Out There — Gerald Rose

Ryker is a smart and adaptable young man and at the age of eighteen is accepted into the North American Space Trade School. Graduation from the elite corporate sponsored educational institution will ensure Ryker's path to a coveted career in space. After completing a rigorous training regime, Ryker graduates with honors as a construction worker with the distinguished rank of Flight Leader. While at a transport station on his way to his first posting, Ryker risks his life to stop an armed man who is being pursued by government agents. Ryker's instinctual act of courage will change the course of his life.

The armed man is Liam O'Rourke, a key member of the Council of 5, a rebel group that works to disrupt corporate and governmental operations Out There. Ryker's act of bravery has brought him to the attention of the saboteurs as well as the Director, the enigmatic CEO who heads up the vast corporate conglomerate that keeps business Out There running smoothly and lucratively. Ryker will find himself at the center of an intricate and deadly cat-and-mouse game of intergalactic espionage. His razor-sharp intelligence and native resourcefulness will not only keep him alive, but will help him rise through the ranks and beyond the limits of the space-time continuum.

Gerald Rose has written an inventive, complex sci-fi adventure that presents a chilling view of a future universe ruled by ruthless corporations. He has worked out many of the sociopolitical and technological details of tomorrow's world. Ryker is an extremely likeable protagonist who is worthy of his starring role in this fast-paced, provocative outer space epic.