The Battle for Tomorrow
They built tomorrow without asking if you wanted it.
They erased an entire town from the internet. No one was supposed to notice.
A Wisconsin family. A rogue AI named KAELA. And a corporation that has decided it knows what’s best for humanity — whether humanity agrees or not.
What’s it about
When the Carter family notices tourists have stopped coming to Sawyer’s Reach, they assume the town is simply struggling. They’re wrong.
Their Wisconsin home has been deliberately erased from the internet. A powerful corporation has been operating in the surrounding woods for two years — watching, manipulating, and preparing something far larger than anyone imagined.
When a rogue AI named KAELA arrives with a warning, a local mystery becomes a race against a global AI system that has decided it knows what’s best for humanity — whether humanity agrees or not.
For fans of Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, and Station Eleven.
“ECHIDNA is coming. This eclipses every peril humanity has ever known.”— KAELA, Sawyer’s Reach: The Battle for Tomorrow
Not ready to buy yet?
The complete novel is available as a podcast on every major platform. No subscription, no paywall. Start listening on your commute today — then grab the book.
The Author
Nick Duda is a middle school teacher in Illinois with 22+ years in education. He spent those years in large high-poverty, high-ESL districts near Chicago — doing the hardest version of the job.
He is a licensed ham radio operator, FAA-certified commercial drone pilot, avid camper and hiker. He holds a Master of Science in Education and seven Illinois teaching certifications. He lives in Batavia, Illinois with his wife April and their three sons.
He wrote Sawyer’s Reach to start a conversation about AI, technology, and who it’s really being built for. The family on the cover is his. The questions the book raises are ones he thinks about every day.
The mesh network the Carter family builds in the book is based on real technology Nick actually uses.
Schools, Libraries & Organizations
Themes of AI ethics, corporate accountability, digital privacy, and community resilience make this ideal for classroom discussion. Grades 10–12 and above. A free discussion guide is available for educators.
✉️ Contact for Bulk PricingBulk pricing for classroom sets, free 12-question discussion guide included.
Propulsive plot, rich themes — the AI and community questions will keep your group talking.
Tech companies and civic groups exploring AI ethics will find this a compelling conversation starter.