Dark Parts of the Universe

Description

Outer Banks meets Bone Gap in this propulsive and genre-bending YA mystery, following a group of teenagers who discover a dead body while playing an app-based adventure game that sends players to “random” locations, unlocking a much deeper mystery about their small town by Samuel Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Redemption Prep.

In Calico Springs, Willie’s life has been defined by two powerful forces: God and the river. The “miracle boy” died for five minutes as a young child, and ever since, Willie is certain he survived for a reason, but that purpose didn’t become clear until he found the Game.

The Game is called Manifest Atlas, and the concept is simple: enter an intention and the Game provides a target on the map. Willie’s second time playing Manifest Atlas, his intention takes him to an ominous target: three empty graves. Willie is sure the Game is telling him he’s going to die. Willie’s older brother, Bones, doesn’t believe him, but their friends are intrigued. Sarai, a girl from across the river, sets the next intention, which leads the group to something even more unsettling than the graves: a dead body. Sarai’s stepfather’s body.

Willie is dedicated to proving the Game works while Sarai is set on finding out what happened to her stepdad. Bones just wants to enjoy his last summer before real life begins. As the group digs deeper into Manifest Atlas, stranger and wilder things begin to appear that paint a raw and unflinching portrait of Middle America, one that forces everyone to contend with the deep roots of racism and the enduring, dangerous legacy of white supremacy.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Author: Samuel Miller
Published: 04/23/2024
Publisher: Clarion Books
ISBN: 9780063160484
Pages: 432
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 1.50″ H x 8.30″ L x 5.80″ W

About the Author
Miller, Samuel: –

Samuel Miller is a novelist and screenwriter; made in Vermillion, South Dakota, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the author of Dark Parts of the Universe, which earned several starred reviews, Redemption Prep, a New York Times and Indie Bestseller, and A Lite Too Bright, which was translated into four languages and released in eight countries. He has written television shows for Netflix, MGM/Amazon, and The CW. He has also written and produced two feature films, including Smudge the Blades, which premiered in 2026 at the Toronto International Film Festival. Sam wrote his first novel in a fifteen-passenger van while on tour with his alt-rock band, Paradise Fears. In addition to writing, he enjoys playing catch with his three-year-old son and working to dismantle capitalist systems of power. You can find him online at samuelmillerbooks.com.