This image is the cover for the book Lightning Strike

Lightning Strike

“Space adventure for the twenty-first century . . . made sophisticated with Asaro’s fascinating knowledge of cutting-edge science.” —Nancy Kress, Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author

Seventeen-year-old Tina Santis Pulivok has never seen anyone like Althor in 1987 East LA. With his metallic skin, inner eyelids, and stilted way of talking, Althor baffles her. It doesn’t help that he keeps talking about his spaceship. And although Tina has always experienced other people’s emotions at a level far beyond normal, she’s never felt the intensity she does with this strange visitor.

Althor finally convinces Tina that he comes from the future, the year 2328, and possibly another universe. He had been headed for a reception on Earth, in Washington D.C., when something went terribly wrong with his starship. Although he has managed to stay free, he loses his Jag starfighter to the American military of 1987. Althor’s internal web system connects directly to his Jag, which means his life depends on his recovering his ship. As he and Tina race to get his Jag and evade capture, Tina’s connection to Althor grows. A second chance is in her future—his future. But it becomes clear that someone in Althor’s universe sabotaged his ship, trying to kill him. And the assassins aren’t finished yet . . .

“From the L.A. barrios to the universe! Excellent.” —The San DiegoUnion-Tribune

“A truly masterful accomplishment in world-building, an example of consummate craftsmanship and an impeccable feel for the technical and social possibilities that lie ahead of us. Hard science fiction fans can rejoice—the next superstar is here.” —Romantic Times

Catherine Asaro

Catherine Asaro is the author of thirty books, ranging from thrillers to science fiction and fantasy. Her novel The Quantum Rose and novella The Spacetime Pool both won the Nebula Award, and she has been nominated for multiple Hugo Awards. Asaro holds a doctorate in chemical physics from Harvard; her research specializes in applying the mathematical methods of physics to problems in quantum physics and chemistry.

Asaro has appeared as a speaker at many institutions, including the Library of Congress, Georgetown’s Communication, Culture, and Technology program, the New Zealand National ConText Writer's program, the Global Competitiveness Forum in Saudi Arabia, and the US Naval Academy. She has been the guest of honor at science fiction conventions across the United States and abroad, including the National Science Fiction Conventions of both Denmark and New Zealand, and served as president for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She can be reached at www.catherineasaro.net and has a Patreon page at www.patreon.com/CatherineAsaro.