Dust and Ashes by Jack Wimberley

Description

Two worlds. Two boys. And a future balanced on the edge of connection.

In Dust and Ashes, Jack Wimberley crafts a science fiction story where first contact is anything but simple—and understanding may be the most dangerous frontier of all. When Lunion’s mother is sworn in as regional senator of their home planet Nalia, he allows himself a fragile hope that life might finally stabilize.

That hope shatters the moment humans arrive.

Loud, invasive, and armed under the guise of diplomacy, they bring disruption in every form. To Lunion, they represent everything that threatens his world, and resentment comes easily.

Luke, however, expected something entirely different. The son of the United States President, he imagined alien life on Earth-2102 to be strange, incomprehensible, and distant. Instead, he meets Lunion—a boy who looks just like him, speaks his language, and challenges him in ways he never anticipated.

What begins as curiosity turns into something far more complicated.

As political tensions escalate and their families become entangled in decisions that could alter the fate of an entire planet, Lunion and Luke find themselves caught between duty and desire, prejudice and understanding. Their growing connection is as fragile as it is powerful—and it may determine whether their worlds collide or coexist.

Blending political intrigue, emotional depth, and a queer coming-of-age at its core, Dust and Ashes is a story about identity, conflict, and the quiet, risky act of seeing someone clearly across the divide.

Book Details
Author: Jack Wimberley
Format: Paperback
Publication Date: April 5, 2026
ISBN: 1968067302