"Based on the podcast series [The unexplainable disappearance of Mars Patel] created by Benjamin Strouse, Chris Tarry, David Kreizman & Jenny Turner Hall"--Page facing title page.

"Six months ago, Mars Patel boarded a spaceship to travel to Oliver Pruitt's colony on the planet Mars, and now he's finally there. The journey gave Mars lots of time to bond with his copilots, but Mars and his new friends soon discover that Pruitt's colonists aren't the only people living on the inhospitable planet. A splinter group, led by the mysterious Fang, are desperate to go back to Earth--and they don't care who they hurt in the process. Amid the slick subterranean colony filled with rules and giant, terrifying tardigrades who poop a lot, Mars searches for answers about Oliver Pruitt's supposed plans--and the real reason the eccentric billionaire has been so invested in him all this time"--Dust jacket.