A suicidal teenage colonist survives an alien infection and must choose between ending his life and using his strange new abilities to save the colony planet from annihilation.

Sci-fi

Jack, a suicidal human teen, enjoys a thrilling ‘last’ day with Cassi, a secretive Gillian refugee. Two aliens crash near Jack’s home. One is a dying Tirian that gives Jack amazing powers. The other is a genocidal Reptilian. As Jack resists his new powers, the colony falls into shadow.

Jack’s love for Cassi inspires a quarry showdown with the Reptilian. He resists death as Cassi swims an underground river to a ranging seep of incendiary dust. No longer repressed by her secret, she rises above the river and sets off an explosion. The Reptilian is killed. Jack and Cassi survive.

The colony planet, Sagana

No

Overcoming Monster/Villain,Internal Journey/Rebirth

Meaningful Message,Happy Ending

Extreme Violence

Name: Jack Chappell

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Uneducated,Underdog,Lone Wolf,Skillful,Funny,Desperate,Masculine,Insecure,Sarcastic

Name: Cassi Orion Peia

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Badass,Aggressive,Decisive,Honorable,Secretive,Skillful,Sexy,Naive,Engaging,Empathetic,Confident,Obedient

Name: Korac

Age: Unknown

Gender: Other

Role: mentor

Key Traits: Desperate,Skillful,Honorable,Leader,Manipulative,Complex,Empathetic,Engaging,Unapologetic

Name: Seftok

Age: Unknown

Gender: Male

Role: antagonist

Key Traits: Decisive,Aggressive,Criminal,Greedy,Power Hungry,Villainous,Narcisstic

If drastic personal transformations, unlikely allies, reluctant heroes and dark humor pique your interest, A Shadow in Space will be a great fit for your list. On the colony planet, Sagana, teenage quarryman Jack Chappell is haplessly suicidal. But does he want to kill himself or be saved from the depression caused by his shattered family and facial disfigurement? Cassi Orion Peia is Jack’s only friend and foil to his suicidal schemes. As an aquatic Gillian refugee, she yearns to fit in with Sagana’s human majority and secure a brighter future. Thus, she devotes herself to Jack’s well-being and toes the line like a ‘good little Gillian.’ But when two mysterious warships crash near Jack’s home and a dying creature named Korac infects his bloodstream, everything changes. Jack suddenly has amazing powers and a strange voice in his head that champions life and vengeance over suicide. Seftok, the genocidal Reptilian general who murdered Korac’s family, survives the crash. He commits atrocities that force Cassi to reveal her secret power and forsake all that she holds dear. If Seftok isn’t destroyed, every human and Gillian on the colony planet will meet a terrible end. As Jack and Cassi encounter powerful enemies, obstacles and moments of self-discovery, it becomes clear that their friendship is the colony planet’s only hope for survival. A Shadow in Space won the "2018 Book with the Best Screen Potential" award at WriteMovies.com.

Bryan Reilly is a Partner and Creative Director at Haymaker Creative. From his home office in Stratford, CT, he provides concepts and copy for traditional and online marketing initiatives. In his career, he’s written effective copy for meaningful causes such as early breast cancer detection, concussion awareness and seniors in need. He’s also used readouts from his Life Quality/Bullsh*t Meter to make interesting career choices. On one occasion, he bade a hasty farewell to every cent of a corporate severance package by renting a Brooklyn, NY loft for the soon-to-be short-lived Unpublished Underground, an art gallery for aspiring writers. Bryan dreams big and doesn’t shy away from Herculean challenges. Thus, pursuing writing successes in a town with Shakespearean heritage is right up his alley. Appropriately, his fiction infuses tragedy with comedy and feats of heroism that are subtle and overt. His unpublished YA science fiction novel, A Shadow in Space, recently won the "Book with the Best Screen Potential" award at WriteMovies.com.

Age: 7-12,13-17,18-34

Target Gender: Universal

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Status: No

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