Nova & Rook: The Avalanche Equation

A Ground Truth Adventure

One mountain. Four warning signs. One decision that cannot wait.

When young explorer Nova Vale and inventive problem-solver Rook Mercer arrive in the Alpine valley of Valmara for Frontier Lab, they expect an exciting programme of science, snow and invention.

Instead, the mountain begins sending warnings.

Rook’s prototype Sentinel sensors detect unexplained movement deep beneath Monte Verra. Nova notices the physical evidence that official maps and reports appear to overlook: missing avalanche barriers, strange cracks, shifting ground, warm water flowing through frozen terrain and evacuation routes that may no longer be safe.

Yet Asteria—the enormous renewable-energy project being built inside the mountain—insists that its certified monitoring systems show no serious danger.

As warm rain saturates the snowpack and the warning signs become harder to dismiss, Nova and Rook uncover evidence that could threaten far more than the construction project. Asteria provides jobs, apprenticeships and hope for Valmara’s future. Speaking out could create panic, damage the town and destroy livelihoods. Waiting for perfect proof could cost lives.

To protect Valmara, Nova and Rook must combine two very different ways of understanding the world. Nova reads landscapes, routes and human behaviour. Rook searches for patterns in data, machines and systems. But their friendship begins to fracture when Nova releases information too quickly—and Rook hides an error for too long.

With roads collapsing, communications failing and the mountain beginning to move, they must decide who to trust, which evidence matters and when uncertainty is no longer a reason to wait.

Nova & Rook: The Avalanche Equation is a tense, cinematic adventure for readers aged 12–16, combining mystery, survival, friendship, geography, engineering and environmental science. Real scientific ideas are woven naturally into the action, creating an intelligent and exciting story rather than a textbook lesson.

Perfect for curious readers who enjoy:

• High-stakes survival adventures

• Clever mysteries and hidden evidence

• Science, engineering and technology

• Mountains, extreme weather and exploration

• Strong friendships tested by difficult choices

• Stories in which young people must think as boldly as they act

The book also includes eight detailed black-and-white maps, diagrams and technical illustrations that bring the landscape, monitoring systems and evacuation routes of Valmara to life.

Product details

Author: Eric Henry
Publisher: Questbound Studios Limited
Brand: Quesbo
Reading age: 12–16 years
Genre: Teen adventure, survival thriller, science mystery and environmental fiction
Length: 391 pages
ISBN: 978-1-0668783-0-7
Language: English

A thrilling adventure of courage, friendship, science and survival—where the most dangerous mistake may be waiting for certainty.

Publisher - Questbound Studios Ltd

Language - English

Perfect Bound

Contributors

By author

Questbound Studios Ltd

Published Date - 2026-08-20

ISBN - 9781066878307

Dimensions - 19.7 x 13.2 x 2.2 cm

Page Count - 391