Mars has found the missing kids alright -- they're headed to Mars, to a colony set up by the (in)famous billionaire Oliver Pruitt. He's sold the genius teens a utopian bill of goods -- this is their chance to rebuild society, far away from the adults who messed up Earth. Just follow the rules, and all will be well.
There's only one catch -- the colony's still very dependent on Earth, for just about everything. And Pruitt has a totally different agenda for the colony in mind, one Aurora -- who's gone rogue against Pruitt, with teen followers she's poached from his colony -- can't wait to share with Mars.
A volcanic eruption from a long dead cone throws the teen colonists into danger and disarray, and Mars and his friends have to save Aurora and her followers. But the question remains -- how will they survive without help and resupplies from Earth? Even with a severely curtailed connection to Earth, once Pruitt abandons them on the planet, it's going to be hard-going. Will anyone want to stay behind and do the hard work of rebuilding?
This is an interesting story, based on a pod cast. Although I've never listened to it, you can feel the broadcast influence on things like chapter endings, jumps in time and action sequences and more. It's an excellent sci-fi / fantasy read and great for exploring how the medium of presentation affects the storytelling.
Enjoy!
And in case you're interested in book 1, here's my review:
