Peter R. Stone's Blog, page 6

Forager, A Dystopian Novel, Now Available Available in Ki...

Forager, A Dystopian Novel, Now Available Available in Kindle Format
And Paperback

Eighteen-year-old Ethan Jones lives in Newhome, a town built upon the decaying ruins of post-apocalyptic Melbourne, ruins haunted by the ferocious Skel, a nomadic tribe of degenerate savages.

The Skel are ramping up their attacks on Newhome's foraging teams and infesting Melbourne's ruins in ever greater numbers. Is this part of a larger plan that could spell the town's doom?

Meanwhile, the last thing Ethan expects when he and his companions rescue a two-car convoy from the Skel is a Japanese teenage girl with an outlandish dress-sense, who after they take her back to Newhome, goes to great lengths to ingratiate herself into his life. But is it in gratitude for saving her life or is she seeking something more?

And what a quandry she places him in, for he knows the rules, that no man is permitted to be alone with an unmarried woman. But how can he drive such a gentle soul away when she touchs his heart so deeply, even though she clearly carries the pain of a broken heart.

At the same time, Newhome's police force, the Custodians, are suspicious of Ethan's foraging team's successes and are pulling out the stops to find out which member of his team has the illegal mutant ability that gives them an edge over the other teams. Should these peacekeepers discover Ethanis the mutant they seek, they will haul him away and dissect him like a frog.

The book-jacket art was completed by my friend, David Hamono, yesterday, and here is what it looks like - absolutely fantastic.





Image and Text, Copyright, Peter Stone, 2013

2122 A.D. Melbourne

The world of 'Forager,' set in 2122 A.D., sees the remnants of the human race trying to survive in a world that was virtually destroyed by the Apocalypse one hundred years ago - a World War that rained nuclear bombs down on all nations.



Melbourne lies in ruins, except for Newhome, a walled in town built over the ruins of the suburbs of Flemington and Kensington, on the banks of the Maribyrnong River.

 

The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle featured in 'Forager'

Here are some photos of the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle featured in 'Forager,' described by Ethan Jones as being a 'box on wheels.' 

Photo form wikimedia commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, by Nick-D.

The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle is an Australian-built wheeled armoured vehicle, specially designed for Australian conditions. The Bushmaster is capable of carrying up to 9 soldiers and their equipment, fuel and supplies for 3 days. 
 Photo form wikimedia commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, by Nick-D.
The vehicle is mine-proof, bullet proof, and fire proof. The version in 'Forager' has had solar panels added and has an electrical engine, since Newhome has no access to petrol. The Bushmaster's in 'Forager' are over a hundred years old, with virtually every part having been swapped out or reconditioned during that time.
Photo from wikimedia commons, under the public domain.
  Forager
Available in Kindle Format
And Paperback

Austeyr F88 Assault Rifle

The Austeyr F88, a 5.56mm assault rifle, is the Australian Army's modified version of the Steyr AUG A1, designed by the Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG. It was produced under license in Australia. The Austeyrs used by Newhome's Custodian police force are all over 100 years old, have been pilfered by an abandoned Australian military supplies depot. The gun has an automatic lockout selector that can physically disable the fully automatic position of the trigger.

 An Australian soldier with an Austeyr F88. Photo from the public domain.
An Australian soldier with an Austeyr F88. Photo from the public domain.