From a Mayan village to an L.A. barrio to a chance to reach the stars . Part One of "a space adventure for the twenty-first century" (Nancy Kress, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author). Not much surprises waitress Tina Santis Pulivok on the streets of East LA--until the night when, on her way home from her waitressing job, she meets a man working on a strange, glowing box. Still, she thinks he must be one of those Caltech students who's into role-playing games. Until his mind reaches out to hers . Althor is definitively in the wrong place at the wrong time.

An Imperial Space Command pilot, he was headed to a reception in Washington DC and somehow ended up here, though he's not quite sure where here is. As Tina helps Althor get his bearings, they realize he's in more trouble than he thought. He left his home base in 2328--and now it's 1987. At least he still has his starfighter, shrouded and in orbit above the Earth. But when the military gets their hands on the ship, he and Tina must race to reclaim it before it detonates itself--taking a huge chunk of California along with it . Praise for Lightning Strike "From the L.A. barrios to the universe! Excellent.

" -- The San Diego Union-Tribune "A truly masterful accomplishment of world-building, an example of consummate craftsmanship and an impeccable feel for the technical and social possibilities that lie ahead of us. Hard science fiction fans can rejoice--the next superstar is here." -- Romantic Times.