Nyxia

Nyxia, a 2017 young adult science fiction novel written by Scott Reintgen, is the first in a series titled The Nyxia Triad. The plot follows 15-year-old Emmett Atwater, the protagonist and narrator, who competes against other teenagers for a spot on a mission to travel to a new planet, Eden. There, they are to mine a highly profitable substance called nyxia. Through the narrative, Reintgen explores The Exploitation of the Poor by Greedy Corporations, The Power of Cooperation and Human Connection, and The Dangers of Ambition. 

Reintgen is a science fiction and fantasy author who writes novels for children and young adults; Nyxia was his debut work. Reintgen became a New York Times best-selling author with his 2023 young adult fantasy novel A Door in the Dark. His books explore socioeconomic struggles, racial and cultural diversity, and overcoming systemic obstacles.

This guide refers to the 2018 First Ember Paperback edition published by Ember, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Content Warning: This guide and the source text discuss violence toward minors, death, graphic injury, and descriptions of abuse and neglect.

Plot Summary

Emmett Atwater is a 15-year-old Black boy from Detroit who is selected by a big corporation called Babel Communications to compete against nine other teenagers for a spot on a mission: They are to go to the planet Eden to mine nyxia, an interactive substance that Babel mines for proprietary technologies. Sixty-three years prior, Babel Communications discovered that Eden was rich in nyxia. However, the native community on Eden, the Adamites, refuse to let Babel mine more of the substance. This is why Babel has proposed that children, who are revered by the Adamites, go on Babel’s behalf to retrieve more nyxia.

Babel has offered the 10 competitors $150,000 a month in perpetuity to participate in the mission. The catch is that only eight of the competitors will be selected for the final mission, based on a months-long competition to be held while they travel to Eden. In the meantime, Babel will provide financial resources and medical care to the competitors’ families. Emmett’s mother has kidney disease, and Emmett is committed to winning the prize for her. 

Aboard the spaceship, named Genesis 11, Emmett meets his roommate, Kaya, and the eight other challengers. Emmett can communicate across language barriers because of a nyxia-powered device implanted in his ear. On Kaya’s suggestion, Emmett and Kaya form an alliance, and Emmett enjoys having a friend and partner through the stressful competitions. The competition is split into five tasks: nyxia manipulations, Eden geography and history, a fighting ring, a physical obstacle course, and a virtual reality mining simulation. The tasks quickly turn dangerous as Emmett injures fellow competitor Roathy and, afterward, Emmett is stabbed by a sabotaged nyxian blade. During his recovery, Emmett learns that all the medical attendants aboard Genesis 11 are also in a competition, based on how well their chosen competitors perform. Roathy’s medical attendant was the one who sabotaged the knife that injured Emmett. Marcus Defoe, Babel’s representative on board Genesis 11, tells Emmett to kill the medical attendant in retaliation for the attempt on his life, but Emmett refuses.

When competitors are out due to injuries, they don’t earn any points, endangering their spot in the competition. Emmett returns to the competition and works with Kaya and his medical attendant, Vandemeer, to climb back up in the rankings after his injury. At this time, Emmett and Kaya also start exploring off-limits sections of Genesis 11 because Kaya suspects Babel of wrongdoing. One day, they discover a hidden room where an Adamite is being held and tortured by Babel. In the ensuing confusion, the Adamite kills Kaya, and Babel threatens Emmett’s place in the competition in order to keep him quiet. Emmett agrees to lie to the other competitors about Kaya’s death, which Babel claims is an accident. In the wake of Kaya’s death, Emmett and Bilal, a generous and friendly boy, become closer friends.

When Genesis 11 finally arrives at the Tower Space Station above Eden, the competitors learn that there is a second group of teenagers on another spaceship, Genesis 12, who have also been training for the mission. The Babel executives announce that only 15 of the 20 competitors will earn a spot to Eden and that the competition will now consist of only two tasks: the Waterway and individual fights. The Waterway is a white-water rapids course built into the space station; Genesis 11 and Genesis 12 must navigate this as a team on nyxian-powered vessels. Genesis 12 is led by Morning, a girl with almost 400,000 more points than Genesis 11’s top scorer. Genesis 11 consistently loses to Genesis 12 because of their infighting and lack of leadership. Morning and Emmett develop a romantic relationship despite being on separate teams. Emmett ultimately secures a spot to Eden, but just as he is entering the pod to depart for the planet, Roathy appears, claiming that Babel’s final task is for one of them to kill the other for the spot. Emmett refuses to kill Roathy, sealing him into the airlock using nyxia. As Emmett finally boards the pod to Eden, he wonders which of his fellow competitors would have survived Babel’s final task and if any of his friends, including Morning and Bilal, might be dead.