August 25 2025
Ep17: Entering dystopia — Slip inside the mind of author Joe Relk and discover his apocalyptic tale, “Sins of the Saviors”
About the Book: Sins of the Saviors Book 1: Escape from the Culling Box
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.
SINS OF THE SAVIORS 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!
About Sins of the Saviors Prequel: The Network Apostate
The Network saved us. All we had to do was believe.
As political leaders ignore 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 Jane can’t shake the feeling 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 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.
About the Author: Joe Relk is 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.
As the Stabilization Coordinator at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command from July 2020 until July 2022, he shaped conflict stabilization and prevention aspects of military plans and exercises. Joe was the Political-Economic Section Chief at Embassy Paramaribo between 2018 and 2020. He led an Embassy election observation mission during the height of the global pandemic and coordinated efforts to evacuate Embassy staff and U.S. citizens.
Joe also developed and led an Afghan refugee counseling and release process during Operation Allies Welcome. That system was adapted to process more than 15,000 Afghan refugees. He served at the Office for Afghanistan in Washington, where he developed the first State Department training regimen for civilians deployed in Afghanistan. During his tenure with the Office of Interagency Provincial Affairs (IPA) in Afghanistan, Relk created a retrospective of the civilian surge. He also authored “Afghanistan Through the Humvee Window” and “The Network Apostate.” His prior professions include U.S. Army cryptology analyst, public relations specialist, journalist, talk show host, and photographer. He is originally from Idaho and graduated from Boise State University.
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Elaine’s Literary Salon
About Elaine’s: A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selection is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are based on exquisite food found in Alexandria, Egypt — a combination of Middle Eastern with French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12 growing up in Cairo. “I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins. The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.
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