The 100 author Kass Morgan is releasing a brand new science fiction novel titled Light Years! We’ve got the cover reveal and an exclusive excerpt right here.
You know Kass Morgan as the author of the post-apocalyptic YA novel series The 100. While it shares a name and core premise with The CW series of the same name, the two stories are very different, and we here on Hypable have immensely enjoyed following both series!
But after writing four novels set on post-apocalyptic Earth, Kass Morgan is leaving the world of The 100 behind (for now), heading deep into outer space to craft a brand new series of YA novels!
About ‘Light Years’ by Kass Morgan
Described as Ender’s Game meets The 100, Light Years follows a group of teenage cadets who attend an interstellar military academy in a galaxy far away.
From very different circumstances, this new set of characters now have to learn to work together, all the while harboring dark secrets and falling for people they shouldn’t.
Here is the official synopsis of Light Years:
“Reeling from the latest attack by a mysterious enemy, the Quatra Fleet Academy is finally admitting students from every planet in the solar system after centuries of exclusivity.
Hotshot pilot Vesper, an ambitious Tridian citizen, dreams of becoming a captain – but when she loses her spot to a brilliant, wisecracking boy from the wrong side of the asteroid belt, it makes her question everything she thought she knew. Growing up on the toxic planet Deva, Cormak will take any chance he can get to escape his dead-end life and join the Academy – even if he has to steal someone’s identity to do it. Arran was always considered an outsider on icy Chetire, always dreaming of something more than a life working in the mines. Now an incoming cadet, Arran is looking for a place to belong – he just never thought that place would be in the arms of a Tridian boy. And Orelia is hiding a dark secret – she’s infiltrated the Academy to complete a mission, one that threatens the security of everyone there. But if anyone finds out who she really is, it’ll be her life on the line.
Article Continues BelowThese cadets will have to put their differences aside and become a team to defend their world from a cunning enemy – but the danger might be lurking closer to home than they think…”
Speaking about the process of creating a brand new story set in a different universe from The 100, author Kass Morgan tells Hypable:
“I’m excited to introduce readers to a brand new group of space delinquents! While The 100 series is set in our world, Light Years takes place in a distant galaxy which meant I got to invent the world from scratch — a daunting but incredibly fun task.
“Yet while the Quatra Fleet Academy is fictional, the drama that fills its halls should feel familiar to fans of The 100. Because, as we all know, even teens tasked with saving the world can find time for romance…”
Exclusive ‘Light Years’ cover reveal and excerpt:
We also bring you an exclusive excerpt from Light Years, introducing one of the main characters, Cormak:
The airlock opened with a hiss, and Cormak shot off through the blisteringly hot, pink-tinged air. As his bike sped across the cracked red ground, he took shallow breaths until he was sure that his gas mask was working. Then he exhaled and jolted the roader into a higher gear, leaning forward to make his body as streamlined as possible. After spending all night making H20 deliveries to the luxury towers in Sector 2, it was a relief to be out in the open. The air in the towers might be quadruple filtered, but it always felt more suffocating than the poisonous atmosphere outside.
Water was strictly rationed on Deva, and most Settlers barely had enough for drinking, let alone showering more than once a week. But for a steep price, anyone willing to risk punishment could buy it on the black market from people like Cormak’s boss, Sol. Cormak had been making deliveries to the luxury towers for two years, yet the wealthy residents still eyed him warily, as if he were something that should’ve been caught in the filters. He’d learned the hard way not to let his gaze linger longingly on anything in their apartments—not on the fruit growing in the terrariums, not on the films playing on the monitors, and especially not on the books locked in transparent cases to protect them from the corrosive air. If there was one thing rich people trusted less than a dust-covered Devak, it was a dust-covered Devak who liked to read.
It was fairly clear today, and in the distance, the towers of Sector 23 loomed up through the faint pink haze. Cormak lived on the thirty-first floor of Tower B, one of the six hulking cement structures that comprised his scenic home. If he was lucky, he’d get a few hours of sleep before Sol called with the next set of deliveries.
Cormak switched on his helmet radio, banging his gloved hand against the side a few times until the static cleared.
“—officials said fourteen miners were killed in the blast. And now, the local weather report,” a cheery voice trilled. “The time is 27:40 in the morning. Air-traffic conditions are suboptimal due to a storm in the mesosphere. Today’s high will be 212 centis. The low will be 199 centis. According to current atmospheric readings, breathing unfiltered air will kill you in two minutes and forty seconds. Have a wonderful day!”
Cormak cursed as he hit a rut. The deliveries were wreaking havoc on his roader, but he didn’t have a choice. Making runs for Sol beat fourteen hours a day in one of the few remaining mines even if it meant working for the biggest asshole on Deva.
He straightened his legs and lifted himself up for a better view. The path ahead looked clear save for the remains of abandoned mining equipment—some rusty drills, huge broken barrels, and whatever tanker pieces hadn’t been snatched up by scavengers after the mine dried up.
The drone of the radio was cut off by an alert. “Incoming call from…Cormak, you’d better accept this or you’re in for a world of pain…Do you accept?” Cormak sighed and mumbled, “Accept.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” a familiar voice barked. “You don’t mouth off to clients.”
“What are you talking about, Sol?” Cormak asked wearily.
“The way you spoke to Rella Hewitt was unacceptable. To say nothing of stealing product that she paid for.”
Cormak stifled a groan. On his way into the Hewitts’ building, he’d passed an exhausted-looking girl mopping the floor—a fairly common sight on Deva, where kids often dropped out of school when their parents grew too sick to work. Cormak had offered her a tiny sip of H20, just enough so she wouldn’t collapse before her shift ended. He’d forgotten that the nosy, bored Rella Hewitt often watched her building’s security feed, monitoring her neighbors even in the middle of the night. When he’d arrived at her door, she’d spent a good five minutes screeching at him before Cormak ended her tirade with a few well-chosen words.
“I gotta tell you, Sol. It’s tough to feel bad for rich people who care more about their exotic plants than Settler kids.” Unlike the Settlers, whose ancestors had arrived on Deva generations ago, most of the wealthy people were recent arrivals from Tri, the Quatra Federation’s capital planet.
“Oh, so now you’re gonna get all moral on me, asshole? Your job is to make deliveries and keep your mouth shut. You got it?”
“Got it,” Cormak muttered.
“You’re lucky I happen to have a kind, understanding nature. I’m going to give you one more chance. I have a pickup for you tonight at 29° 22′ north, 99° 48′ west…Why don’t I hear you pulling over to write that down?”
“29° 22′ north, 99° 48′ west,” Cormak repeated dully. “Roger that, chief.” He never forgot coordinates. He had a thing for numbers. He could see them rearranging themselves in his head into all sorts of combinations that allowed him to solve complex equations in seconds. Not that it had done him much good. Because he couldn’t show his work on math exams, his teachers always assumed he was cheating. Their skepticism had made his brother, Rex, furious, but Cormak hadn’t really cared. Good grades only mattered for people like Rex—the rare students smart enough to catch the instructors’ attention and likeable enough to justify the endless paperwork, favors, and bribes required to get into an off-planet university or training program. Though in the end, even Rex hadn’t made it off Deva.
“If you mess this up, you’re gonna be sorry. I mean it, Cormak.”
“I got it. I’ll be there tonight.”
Light Years will be released on October 9, 2018. You can pre-order the novel on Hachette Book Group’s website.
The novel is intended for ages 14 and up, and will be available in hardcover, eBook and audio formats. (Hardcover Edition ISBN: 9780316510448.)
Fan of our book coverage? Why not join our Hypable Books Facebook group!
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.