The End of the World... Again or Hitbodedut Series

"The End of the World… Again," is a series of stories (I recommend you read them in order) involving diverse characters and situations woven around geomagnetic pole reversal events and considers what it will mean to humankind when it next occurs. The epic adventure contrasts a Neolithic society with a, slightly dystopian, near future culture as they struggle to cope with pole reversal events. Both cultures fall heavily on their faith to explain the calamity that has befallen them. Book 0, "The Prequel," takes the reader into the political dealings of a Neolithic culture where the "enlightened" path conflicts with the old ways of proven leadership. The story sets the stage for the series by introducing characters and situations that play critical parts in the saga's foundation. The book chronicles the struggle of an apprentice shaman to overcome the corrupt dealings of the 'new path' in order to preserve sacred writings and proven cultural norms. The "scrolls" speak cryptically of their miraculous tribal history and foretell of the "one" yet to be born who shall understand all that is written. Until that time, the scrolls remain misunderstood dogma of rituals and traditions that challenge all who read them.

The first book in the series provides a glimpse into the lives of a primitive people as they endure a geomagnetic pole reversal event that strains their reliance on spiritual dogma and communal responsibilities. The tenuous existence of a band of Neolithic hunter-gatherers forms the backdrop for a spiritually uplifting epic action-adventure of love and commitment. A young warrior is thrust into the role of tribal leader when his adoptive father dies. The situation turns dire when severe weather forces him to take desperate actions that divide the tribe and cause him to move his followers to a mysterious, abandoned, temple. The daughter of the fallen leader matures into a formidable spiritual influence that tests the emotional commitment of the young chief and leads him to understand the faith he is destined to bring to his people.

Book two, "Parables," is in three parts that explore social subcultures in the slightly dystopian reality including the pervasive use of intoxicants, high reliance on technology, and social prejudice based on caste affiliation. Part I introduces the reader to a near future, replete with a high-speed transit system, omnipresent germ phobia, and the Alliant Church of God (ACoG) religious cult. (These themes reappear throughout the book series and provide a foundation to contrast against the societal breakdown.) A man's clandestine business objective masks his family 'vacation' to Cuba. Unbeknownst to him, the geomagnetic pole reversal causes a devastating earthquake that tragically cuts his trip short. Part II, follows a middle-aged couple as they embark on an ill-fated trip to fight the influence of the ACoG on her mother. Part III, explores cultural bias based on caste affiliation and follows an unlikely trio of young midlevel technocrats as they strive to escape a world gone wrong in a stolen blimp.

Book 3, "A Simple Shade of Gray," is in three parts, each having to do with how a set of unique characters deal with the realization that a geomagnetic pole reversal has changed their world. Part I follows a deep-sea technician plagued with navigation problems who stumbles onto an undersea missile base and is subsequently assigned to an ill-fated mission that leads him to a new spiritual awareness. Part II chronicles a crew of cargo handlers on a shallow-sea platform struggling to gain control after the storms and chaos caused by the magnetic pole shift leaves them marooned. The people stranded on the station scramble to cope with failing technology, corrupt politicians, and pirates that challenge the moral underpinnings of the generally apathetic crew. Part III explores a deeply dysfunctional reality that builds on social interactions founded in the political bell-curve of caste dogma. A 'Green' level transit-tube technician helps a young woman stranded by an earthquake and discovers that she is a member of the 'Gray' level caste that he's forbidden to associate with. They defy protocol and join in an effort to escape their failing urban culture. Conflicts across the caste boundaries culminate when a 'Blue' level organizer leaves them captive at a tissue bank. Their eventual escape pivots on the ACoG spiritual foundation held by the 'Grays'.

Book four, "Awakening," A collective of loosely affiliated families struggle to maintain their relationships as seafaring homesteaders struggle when the earth's magnetic poles shift. Their habitat vessel serves as a backdrop for the political friction and turmoil caused by the cataclysm. The ship takes on water due to the reliance on robotic technology and results in several crewmembers being lost. The surviving crewmembers slowly recover and are stranded on a barren shore. The team eventually finds relief at a resort sanctuary run by the spiritual leader of the ACoG, but their added burden causes the community to split in hopes of survival.

Book five, "YodHeaVau," reunites the reader with some of the characters from books two and four as they struggle to maintain their relationships in a vastly changed world. One of the young women seeks divine guidance and feels her prayers are answered when a passing ship offers them a luxurious return to technology. She gladly joins the ship's company and discovers that some of the research-sensors they are deploying are missing. She suspects her supervisor is trying to hide his mistake when the missing sensors mysteriously show up in the wrong location. The ship's director involves her in tracking the missing sensors and attempts to explain the ACoG religious dogma to her. When the couple embark on an ill-fated excursion, the woman blames his blasphemy for their predicament and the illness of her child. He returns to sea to fulfill his father's wishes and is rewarded with additional writings from the ACoG. He suffers several trials returning to the sanctuary and discovers the true purpose of the beacons as a coronal mass ejection causes worldwide upheaval.

Book six, "The Lost Scroll," comes full circle by returning to the Neolithic culture of book one. The 'Golden Child' foretold in the sacred scrolls struggles to understand his duty and the meanings of the writings. Unbeknownst to them the coronal mass ejection and magnetic pole reversal plague them with lingering bad weather and social conflict. Due to inbreeding, the children of the tribe are vulnerable to the corrupting influences of tribal factions. The bumbling efforts of the Golden Child devise a potion to sedate the wrongdoers but it causes all who take it to question their perception and faith. The potion soon dominates their thoughts and their dependency distorts their understanding of spirituality. The conflicting characters inadvertently transform the potion into a benign substance that reveals the true source of their rediscovered faith.