Year 998 P.E. (Post Earth)What's the worst part about the end of the world?You might think it's having to live in one of thirteen Arks orbiting a dead planet.Or that the last vestiges of humanity are only one point three million people, one hundred thousand per Ark. No more, no less, closed loop, until the Searchers find us a new home.But no, the absolute worst part is turning eighteen.Because that's when you're forced to marry a random stranger.It's called Selection - when Oversight assigns you a life-partner, a new job, and you're required to produce a child in your first year of marriage.That's pretty bad, right? I mean, what if he hates me? What if my job stinks?Yeah. I used to worry about that, too.But now, fearing for my life is my new worst thing of all.Because things are not as they seem, and people are disappearing… James Jacob (J J) Mathews grew up with his nose stuck in books. A voracious reader in his youth, he devoured all of the science fiction and fantasy books he could find at the local library. J.R.R. Tolkein, Isaac Asimov, Ben Bova, Larry Niven, Voltaire and Greg Bear were some of his early influences, with many other authors added to his bookshelf as time went on. Broadening out to read more genres as an adult, J J has always held a special place for fantasy and sci-fi.J J is married and lives in Hamilton, New Zealand with his wife and three boys, and writes in his spare time. Year 998 P.E. (Post Earth)A thousand years have passed since we destroyed the Earth.The last vestiges of humanity survive in thirteen Arks orbiting the dead planet, hoping it will someday recover and be able to support life once more. Searchers keep a constant watch for signs of life - on the dead Earth below, and out amongst the stars, searching for a new home for humanity. Until then, Mars Base is our last, best hope of survival for the species and a new planetary home.Miya spends her weekends working in sanitation, turning valves and keeping things flowing where they should. The rest of her time is spent in school and with friends, until she turns eighteen. Then she, along with thousands of other young women and men of the same age, will face Selection. After that, there will be no more choices. In the blink of an eye, Oversight will tell her what her job for life will be. She will also find out who she will have as a husband, tasked to produce a child in their first year of marriage, and exactly one more after that.Miya fears for what the future might hold. Nobody gets to choose once they're eighteen … or do they?

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