His past is her future.
IAMOS, S.C.D. 8378
Nadin’s planet is dying. As its atmosphere drains away, her people are forced to live huddled in domed cities for protection. With only enough resources to support the population for one more year, time is running out. Nadin thinks she’s found a way to save Iamos, but it will mean defying the planet’s rulers, the geroi—and betraying the geroi could cost her everything.
When a strange boy from another world appears out of nowhere outside the citidome’s glass walls, Nadin knows for sure that her plan will work. But to build the device that can save her people, Nadin must first find the legendary city of Elytherios. And to do that, she’ll need the help of the mysterious alien boy named Isaak.
MARS, 2073 C.E.
All Isaak wanted was to get through his senior year at the Academy in one piece. Everything would have been fine if he hadn’t found that ancient coin among his missing father’s possessions. The coin seems to have a strange connection not only to Isaak’s family, but to Mars’ ancient past.
But how is that possible, on a planet that was supposed to be dead until just forty years ago?
Now Isaak’s got agents of the Earth’s government on his tail and a deranged factory worker stalking his every move. Everyone is desperate to get their hands on something called the Key. And the only way to escape is to unlock an even bigger secret, one that could change his life—and the fate of Mars—forever.
At the time Fourth World was originally published, it was one of the very first young adult novels—or, in fact, novels of any genre—to feature an asexual protagonist (Nadin). Back in 2015, the number of canonically asexual characters found in fiction could be counted on one hand, and the number of ace characters written by an ace author were even smaller. Likewise, Fourth World was also the first young adult novel ever published to feature a canonically demisexual protagonist (Isaak).
As a teen in the early 2000s, I could tell I was different somehow, but I didn't have the words to describe it. When I found those words, I realized I wanted to tell a story that reflected my experiences, that might help other kids having similar experiences understand themselves more easily than I did. I also wanted to remind both ace kids and non-ace people that we're normal. I wanted a story that didn't portray ace characters as robotic, or alien, or not fully human, or somehow lacking something. I wanted to see characters who were like me having adventures, solving mysteries, making friends, and saving the world.
Fourth World is first and foremost a sci-fi time travel adventure. As such, I would say that Isaak and Nadin's asexuality is not central to the story; but it is central to their identities as characters. Their aceness is just one part of who they are, just as it is for all of us aces.
I'm so honored that Fourth World has been recognized by resources like the AroAce Database, Asexual Artists, Queer Books for Teens, and LGBTQ Reads as one of the most highly recommended novels with ace protagonists out there!
★ An Indie Author Project Select Book
★ A Queer Books for Teens Best Of: Books with Asexual Characters
★ An LGBTQ Reads Recommended Book: Asexual Representation
“This book fires perfectly on all cylinders.”
– Jaylee James, editor of VITALITY magazine
“If you enjoy science fiction, fantasy, an aesthetic blend of the two, and character development-driven stories with active and well-represented ace main characters, I highly recommend picking this up.”
– RoAnna Sylver, author of CHAMELEON MOON
“The world-building of both the Martian colony and Nadin’s world, Iamos, is nothing short of spectacular. Full of mysteries, intrigue, and fantastical new discoveries, Fourth World is the kind of book that’s hard to put down.”
– Mary Fan, author of STARSWEPT
“Fourth World is a gem. Exciting and interesting while covering the span of archaeology, time travel, government conspiracies, overcoming diversity, individualism, and friendships that defy odds, Chiavari paints us a vivid colonized Mars with such beauty it’s effortless to believe.”
– Brenda J. Pierson, author of JOYTHIEF
“Striking characters evolving in a beautifully described Mars, coherent and entrancing world-building, a mystery that builds relentlessly, one question after the other…everything in Fourth World ranges from good to amaze-balls, and in my opinion sticks closer to amaze-balls most of the time.”
– Claudie Arseneault, author of THE CHRONICLES OF NEREZIA and creator of the AroAce Database
“A sci-fi novel that brings the reader to not one, but two different societies and worlds... I loved the time travel twists and the idea of how to solve a very big problem in Nadin's world. I hadn't read a sci-fi story in a while, and this one reminded me why I like the genre, while still being a very relationship-driven story.”
– Julie Bihn, author of TITANIC VOYAGE