on a mission when Syd was very young. After leaving Earth to join his Denzan uncle in the Vastness, Syd learned the truth of his father’s disappearance on the planet Ashfall—his father had died protecting a devastating secret about the history between humans and Denzans.

Syd is now faced with a choice—free humanity from imprisonment on Earth, allowing them to come into physical power beyond their wildest dreams and risking their revenge against the Denzans—or destroy Earth so that humanity never has a chance to enslave, torment, and kill other species again. The Etherazi has told Syd that he is destined to become a world-killer, but Syd can't accept that there isn't another path, and is determined to choose his own fate.