An epic new science fiction series about faith, family, and alien invasion in the wilds of Alaska.
When a shooting star plunges through the atmosphere and touches down in the Alaska wilderness, only two earthlings are present to witness the event. But they perceive two utterly different realities. What park ranger Jace Kuliak sees is a UFO and the arrival of a dangerous alien species from beyond the solar system. What Poppy Prophecy sees is the star called Wormwood, as recorded in Scripture, and the arrival of an archangel of the Apocalypse.
The thing is — they’re both sorta right.
Poppy Prophecy is the despotic patriarch of a large End-Times prepper family that is busily converting a depleted copper mine into its own private doomsday bunker. Their copper mine is a century-old relic from territorial days when East Coast robber barons ruled Alaska and plundered its mineral wealth. Today the abandoned mine sits in the middle of the largest, wildest, most majestic national park in the United States. But Poppy isn’t impressed by mere earthly beauty, and he doesn’t mind bulldozing federal land when it suits his purposes.
Backcountry Ranger Jace Kuliak does mind, and he and fellow rangers confront the fundamentalist family in an armed standoff over the construction of an illegal airstrip. It doesn’t help matters when Ranger Kuliak falls hopelessly in love with Poppy’s second daughter, the lovely, innocent, and totally clueless Deuteronomy.
An uneasy truce between the Prophecys and the park service is shattered when the falling star lands in their backyard and is claimed by both sides. What is it? Who is it? Better yet, of all the pit stops on all the planets in all the galaxies, why did the Visitor choose this particular rock to screw with?
Industry Reviews
“Alaska. Aliens. The Anti-Christ. AWESOME! Marusek is in full form with this curveball tale about ETs, extremists, snowmobile chases and the meaning of life. Upon This Rock feels like The Puppet Masters crossed with Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. It’s snarky, mind-blowing, wild and fun. Thoroughly engrossing.” —Jeff Carlson, international bestselling author of The Frozen Sky
“. . . Marusek could be the one sci- fi writer in a million with the potential to make an increasingly indifferent audience care about the genre again . . .” —The New York Times Book Review
“David Marusek is one of the best-kept secrets of science fiction, a wild talent with a Gibson-grade imagination and marvelous prose, and a keen sense of human drama that makes it all go.” —Cory Doctorow, author of Walkaway: A Novel
“Marusek's writing is ferociously smart, simultaneously horrific and funny, as he forces readers to stretch their imaginations and sympathies. Much of the fun in the story is in the telling rather than its destination . . . exciting and wonderful.” —Publishers Weekly
“David Marusek is an extraordinarily gifted new writer, with unique ears and eyes . . . Brims over with imaginative extrapolations.” —Seattle-Post Intelligencer
