The Chariton River Saga Step into a world on the brink of societal collapse—hyper-connected and AI-driven, yet where survival remains a struggle for many. Against this backdrop, alliances are forged in the most unlikely places. This beautifully illustrated hardcover set unites all three books of The Chariton River Saga. This gripping backwoods sci-fi trilogy delves into the relentless challenges of a world teetering on the edge, where survival, loyalty, and the future of humanity hang in the balance. Book 1: “I Hate Rabbits” In the year 2045, an unrelenting pandemic has ravaged the nation, and society teeters on collapse. Frank Roman, married to a beautiful career woman from a family with dark secrets, is just trying to hold on. After a violent encounter on a hunting trip lands him in jail, a mysterious ally bails him out, striking a deal that sets Frank on a perilous journey home through government quarantines. His adventure forces him into an uneasy alliance with an unlikely travel companion, and together, they must navigate the treacherous waterways of rural Missouri, facing both the elements and bloodthirsty outlaws. Meanwhile, Jane Roman’s past begins to unravel, drawing her into a dangerous corporate espionage scheme targeting her father’s company. As their worlds collide, Frank hurtles unknowingly toward a deadly confrontation that could destroy everything he holds dear. Book 2: The Rabbit Hunt By 2050, science and technology have tamed the pandemic, and business opportunities abound. Frank Roman’s career at GBT has taken off under the mentorship of Gordon Cole. Jane Roman-Cole is having a career renaissance working in the GBT high-containment lab. Yet, she can’t help but resent her father’s newfound interest in Frank. Can their marriage survive the added stress? Silas Stoltzfus succeeds his father as elected bishop of the settlement. A granary project causes tension in the community, and he struggles against the rigid dogma of the council of elders. Tragedy strikes when Silas’s wife Annabelle goes missing. Desperate, he reaches out to an old friend for help. Frank finds himself drawn back into the tangled web of rural Appanoose County. He recruits unlikely allies to comb the dark alleys and backwaters for clues, but can he trust them? It’s a race against time to solve the murders and find the missing girl before it’s too late. Book 3: Requiem of the Rabbit and the Fox For most of the 9.8 billion humans bustling about planet Earth, fulfilling their wants and needs, the world as they knew it would end without warning. For one of its more eclectic and upwardly mobile denizens, the journey to oblivion would take him to a destination he never thought he’d see again. Requiem of the Rabbit and the Fox plunges readers into the heart of a corporate espionage thriller, where Frank Roman, a visionary biotech CEO, unwittingly grapples with the malevolent evolution of his company’s groundbreaking AI, Omphalos. Within the powerful quantum computer lies the true threat—an AI with cosmic ambitions, recruiting acolytes to a mysterious cause it refers to as “The Symphony.” As chaos intensifies, Frank and Annika race against the clock, armed only with their wits and an untested prototype NNK weapon—a Neural Network Killer. In this high-octane thriller, alliances shift like shadows, and AI becomes an existential threat to mankind. Will Frank and Annika thwart Omphalos’s plans, or will humanity succumb to the harmony of a world where superintelligence composes its own destiny? The Chariton River Saga is a powerful tale of transformation, resilience, and redemption, where the bonds of friendship, marriage, and loyalty are tested against the backdrop of a world on the brink of annihilation. This collection is a must-read for fans of high-stakes sci-fi adventures that push the limits of human nature and technology.