Luminaria by Robert Jeschonek

On a day known forever as The Silencing, millions of human colonists went missing in space without a trace. Fifty years later, a team of explorers mounts a search, riding a space elevator into the heart of the unknown. One scientist, Gabriel Shard, holds the key to the truth, the last chance to recover the missing...but he might just die before he can use it. Don't miss this story by award-winning writer Robert Jeschonek, a master of unique and unexpected science fiction that really packs a punch.