Literature professor Alton Lucas has been in a prison camp erected for white supremacists after their 2068 attacks on the U.S. capital. But Alton is no supremacist. In fact, he's been hiding his mixed-race identity from his fellow prisoners, who would kill him if they discovered it.

He's been hiding another secret as well: his long-ago friendship with Hagen, the very leader of the capital attacks who has recently resurfaced after two years underground. Fearing that Hagen plans to attack the upcoming Mars colony mission, the government offers Alton his freedom if he helps a special forces unit track his old friend through Northern California's remote Trinity Mountains.

As Alton closes in, he uncovers Hagen's true plans-plans that could give Alton everything he ever wanted, including the love of his life, Kiara, who is now under Hagen's thrall. With only days to go before the launch, Alton must decide where his true loyalties lie before the future of humanity is altered forever.

Afterburn is a sci-fi thriller and cautionary tale in the vein of American War by Omar El Akkad or Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. The novel teems with cinematic visuals, breathless action, provocative themes, and poignant character moments.