Some dangers arrive like storms. Others arrive like time.
In Nader and Barq: The Hunger Season (Book 6), Serma Island enters its coldest, cruelest phase-not in weather, but in supply. The sea that once gave small fish begins to give less. The tide pools empty. The "good days" vanish. Hunger stops being a temporary pressure and becomes a season that stretches forward with no clear end.
Nader is forced to cut rations again and again until every decision becomes painful. And Barq-loyal, watchful, proud-begins to change under hunger in ways Nader can't fully control. A desperate dog can make desperate mistakes, and on this island, one mistake can cost everything.
Searching inland offers no comfort. Food on a forgotten island is not simply "found." It must be tested, measured, and feared. One wrong bite can bring sickness. One hidden weakness in storage can erase weeks of effort overnight. And when strength drops, danger doesn't need to chase you-you fall into it.
This is the book where survival becomes quieter and more frightening. There are no dramatic rescues. No sudden luck. Only endurance, care, and the slow hard shift from "getting through today" to a single truth: we must leave, or we will not last.
And in the shadow of hunger, the escape plan stops being a dream. It becomes a necessity-one that begins with a first boat attempt... and a failure that leaves a mark.
This book is part of the Nader and Barq series, set in 1960 and driven by slow adaptation: small decisions, expensive mistakes, failed attempts, and stubborn returns to try again. The series is logically ordered, and each book opens a new survival stage with rising tension and real progress.
Books in This Series (in order):
Book 1 - Nader and Barq: Falling into the Sea
Book 2 - Nader and Barq: Shore with No Trace
Book 3 - Nader and Barq: The Island Rules
Book 4 - Nader and Barq: Hut of the Wind
Book 5 - Nader and Barq: The First Fishing
Book 6 - Nader and Barq: The Hunger Season
Book 7 - Nader and Barq: The Breaking Year
Book 8 - Nader and Barq: Building the Dream
Book 9 - Nader and Barq: The Crude Boat
Book 10 - Nader and Barq: The Last Return
