Book excerpt: A blinding fireball rips across the night sky and slams into a field in the remote town of Rigel, New Mexico. Glenn Sawyer, a broke and disillusioned 18-year-old, witnesses and investigates the crash, finding a surreal craft and an even stranger monkey-like creature named Paako, who secretly follows him home and stirs trouble. As Glenn captures Paako and attempts to return her to the crash site, he discovers unexpected company, and learns that his remarkable journey -- filled with adventure, evil, and a cast of captivating characters -- has only just begun. Thus starts the first book in Vincent Lowry's unforgettable epic "Constellation Chronicles." Both visionary and gripping, "The Lost Civilization of Aries" will sweep you away to an extraordinary world of mystery, fantasy, and science fiction.