Nebula Express — John Argo

Never before has a ship so far from home been in so much trouble. Hurtling through space and time like a blur, starship Nebula Express gives truth to a darkly bright motto out of a nightmare: “Nothing seems right…near the speed of light…” Not the ship, not the mission, nor its people - especially not Ridge and Brenna, who are drawn to each other with a deep passion that defies the deadly madness all around - yet their love, too, is a symptom of all that's wrong aboard Nebula Express. It is a saga in the tradition of Ridley Scott's movie Alien - yet scarier, more thoughtful, a heart-stopping romantic story amid the terror, chaos, and horror of a ship gone mad. The six-person engineering crew aboard the starship awaken to a normal morning in the crew quarters aboard a solar system cargo ship named Neptune Express, on a two-year mission to the blue gas giant that will allow each to retire wealthy. They enjoy breakfast, banter, and email home across the vast emptiness of space. But Earth isn't answering. And the captain is nowhere to be found. When Ridge, Brenna, and the other four specialists open the hatch to enter the huge ship, they discover to their horror that nothing is what they thought it would be - not the ship, not the mission, not the engineers themselves--in a heart-rending ultimate discovery for each man and woman that is sure to send cold chills through the reader. You will *not* want to miss this unique twist that takes horror to its ultimate, personal peak. It's a plot twist no writer has ever done before. Be prepared to keep lights on all night. Take a deep breath, take a long walk around the house in the dark, check doors and windows, and look in the mirror to see who or what is looking back at you. Mystery upon mystery compound the terror as the crew find themselves inside an ancient, wrecked starship. Then bodies begin turning up, along with zombie-like Mudmen or Cleaners who hunt both the living and the dead, seeking body parts and food. Then the dying begins. One by one, the engineers fall prey to a strange illness. Not only is everything frighteningly wrong, but one by one, each realizes the most horrific truth of all about him or herself. Ridge, a strong, handsome Chief Engineer, and lovely red-headed Brenna, Senior Engineer, have families back on Earth whom they love very much. And yet, they find themselves drawn into a passionate, overwhelming love that neither sought, but they cannot resist or understand. Somewhere in the rusting, dripping, ghost-ridden bowels of this enormous city flying through the distant galaxy is a magical place called Largo, where answers and help can be found. Ridge and Brenna must find Largo before it's too late, as the clock ticks…Largo itself is only a keyhole leading to either human extinction…or a New Earth that is humankind's only shred of hope. If the two lovers cannot defeat the ship and its monsters (both external and internal to themselves) they will never know as a ghastly array of long-dead, mummified officers on the bridge sails Nebula Express to her ultimate destiny amid distant stars.