Books by Raymond Tolman

After a pandemic ravages earth only a few isolated survivors exist. Chato Williams, a young boy who is living deep in the Alaskan wilderness has a prophetic revelation, telepathically induced by the serpent Quetzalcoatl, in which he sees a beautiful young girl in a faraway place called Serpiente who seems to beckon him to find her. Unfortunately, Chato's family of survivors are slowly dying due to famine and the cruel environment they live in. Despite fears of leaving, not knowing if the pandemic is over, Chato constructs a sea kayak in order to search for the source of his revelation, other humans, and hope for his family. Chato befriends Charlie who assists him as they fight off warriors under the control of evil serpents who wish to kill them for their life energy. Will he find the girl of his prophetic revelations? Can they solve the ultimatum that the serpent ambassador Chimalma demands or will humans be forever farmed for their life energy to satisfy the lusty taste of the evil serpents?

In this first volume in The Serpent Trilogy, Penny Anderson, a high school junior, escapes an untenable home situation and flees across the country to join her Uncle and Aunt in Serpiente, New Mexico. The Navajo Hidalgo, a detective, tries to warn Penny of the dangers of Serpiente but she persists and in the end wins the confidence and hearts of a unique family. Together they uncover the mysterious creatures that have, throughout history, enjoyed vexing and manipulating humans to evolve into warring creatures for their own evil reasons. Using the tools of science and Indian folklore, the detectives discover the secret to making peace with the serpents. Unfortunately, antiquity thieves discover and attack the serpents, sparking a war. The family conducts historical research that reveals the ultimate goals and truth about the serpents. Includes Readers Guide.