At long last, Matt Cruse is at the helm. Though it’s only asummer job piloting a humble aerocrane, he’s thrilled tobe helping to build the Celestial Tower, Paris’s extraordinarygateway to outer space. But Matt’s idyllic summer is short-lived.He narrowly survives a deadly attack by the fanatical Babelites,who are opposed to humans reaching the heavens. Worse still,his nights spent stargazing with Kate de Vries must end whenshe’s summoned back to Lionsgate City by her parents.
But then the chance of a lifetime boosts Matt’s hopes of beingairborne once more. Canada wants to reach space first, andthe Canadian Minister of Air has asked Kate to join the first expeditionas an expert on aerial zoology. There’s a place for Matt,too—if he can pass the grueling tests to become one of theworld’s first astralnauts on board the incredible ship Starclimber.
It’s a race to the very top, and Matt is determined to be apart of the adventure. But can he outlast his competition? Andif he is chosen to join the crew, will they ever return to Earth?