The battle for human evolution begins now.

Centuries ago, humans colonised Jorn, a lonely planet on the far side of the galaxy, only to discover that the planet was killing them. The culprit, a native spore, carried on every wind to every corner of the globe.

Genetic engineering, blending Earth and Jorn DNA, saved their crops and livestock, but for humans there was no cure. Instead they took to the skies, turning their colony ships into cities that floated out of the spore’s reach.

Hero Regan is special, and not in a way she likes. She hears voices, voices in her head that other people can’t. Surrounded by butlers, bodyguards and tutors, insulated from the outside world, her only solace is Fink, a six-hundred-kilogram, genetically engineered ruc-pard. They share lives, thoughts, triple-chocolate marshmallow ice-cream and the burning desire for freedom.

Their chance comes when Hero is allowed to attend school in Cumulus City. Here Hero discovers she is an unwitting part of a master plan set into motion 300 years before, a plan she must either help or hinder if she’s ever to attain the freedom she craves.

Hero is the first book in an action-packed YA sci-fi series perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, featuring genetically engineered companions, illegal street races and a kick-arse heroine who won’t take no for an answer.