The Amaranth Chronicles

Lithia’s father tells the story of Hoban Boson, a long-ago captain of a ship on Earth, and his defiance against those who would try to take their freedom. Hoban convinced his crew to go up against the Falcon, the ship that had landed in Buzzard Bay to lay claim to the town. Hoban’s crew and ship, the Success, was much smaller than the Falcon, but to him, that didn’t matter. What mattered was standing up to those who would subjugate and terrorize. Lithia is old enough to know that bad guys don’t win in the end, and young enough to be scared when all seems lost.

Growing up, all Lithia wants is to go on the Journey with her father. But as she gets older, a dark secret seems to cloud their idyllic world. The neighbors ask questions about where her father goes, if he ever brings anything back from his trips around the galaxy. Lithia and her brother, Bobby, are instructed to be careful with whom they talk. One day, her father comes home in a daze, and her mother announces they are leaving Venus to go on the Journey together. Lithia is elated - until tragedy strikes. The two siblings are left with nowhere to go.

This wasn't what Lithia had in mind when she decided to run away from home. Her ship was not meant to carry a fugitive wanted in two galaxies or the stowaways running from a war that wasn't hers. She just wanted to live a quiet, peaceful life alongside her brother. But now she knows too much about The Helix, the secret hidden deep within it, and what it would mean for all humankind if she walked away.