Escape From Desolation

When an earth exploration crew crashes on a hostile planet, their captain is the only one to survive an attack. He encounters a mysterious, ancient society with utopian ideals and sterile lifestyle. Something is not right, and his arrival has begun a change of events that threatens the entire society.

When an earth exploration vessel explodes, the captain takes an escape pod with a handful of his crew. The pod goes off course and crashes on a desolate, uncharted planet. After a cataclysmic clash with locals, the captain is the only survivor. He encounters an ancient alien society who has forgotten their history and relies on strict laws to protect marginal natural resources. Those laws doom his shipmates but lead him on an ironic path toward integration within their society. Although they regard their world as utopian, he struggles to accept the sterility and stagnation of their everyday life. While he is welcomed into their world, not everyone is happy he is there. Something is not right, and his arrival has begun a change of events that threatens the entire society.

Rob is a former scientist, corporate lawyer, and systems manager who retained a passion for art and writing throughout his many careers. Writing became a way to pass the time on long train commutes, and eventually he wrote a full-length novel. After becoming a stay-at-home dad, he began focusing more on his craft and participating in local art shows. When he's not writing, he paints and sculpts, focusing on penguins. "Escape From Desolation" was inspired by a painting displayed in Omni Magazine in the 1980s. The image stuck in his head until it became a book.