In the late twenty-first century, war has become unfashionable. In its place: the Global Ranking System, a means by which the world's Patriot nations can compete for resources via academic, artistic, athletic, and scientific contest.

Monica Sardinia is a junior national gymnast whose superior technical ability has earned her elite citizenship, credits for her hometown, and a chance to compete as a Patriot athlete on Heroes' Day. However, when her parents can no longer afford to keep her training at her local club, she's forced to go common, relinquishing her elite status and watching from the sidelines as her training partners move on to bigger and better things without her.

Struggling to adjust to her new life as an average, ordinary teenager growing up in an ailing Wisconsin suburb, Monica's future looks bleak?that is, until she's unexpectedly drafted as team captain of America's precocious new national squad. It's the chance of a lifetime, and she takes it, heading to the Olympus Space Station to train under none other than legend (and former Hero), Darren Hades. But no opportunity comes without a price. Monica soon finds that in order to compete internationally she'll have to do more than just master her skills, for in the world of the Patriot elite scores are the lifeblood of the economy, and the slightest misstep can send ripples across the globe.

Jesse Gordon is a fiction author whose work spans multiple genres and styles. His latest novel is DOOKIE, a cheesy horror romp involving a killer poop monster. He is also the author of the less-ridiculous HEROES' DAY (social science fiction), STORIES FROM THE STEEL GARDEN (speculative sci-fi), THE KNACK (contemporary fantasy), and TIME CHASER (space opera).