The story is set in the 2030s. As adolescents, the characters follow different paths, their circumstances and opportunities much different from one anothers. It is an era of promiscuity, of dreams and hopes, of struggles, of secret combinations, and of those who seek dominance and power over others. Their lives develop in different ways until as adults their paths begin to cross, leading them to a small village in the Andean mountain region of Colombia.
This is where they find themselves when war has broken out between the major powers of the earth, and then a natural process of nuclear devastation begins to occur, which is rapidly destroying all forms of life and vegetation upon the planet. Covert operatives as well as villains and heroes make an interesting group of characters who unwittingly become involved and are brought together.
Starships are involved as well as extraterrestrial beings and other planets as well as nuclear devastation, and all of such become believable only to those who are willing to stretch their imaginations forward to a time not too far distant from our own.

Born in England and currently living in Australia, the author's working life encompassed a range of industries and countries. While in the USA, he survived San Francisco's last major earthquake. Involvements in the welfare sector exposed him to issues of social diversity and exclusion, which is the underlying theme of Pirates Next Door, even as it is intended to be an entertainment in verse and a fun book to read or to have read to you. Having written poetry and song lyrics over many years, this is the author's first published book - please enjoy.