Climatic - A Climate and Genetic Engineering Science Fiction Novel

This is an Apple Books audiobook narrated by a digital voice based on a human narrator.

In the restless heart of Austin, Texas, where suffocating heat darkly complements the stifling societal pressures of 2034, Rose Rulapaugh—a young woman besieged by life's harsh realities—struggles to find her place in the world.

Shattered dreams line her path: a high school pregnancy ending in tragedy, a father whose failings echo the world's deceit and disillusionment, and a promising education never pursued. Despite the odds, Rose clings to a faint glimmer of hope, nurtured by the wisdom of her resilient Vietnamese grandfather, PapaLee, the only lighthouse in her storm.

Janet Robicheaux, Rose's mother, is overworked as migrants from the southern coast pour into Austin after a series of hurricanes and severe weather events. As a nurse, she carries an undiagnosed malady, the specter looming over the family's precarious existence.

Amid this turbulence, Rose's brother Jack balances precariously at the precipice of adulthood. His father tempts Jack to repeat his own convenient path of conspiracy mongering and self-pleasure, while the dark temptress of violent digital fantasies threatens to pull Jack further into the directionless abyss.

Enter Tom, an enigmatic, otherworldly whisperer of Rose's dreams. Tom paints the night sky with a dystopic picture of anarchy for all beings in the universe, implying that humans are no different. His candid conversations leave her grappling with the idea that the future is grim, though Tom's ultimate purpose for her is unclear.

Amid the threads of Rose's anxieties, solace comes in two forms: Spittle, her black and white Border Collie who provides desperately needed reprieve from her existential ponderings; and Tyren, a post-doc student in genetic engineering who promises to help Rose achieve her long-held dream of resurrecting an ancient Shasta Ground Sloth.

But Amy, Tyren's professor and boss at his lab, stands in the way of Rose's newfound happiness. After 'gifting' her with a mindless job, Amy proceeds to blame Rose for everything, from exposing critical projects to releasing virulent pathogens that could devastate humanity.

This tale is a tapestry of dystopian and hard science fiction, woven with the themes of familial conflict, political and governmental oppression, and the march of climate change. It is a chronicle of youthful love budding in the cracks of a fracturing society, the indomitable human spirit facing severe personal challenges, and a poignant journey towards growth and self-worth in a world determined to nullify it.

Can Rose find meaning and purpose as she navigates her existential future in a city bursting at the seams from global warming? Will she be forced to choose between succumbing to life's relentless grind or embarking on a transformative quest for personal identity, agency, and even redemption?