When a mysterious kidnapping sparks turmoil on a generation ship, humanity's bid for the stars faces disaster.

From the author of Esperance, an inventive, twisty thriller set aboard a hurtling spacecraft—perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, Rob Hart, and Andy Weir.

Turn back now.

Archimedes has been en route to Tau Ceti for more than a century, a fifth-generation bubble of humanity. Discipline is tight, so when a junior officer claims they've been abducted from outside one of the ship's bars and released 24 hours later with no memory of what happened, officer Faisal Vasconcelos suspects drunkenness rather than crime.

The seemingly routine investigation soon plunges Faisal into a dark mix of politics, terrorism and murder. With senior commanders battling for control of the ship, factions agitating to turn the vessel around, and a dead body drowned in an artificial womb, Faisal's alleged kidnapping case turns into something that could blow the ship apart. Literally.

With inventive worldbuilding, breakneck pacing, and an interrogation of timely topics from reproductive rights to surveillance states, this sci-fi thriller is not just a gripping space opera: it is chillingly relevant to the present day.

Praise for Line of Descent:

"A pressure-cooker of a sci-fi thriller: a kidnapping, a mysterious murder, and colonists trapped on a starship about to tear itself apart. Line of Descent has it all. A must-read for anyone who loves mystery, world-building, and space exploration." —A.G. Riddle, author of The Atlantis Gene

"Everything I want in a sci-fi novel: incredible worldbuilding and wild concepts that drill straight to the depths of human nature. And it's a ripping mystery on top of that." —Rob Hart, USA Today bestselling author of The Warehouse

"A brilliant whodunnit, delivered within the grit and courage of humanity's leap to the stars. Absolutely wonderful!" —Julie E. Czerneda, author of To Each This World

"Oyebanji's generation ship is a wonderful, fully realized society that creates the perfect backdrop for a complex mystery that grabbed me from the first chapter." —Michael Mammay, author of Generation Ship

"A thrilling mix of murder, mystery, and genetic politics set against the backdrop of a massive colony ship, hurtling towards an uncertain future." —Dan Moren, author of Eternity's Tomb

"A propulsive space opera police procedural that's as thought-provoking as it is thrilling.... Smart, tight, immersive, and filled with surprising human warmth—I was hooked every step of the way." —Lena Nguyen, author of We Have Always Been Here



Of Scottish and Nigerian descent, Adam Oyebanji is an escapee from Birmingham University and Harvard Law School. Having spent many years in Chicago, IL and Pittsburgh, PA, he currently resides in Edinburgh, Scotland. His novel Esperance was a finalist for the 2026 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and the 2025 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. IRL, Adam works in the field of counter-terrorist financing: helping banks choke off the money supply that builds weapons of mass destruction, narcotics empires, and human trafficking networks.