Titan of the Stars

Name: Titan of the Stars
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: E.K. Johnston
ISBN: 9781774888285

Author: E.K. Johnston

Narrator: Jen Zhao, Thom Nyhuus, Ellie Moon

Unabridged: 7 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tundra Books

Published: 05/27/2025

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Romance

Synopsis

Alien meets The Titanic in this tense YA science fiction horror series by #1 New York Times bestselling author E.K. Johnston.

Celeste knows every inch of this ship. She's proud of her work as apprentice engineer. And as the maiden voyage of the Titan launches, she's optimistic for the promises of this new journey from Earth to Mars — this new life.

Dominic arrives at his suite where his valet is busy unpacking his things. His chest is tight, already feeling anxious inside his dad's precious new ship. Once it launches, he's trapped, inside the ship and inside the life his father has chosen for him — a life that will leave his dreams of art school behind.

Discovered under melted ice caps, ancient aliens have been brought onto the Titan as well, and stored in display cases for the entertainment of the passengers . . . until an act of sabotage releases them into the ship, with zero discrimination for class, decks or human life . . .

About The Author

E. K. JOHNSTON is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several YA novels, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist The Story of Owen and Star Wars: Ahsoka. Her novel A Thousand Nights was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award. The New York Times called The Story of Owen a clever first step in the career of a novelist who, like her troubadour heroine, has many more songs to sing and in its review of Exit, Pursued by a Bear, the Globe & Mail called Johnston the Meryl Streep of YA, with limitless range. E. K. Johnston lives in Ontario.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Erin on February 28, 2025

3.5 Stars, rounded up The biggest problem with this book is that it is too short. It is too short, and so it doesn't reach its full potential. I loved what I got, and I wanted more. The setting is evocative, a gilt space shuttle heading towards Mars's new mining colony. There's a class divide. There'......more

Goodreads review by Brittany |planted.library on May 05, 2025

Oh man this one was one thrilling horror! My only wish was that it was longer, and we could have delved deeper into each of the characters. I would have liked to see more flashbacks maybe of their lives as kids after the Rupt, or their struggles as teenagers. But this was such a good sci fi horror t......more

Goodreads review by Zelos on February 16, 2025

Wow, and not wow in a good way this book was hard to get through , I kept waiting for the story to pick up . There was a lot of description and a lot of talking with very little advancement to the story and I felt like it just kept droning on and that half of the dialog and plot thus far wasn’t even......more

Goodreads review by Lillian on May 24, 2025

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review. My favorite read of 2025 to date! Titan of the Stars by E.K. Johnston is a blend of sci-fi and horror set aboard a spaceship traveling to Mars. Celeste Sparrow is an engineer on T......more

Goodreads review by Olivia-Marie on March 22, 2025

First and foremost thank you NetGalley and Tundra Book Group for letting me have early access to Titan of the Stars by E.K. Johnston. This YA science fiction horror had me on the edge of my seat. If there's one trope I'm always down to read it is “we are trapped in space alone with aliens and there i......more

Quotes

One of Indigo's Best Ten Books of 2025
One of The Horn Book's Best of the Year
One of YALSA's 2026 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers
A Reactor Mag Notable YA Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Pick of 2025
Finalist for the Jacqueline Woodson Award for LGBTQ+ Young Adult/Children's Literature

"When the action ramps up, the story vibrates with terror, offering readers a compelling and harrowing treat and highlighting the teens’ sheer cunning and urgent desire for survival." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"Gruesome deaths and the paranoia of Walking Dead–style body-snatching form fairly standard horror tropes, but Johnston has established such authenticity that readers will never question the urgency as the pages just seem to turn themselves." —STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book

"Johnston masterfully infuses the narrative with bone-deep dread and grotesque carnage; phrases like 'splash of gore' and 'pile of her own sludge' are haunting. It's not all body horror, though: Johnston also effectively intertwines themes of class, privilege, and self-determination. An unsettling, pulse-pounding exploration of societal structures and survival." —STARRED REVIEW, Shelf Awareness

"In this work, readers will recognize the typical signs of a catastrophe in the making: an ecological disaster on Earth resulting in a plan to mine Mars, a gilded space shuttle with a stark class divide to travel there, and the hubris of those who built the shuttle making everything exponentially worse. But this is no stale redux of other works in the genre. The author’s attention to detail keeps readers immersed in the moment, while dual viewpoints gradually bring the characters alive, and a steady pace and eerie atmosphere propel the work forward. . . . A mash-up of sci-fi and horror tropes fervently coalesce into a satisfying and fresh option for teens." —School Library Journal

"Titan of the Stars will definitely keep you turning pages and reading with the lights on." —Jefferson City News-Tribune

Awards

White Pine Award