First Colony Book 14 – Expedition Earth is available for pre-order and will be released globally at the end of the month. At long last, the colonists will return to Earth.

One last mission…

After a long and exalted military career, General Connor Gates thought he was finally ready to retire. He was wrong.

When interstellar probes sent to Earth’s star system report back 40 years earlier than expected, the colonists learn that humans somehow survived the cataclysmic events of the past…but so did the enemy. 

The colonists owe their lives to the sacrifice made by the people of Earth, but the survivors are struggling and the colonists have the technology to turn the tide. Someone must lead an expeditionary force back to Earth. Connor might have been ready for retirement, but Earth calls, promising answers to what happened so long ago. 

Can Connor and his friends survive one last mission and pay back the huge debt of sacrifice made long ago?

Available on August 31st, 2022

Pre-Order Your Copy!

Writing Expedition Earth allowed me to explore and answer one of the most enduring questions since the series began. What happened to Earth? Did anyone survive? How did they survive? Who are they, and what are their struggles?

One of the things I’ve enjoyed about writing this series is that it builds on itself. The colonists develop new tools and methods to meet the challenges they face. Those things mature as the colonists master new technology. One of the questions I often get asked is whether I’d planned out the entire series, which at this time is 14 books long. The answer to that is, no, I didn’t. This series was developed in chunks, based on ideas that I’ve had and reader reactions to the story. It’s been a great ride, and I look forward to writing more in this series.

I’d planned to have this book ready for release by the end of July, but as I planned and wrote the book, the story proved to be much bigger than I thought. Expedition Earth is the longest book in the series by a wide margin. It’s a big story and one that I was determined to write well. I’m excited at how well the story came together, and I hope whoever reads it enjoys this continuation of the series.

What comes next?

I will be starting a new science fiction series and plan to release the first book in November. In fact, the next few books I will be writing will be in this new series. I do plan to return to writing another book in the First Colony series next year. 

If you happened to wander here and have never read the First Colony series, maybe give it a try. 

As always, thank you for reading my work.

~Ken