Ascent — Kevin Ikenberry

Atop the highest mountain in the solar system, death awaits. Rope up. Hook on. Climb for your life. Colin Barnes is the most experienced alpinist on Earth. After successfully ascending the Seven Summits, Barnes was the first human to climb Mount Huygens, the tallest mountain on the Moon, before being chosen to lead an expedition up Mount Olympus, the tallest planet in our solar system. Three times higher than Everest, more than six hundred miles across at the base, Mount Olympus is more than a daunting climb, it could cost Colin and his team their lives. Ascent received an Honorable Mention in the Fourth Quarter, 2011 Writers Of The Future Contest.