Eden Descending
cover by Steve Beaulieu
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"The story itself flew off the pages...Peak did a great job building in different pieces of trust (earned little by little) along with throwing scenes at the characters where they had to trust and interact and improvise. It really helped them jump off of the page and helped them feel more real." - Brian's Book Blog |
They hoped to create a paradise. Instead, they created hell.
Phoa was terraformed by nanite swarms for Earth’s colonists to create a beautiful, habitable world. But the swarms evolved, overran the planet, and two centuries later, threaten every living thing remaining on it.
Reyes, a scientist from Phoa’s last colonial enclave, and Thanata, a bioengineered hunter from a rival tribe, must work together to halt the Green: the massive swarm that absorbs plants, animals—even entire cities. But if the unlikely pair hopes to survive the mutated wilds and the deadly Green, they'll have to learn to understand each other.
Don't miss this far future, alien planet survival series perfect for fans of J.N. Chaney, A.G. Riddle, and Horizon Zero Dawn. Grab your copy today!
Phoa was terraformed by nanite swarms for Earth’s colonists to create a beautiful, habitable world. But the swarms evolved, overran the planet, and two centuries later, threaten every living thing remaining on it.
Reyes, a scientist from Phoa’s last colonial enclave, and Thanata, a bioengineered hunter from a rival tribe, must work together to halt the Green: the massive swarm that absorbs plants, animals—even entire cities. But if the unlikely pair hopes to survive the mutated wilds and the deadly Green, they'll have to learn to understand each other.
Don't miss this far future, alien planet survival series perfect for fans of J.N. Chaney, A.G. Riddle, and Horizon Zero Dawn. Grab your copy today!
EDEN DESENDING is published through Aethon Books. Buy it in multiple formats on Amazon.
Eden Descending: Excerpt
A corpse lay beside the damaged warning beacon. Reyes knelt and examined the body. It wore a warden’s biosuit, like himself, but scavenger swarms had already devoured the victim’s face and hands. The autonomous nanobots within the swarm had ground the consumed flesh into particles, leaving only dusty bones.
Reyes scanned the jungle around him, his goggles catching no heat signatures with its infrared view. Safe for the moment, then. Or as safe as one could be outside Central’s barriers.
He’d not ventured this far for a month and already the plant growth had increased by a factor of ten. Half of the roads leading to Central and the trade outposts near the savannas were overgrown. The evergreen, invasive vines and thickets were biomorphic, constructed by swarms to grow at an accelerated rate.
Everyone on Phoa called it the Green. The largest rogue swarm on the planet.
With a flick of his left hand, Reyes brought up his focus, a holographic interface emitting from his left palm. It was his personal computer, and doubled as a readout for his scanner. The hologram flickered every few seconds and often lost connection with Central’s servers, but the Academy couldn’t spare resources to repair it.
“Central, this is warden Juan Reyes,” he spoke into his palm. “Protocol 87b. I’m five kilometers south of the containment perimeter and I’ve got another broken beacon…and a dead warden. Confirm receipt and my coordinates.”
The focus wavered. Bits of audio exited his earbuds but nothing intelligible.
He sighed but kept an eye on his surroundings. The dark vines slithered in the jungle undergrowth like snakes and wrapped around trunks in a slow yet terminal embrace.
“This is warden Juan Reyes, protocol…”
While repeating the message, he examined the body. Biosuits were issued as needed by the Academy and lacked personal markings. Performing a quick identity check with his focus was impossible—no retinas or fingerprints remained to scan. Whoever the victim was, he hoped they’d died quick. Some swarms took days to dissemble a body.
The warden’s gloves and mask were missing. Standard issue gear.
“Repeat, I’ve found a dead…”
Reyes ceased talking upon finding two bullet holes in the suit’s back.
The next moment he was prone on the jungle floor. Holding his breath.
Reyes scanned the jungle around him, his goggles catching no heat signatures with its infrared view. Safe for the moment, then. Or as safe as one could be outside Central’s barriers.
He’d not ventured this far for a month and already the plant growth had increased by a factor of ten. Half of the roads leading to Central and the trade outposts near the savannas were overgrown. The evergreen, invasive vines and thickets were biomorphic, constructed by swarms to grow at an accelerated rate.
Everyone on Phoa called it the Green. The largest rogue swarm on the planet.
With a flick of his left hand, Reyes brought up his focus, a holographic interface emitting from his left palm. It was his personal computer, and doubled as a readout for his scanner. The hologram flickered every few seconds and often lost connection with Central’s servers, but the Academy couldn’t spare resources to repair it.
“Central, this is warden Juan Reyes,” he spoke into his palm. “Protocol 87b. I’m five kilometers south of the containment perimeter and I’ve got another broken beacon…and a dead warden. Confirm receipt and my coordinates.”
The focus wavered. Bits of audio exited his earbuds but nothing intelligible.
He sighed but kept an eye on his surroundings. The dark vines slithered in the jungle undergrowth like snakes and wrapped around trunks in a slow yet terminal embrace.
“This is warden Juan Reyes, protocol…”
While repeating the message, he examined the body. Biosuits were issued as needed by the Academy and lacked personal markings. Performing a quick identity check with his focus was impossible—no retinas or fingerprints remained to scan. Whoever the victim was, he hoped they’d died quick. Some swarms took days to dissemble a body.
The warden’s gloves and mask were missing. Standard issue gear.
“Repeat, I’ve found a dead…”
Reyes ceased talking upon finding two bullet holes in the suit’s back.
The next moment he was prone on the jungle floor. Holding his breath.
