It is an exciting time for Earth as the Galactic Confederation considers their application for membership. Interstellar travel is commonplace in the 43rd Century, and humans work and live alongside many alien species from all over the galaxy. Zack Jackson is an ordinary kid from Wyoming, embarking on his first intersteller trip with the Junior Rangers. He looks forward to exploring a strange new world and making friends with the kids in his troop. When an accident strands Zack and his new friends in the hostile wilderness of an alien world, they must rely on their wits and each other to survive toxic snows, avalanches, and deadly predators 260 light years from home. "Zack Jackson & The Cult of Athos" is the first in a series of young adult science fiction novels by the author of The Foundation of Drak-Anor fantasy duology. Praise for "Zack Jackson & The Cult of Athos" From Reads 4 Tweens (www.reads4tweens.com/zack-jackson-the-cult-of-athos): ..".an interesting read for kids who enjoy really thinking about what the future world might be like" and ..."if your kid is into science and insists on knowing how everything works, this book does its best to answer those questions while necessarily stretching and twisting things beyond what's currently possible and known. "