Time is unraveling and Earth is doomed to wander the dark of space, unmoored from the galaxy itself. Galiaro’s plan for humanity’s escape to another dimension has failed and his dark matter robot creations, Beetro and Curse, were imprisoned in a nanoscopic black hole. Now, the entire planet is blighted by drought, the oceans heave beyond their bounds, and thousands are dispossessed. The end of the cosmos was foreseen by an ancient Alchean prophet named Othel.

Thousands of years ago, Othel left behind the Dark Earth prophecy for the planet to survive the calamity. Now, the fellowship of Dark Theory—the drunken astrocyst Galiaro, Arym of the underground cult, thief Miree, time traveler Hawera, and the street rat Ribcage—must pick up the breadcrumbs of the ancient prophet’s quest to save Earth. Separately, they traverse the dying world and learn alarming news—the dark matter robots, Curse and Beetro, have escaped their black hole prison. Once parallel world enemies, the two robot brothers now have an uneasy alliance, and with an advantage… Curse already knows the prophecy. He has seen it before, used it before, and destroyed his own world with its power. Now on the cusp of annihilation, whoever wields the Dark Earth prophecy will unleash the cosmic power that could save—or doom—reality itself.