Entering dystopia — Give thanks for the power of imagination this month as you slip inside the mind of author Joe Relk and discover his apocalyptic tale, “Sins of the Saviors”
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Understanding "The Sins of the Saviors"
In these contemplative technothrillers by Joe Relk, a dark future is shaped by our actions today. Unlike most dystopian novels that fixate on the collapse into chaos, this story explores the journey out of it-the way back home.
October 2025: Because life in America 2025 feels more dramatic than most dystopian fiction, today we feature an author who paints a picture of what life might actually look like in the not-too-distant future. Meet Joe Relk, an analyst, manager, and strategic communicator with more than 30 years developing and implementing influential reporting plans, interagency strategies, and public relations initiatives. He joined the State Department as Foreign Service Officer in 2002. Joe has served in Venezuela, Bolivia, Germany, Ecuador, Guatemala, Suriname, and Afghanistan.
Joe was featured on the Elaine’s Literary Salon Show this month where host Jeffrey James Higgins explores his background, work, and what Joe is hoping for the future. Find the podcast and video above.
The Network Apostate straddles current events and science fiction genres
About Joe’s vision for the future:
In Joe’s first book, political leaders are ignoring a perfect storm of existential threats. Earth teeters on collapse. Global elites seize control following the 2028 U.S. election, creating a utopia run by the Goliath Network AI. The masses trade truth and humanity for comfort and security. But our protagonist Jane can’t shake the feeling that something is horribly wrong. She’s old enough to remember life before the transition, aware enough to know what we’ve lost, and just altruistic enough to conspire to get it back. And now it’s personal—they lied about her brother’s death in the forever war. As she digs deeper, Jane finds herself in a race to preserve the evaporating evidence of Goliath’s lies and prove that David yet lives before the Network silences her forever. In this gripping Literary Titan award-winning prequel to the Sins of the Saviors, Jane is torn between her tortured convictions to expose the Network and a gnawing desire to embrace it. Before she enlists others in a dangerous fight, she will need to convince herself that free will is worth risking paradise.
By Joe Relk
Fast forward to Joe’s newest novel: Sins of the Saviors Book 1: Escape from the Culling Box. In this tale, no one escaped from hell. Until David, who returns to a twisted shadow of the country and family he left decades ago. The 2028 election was our last – democracy traded for an AI-directed utopia. The network saved humanity from existential threats and curbed our violent tendencies, but it came with a heavy price. As a vestige soldier fleeing a forever war, David must rediscover who he is after the lies that shaped him are torn away. His faith in family, nation, and truth itself is shattered. Now, he must decide whether this new world is worth saving. The elites who saved us must also decide-kill David to preserve control or use him to resurrect free will? Their redemption could plunge us back to the brink of extinction. Again.
The good news: Joe flips the script on evil elites, indisputable truths, and the virtue of free will. In this contemplative technothriller, a dark future is shaped by our actions today. Unlike most dystopian novels that fixate on the collapse into chaos, this story explores the journey out of it-the way back home. Click here to buy the book!
