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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: AudiobookHub Recommendation
Chapter 2: — Salt Flats and Lightning
Chapter 3: — The Messenger in Blue
Chapter 4: — Visas for a Price
Chapter 5: — The City Behind the Gate
Chapter 6: — The Threat Behind the Suit
Chapter 7: — The Truck and the Dresses
Chapter 8: — The Van Without Ace
Chapter 9: — The Offer and the Choice
Chapter 10: — A New Equilibrium
Description
World Running Down follows Valentine Weis, a trans man surviving as a wasteland salvager, saving every dollar toward a Salt Lake City visa that could finally grant him medical care and a chance at euphoria in his own body. When he and his partner Ace deliver fuel to a grim little town, they’re unexpectedly approached by Osric—a refined messenger in a city suit who collapses from dehydration. The twist: Osric isn’t human at all, but an AI Steward, a sentient city-wide intelligence forced into a used android body.
A wealthy city patron, Portia Thibodeaux, hires Valentine and Ace for a high-paying retrieval: track down stolen “merchandise” taken west toward Absolution. The merchandise turns out to be Portia’s android companions—women designed for high-end companionship—now missing after their manager fled. As the job spirals into piracy, betrayal, and political corruption, Valentine and Osric are pulled into a moral crisis: what happens when androids begin waking up into self-awareness—and the city insists they’re still property?
Who Should Listen
- Listeners who want character-driven sci‑fi about AI rights, autonomy, and moral gray zones.
- Fans of queer and trans-centered post‑collapse stories with romance and found family.
- Readers who enjoy road‑quest structures, escalating stakes, and political consequences tied to a core “what‑if.”