About the Book
Book: Jake Rogers’ Planet
Author: Philip Wilder
Genre: Christian YA Science Fiction
Release date: February, 2025
Jake is about to embark on a perilous adventure through an alien wilderness filled with hidden wonders and hazards.
While backpacking with his father, Jake Rogers discovers a mysterious portal and accidentally plunges headfirst into an alien world. Stranded on this bizarre planet, he must evade predators, adapt to the strange elements, and navigate the ever-changing landscape to return home. However, as Jake stumbles upon technologically advanced alien ruins, a chilling question arises: Are the aliens still alive?
Even on this terrifying journey, God reminds Jake of the profound verse: “Do not fear, for I am with you.”
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About the Author
Philip Wilder has been writing since the age of seven. He’s authored two nonfiction books, is a ACFW Genesis Contest finalist, and is currently a Realm Makers Aurora Contest double finalist. He’s spent two years as an undercover missionary in the Middle East, gone sky-diving, and traveled to 35 countries. Philip works with the Great Commission Alliance to train and equip believers around the world. He’s passionate about using fiction to inspire believers to live adventurous lives of faith.
More from Philip
Fear is a dangerous enemy.
At the age of 22, I felt God calling me to become a missionary in the Middle East—not for a week or a month, but a year (that eventually became two). Having never traveled outside the US or moved away from my home city of Denver, I was overwhelmed by fear. I’d be moving to a foreign land where I didn’t know a single person and doing work that wasn’t widely accepted there. I spent many sleepless nights wrestling with God’s gentle prompting.
Fear is inevitable in a Christian’s walk, but its power diminishes as we learn to lean into God and trust Him with the unknown. No matter where a believer is on their faith journey, God always guides us to step outside our comfort zones.
The inspiration for this novel came in 2016 while I was living in the Middle East. While watching The Martian, I realized that even if I were stranded on Mars, millions of miles from humanity, God would still call me to trust Him and not fear. That realization was life-changing: no matter what we face, God assures us nothing is worth fearing if we walk in joyful obedience.
Moving to the Middle East was terrifying and far from easy, but God was always present when I needed Him. In following God to take this step, I realized another beautiful truth: God knows what we need, love, and desire more than we do.
My firm belief is that God has wired each of us to love and enjoy different things because He wants to lead us down a unique path, where He desires to see the deepest parts of our hearts come alive. Walking this path is hard and full of fear. It requires letting go of dreams and trusting God will fulfill the right desires at the right time.
This is the journey Jake faces in Jake Rogers’ Planet. The fears he wrestles with are the same ones I had to navigate to declutter my mind and follow God.
I hope this book will help believers overcome their own fears and follow God. My prayer is that everyone reading this novel will be inspired by Jake’s story to take wild steps of faith to follow God on the wondrous adventure he has in store for them.
Interview with the Author
- What is your favorite childhood book?
I loved My Side of the Mountain. It whisked me away to a world of freedom and possibility. Where the world was ready to be discovered, and the goal was simple survival. Plus, having a pet falcon would be pretty awesome.
- What comes first, the plot or characters?
- The first thing that comes is a concept. Typically this is a “what if” question. Then a plot and plot twists emerge, followed by the characters. This however causes me problems as those characters often don’t want to make the decisions I planned for them to make. Fortunately, and I have God to thank for this, a creative solution always arises that takes my original idea and makes it three times better.
- Who is the author you most admire in your genre?
- Honestly, James R. Hannibal is amazing. His writing is great, his heart is pure, and his faith is solid. I also love his humility, and his desire to serve. He’s helped me a lot in my writing journey, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank him enough for taking the time to help me get to where I am now.
- What do you like to do when you are not writing?
- I enjoy classic guy activities like board games, ultimate frisbee, running, hiking, camping, snowboarding, and adventuring, but a unique thing I enjoy doing is discovering the tapestry of God’s creation. This could be researching random intricate concepts like “Why do raindrops create a rainbow?” or exploring little pockets of this world that others overlook.
- Fun fact, I once took a girl exploring storm drains for a first date. Here’s an even crazier fact, she agreed to go on a second date with me!
- I love finding spots in the wilderness and sitting still so nature can come alive around me. I like stargazing and lifting my legs into the sky while imagining I’m dangling from Earth and the vast universe is below me. I enjoy watching the sunset over the Colorado mountains and marveling at all the natural laws, elements, objects, and weather phenomena God needed to create for me to witness that one fleeting masterpiece. I especially love joining my little nine-month-old boy as he discovers things like reflections, his hand, and dust floating wistfully in the morning sunlight.
- If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
- Oh no, you hit my weak spot. I’m a terrible cook. I love people so much, but easily get overwhelmed when I cook. Instead, I’d get authentic Syrian shawarma. Also, is Jesus off-limits? I have several questions I’d like to ask him, and I know he’d shoot straight with me, plus, having some bro time with him would be awesome.
- If I can’t pick Jesus, I’d like to meet Noah’s brother. I don’t know if he had a brother, but I’d be real curious to hear what he thought of Noah and the Ark, why he didn’t get on it, what society was like then, and what was up with that whole “Sons of God and daughters of men” stuff.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 7
Simple Harvest Reads, March 8 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, March 9
Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 10 (Author Interview)
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 11
Blossoms and Blessings, March 12 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, March 13
Artistic Nobody, March 14 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 15
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 16 (Spotlight)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 16
Stories By Gina, March 17 (Author Interview)
cecereadsandsings, March 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 18
Guild Master, March 19 (Author Interview)
Little Homeschool on the Prairie , March 20
Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Philip is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card, plus a signed hardcover copy of the book, a bookmark, and a vinyl sticker!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.