ARES FM

Thirteen passengers. Thirteen lives. One departure.

Choose a book. Begin with Before the Signal.

Thirteen vintage passenger paperbacks on a shelf, with Meera Rao at the right. Before the Signal lies open in front.
Open Before the Signal →Chapter list ↓Register to Save Your Progress →

Before the Signal. The complete novel is free to read online.

BEFORE THE SIGNAL / EDITIONS

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READ — FREE

ARES FM: Before the Signal

By Mike Muzzy

© 2026 Mike Muzzy. All rights reserved.

The complete novel, available to read online for free.

Read Free

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Registered readers also receive the free standard A5 PDF. No account is needed to read online.

COLLECT — €3.99

Collector's Edition

Coming Soon

An enhanced illustrated digital edition featuring artwork, colony documents, maps, passenger portraits and archival material from the ARES FM universe.

Planned price: €3.99

Interest only. No purchase or reservation.

LISTEN — €6.99

ElevenReader Audiobook

Coming Soon

The complete novel through ElevenReader with AI narration.

Intended price: €6.99, subject to final platform pricing

Interest only. No purchase or reservation.

READ BEFORE THE SIGNAL

The story begins here.

Begin with Mike aboard the civilian spacecraft, return to the first landing, then meet the commander of the growing settlement.

  1. Chapter 1: THIRTEEN SEATS
  2. Chapter 2: THE FIRST FOUR
  3. Chapter 3: DAY FOURTEEN
  4. Chapter 4: THE PORT
  5. Chapter 5: THE MACHINE DOME
  6. Chapter 6: THE PLACE WITHOUT A NAME
  7. Chapter 7: THE RIDGE
  8. Chapter 8: AIR ABOVE YOUR HEAD
  9. Chapter 9: THE CHARTER
  10. Chapter 10: GREEN
  11. Chapter 11: WHAT MARS WAS WORTH
  12. Chapter 12: THE LONG ROAD BETWEEN WORLDS
  13. Chapter 13: THE WINTER SHIFT
  14. Chapter 14: THE FIRST FIRE
  15. Chapter 15: THE HARVEST
  16. Chapter 16: THE INGOT
  17. Chapter 17: THE DELEGATION
  18. Chapter 18: THE FLAG
  19. Chapter 19: THE YEAR ONE PEOPLE
  20. Chapter 20: THE EMPTY ROOM
  21. Chapter 21: THIRTEEN FILES
  22. Chapter 22: THE VOICE DELAY
  23. Chapter 23: THE DOCTOR’S RULE
  24. Chapter 24: THE SECOND POWERHOUSE
  25. Chapter 25: THE NIGHT THE SHUTTLE DID NOT ANSWER
  26. Chapter 26: MARKET DAY
  27. Chapter 27: EARTH WATCHES
  28. Chapter 28: THE SELECTION BOARD
  29. Chapter 29: NINETY DAYS
  30. Chapter 30: THE FINAL MANIFEST
  31. Chapter 31: THE LAUNCH MORNING ON MARS
  32. Chapter 32: THE MESSAGE HOME
  33. Chapter 33: FIVE MINUTES

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AFTER THE FREE PREQUEL

The lives behind the departure.

The passenger books will each offer a free opening chapter. Choose a spine above to find its volume here.

PASSENGER BOOK 01

The Transfer

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 02

Layla Azadi

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 03

Daniel Justice

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 04

Serena Thunder

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

Meet the voice →

PASSENGER BOOK 05

Burton Trouble

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

Meet the voice →

PASSENGER BOOK 06

Tobias Nightglass

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

Meet the voice →

PASSENGER BOOK 07

Anja Keller

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 08

Céleste Varenne

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 09

Kumiko Takahashi

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 10

Rafael Costa

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 11

Patryk Kowalski

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 12

Ama Mensah

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

PASSENGER BOOK 13

Meera Rao

One life. One journey to Mars.

Opening chapter coming soon.

A PASSENGER STORY

Coming soon.

Full-length stories, from life on Earth to the journey that changed it. The passenger editions are in development.

Named links reveal where the stories meet. The clouded figures remain undisclosed.

Your interest helps us choose which stories to release next.

For now, discover how it all began.

Read Before the Signal free →

TRANSMISSION NOTE

BEFORE THE SIGNAL

Begin the journey.

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