In Haas’ debut SF novel, a New York City doctor is abducted by aliens and learns that she belongs to a mystical bloodline.

It’s 2019, and Dr. Stella Jayne Walsh just recently received self-defense training following a gun-related tragedy in the ER. These turn out to be handy skills when she’s suddenly kidnapped by extraterrestrials along with fellow New Yorker Elliot Driver, who works at an advertising firm. It turns out that the universe teems with spacegoing humans, and Earth is but one outpost, ignorant of its true history; for example, it was once seeded with dinosaurs as an adventure-vacation destination, but a stray asteroid ruined the venture. The aliens invite Stella and Elliot, a fun-loving guy who the aliens believe is a warrior because he appeared on the TV game show American Ninja Warrior, to mate and settle on a new colony world. She declines this offer and then finds out that her long-missing mother, Kate, was secretly in an order of healing “Keepers” who dispersed after a war against evil aliens known as the Zuldari. Now the Zuldari are returning, allied with pink-clad human inventor/entrepreneur Kandi Shook, who wants to get her hands on a Keeper and exploit their restorative powers for commercial gain and influence. Kandi’s chief weapon is Ryder, a fearsome cyborg who’s being blackmailed into doing mercenary work. Further kidnappings, escapes, betrayals, reunions, and surprise alliances ensue at a brisk pace over the course of the novel. Haas’ neat storytelling style is reminiscent of that of genre master Alan Dean Foster; the tale never takes itself too seriously, and it’s fast-moving enough to distract readers from asking too many questions. Readers may also be reminded of the Marvel film Guardians of the Galaxy and other seriocomic cosmic capers. Kandi makes for an especially effective villain—although, after outsmarting the heroes repeatedly, she fails to perceive the disadvantages of bringing such power beings to her lair. Sequels are planned, but this one can be read as a stand-alone.  

A deft, slightly tongue-in-cheek escapade among the stars.