The United States is barreling toward a second Civil War. Washington, DC is under an orchestrated attack by militias intent on changing everything. The president is assassinated, cities are on fire, and the country is descending into chaos.
In Seattle, Daniel Goldman packs up his brother’s old Karmann Ghia with camping gear, books, and supplies, and retreats from the city. Reeling from a shattered legal career, a bad marriage, and occasional PTSD, he drives to a cabin near a quirky community called Duck Springs. His plan is to escape into the wilderness, where he can read, hike, contemplate his future, and ruminate on the absurdity of it all. Unexpectedly, he also finds love.
But the country’s troubles are not restricted to cities, and soon tiny Duck Springs is surrounded by rogue troops who have a specific reason for attacking this small town . . .
The Duck Springs Defiance is a tale of community, resistance, and redemption.
About the Author :
Peter S. Adler, PhD., lives in Honolulu. He is a planner, mediator, and consultant specializing in cooperation strategies for complex public policy issues.
Adler has been a Peace Corps volunteer, an Outward Bound instructor, and worked for the Hawai’i Supreme Court before becoming President and CEO of The Keystone Center.
He is the author of five previous books: Beyond Paradise (Oxbow Press, 1993), Oxtail Soup (Oxbow Press, 2008), India-40 and the Circle of Demons (Xlibris, 2017), Eye of the Storm Leadership (RIS, 2008), and Calming the Storm: A Leader’s Handbook for Managing Unproductive Conflicts (Roman and Littlefield, 2024).
Review :
“… an artful and intelligent book full of important ideas, vivid descriptions, admirable characters, and harsh realities. I enjoyed it immensely!” —Dr. Kent M. Keith, author of Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments
“The Duck Springs Defiance is a gripping and frighteningly plausible novel of an apocalyptic America embroiled in a second civil war launched by a confederation of ultra-right-wing militia This thought-provoking book is a vivid account of future chaos in the United States. Fortunately, it is a book of fiction – so far.”—Capt. Michael A. Lilly, USN (ret), former Hawaii Attorney General, author of Nimitz at Ease
“It’s the near future. There has been a coup d’état in the U.S. What future will emerge? Will the USA descend into yet another failed state or are there other futures? Written as terse fiction, we are in the middle of narrative, imagination, philosophy, and Zen.”—Sohail Inayatullah, UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies and author, What Works: Case Studies in the Practice of Foresight
“An ancient proverb asks, ‘What is truer than the truth?’ and answers, “The story.” In The Duck Springs Defiance, Peter Adler tells a story about conflict and the search for resolution; and about a man caught up in an impending civil war. Adler is a highly experienced mediator and facilitator who brings profound insight to the process, making high stakes negotiations between warring factions incredibly realistic. Duck Springs is a negotiation drama at its best. The timing could not be better.”—Kenneth Cloke, mediator and author, Politics, Dialogue and the Evolution of Democracy
