New ways to make a fortune and settle old scores. A lie will travel around the world before the truth reaches your next-door neighbor. So says Ivan Lukin's boss at Fort St. Michael on the Bering Sea. But the rumors have proven true; the United States of America has purchased Russian America from the Czar and renamed it Alaska. Now, as the colony erupts in chaos, everyone has a decision to make: Do I stay, or do I go back to Russia? Lukin, like most colony-born Creoles, has never been to Russia and has no desire to go. So when the young American signalman George Adams comes to him with a business proposition, the way forward is clear. Amid the mayhem caused by Russia's withdrawal, Lukin, Adams, and a band of followers make their way up the Yukon River to establish a fur trading station at the mouth of the Tanana River. The Tanana is virgin ground for the fur trade, but they are not alone in the race for its wealth. Other Americans from the Telegraph Expedition have partnered with Lukin's childhood friend and new adversary Yosif Denisov. Led by the beautiful monster named Zia, they're coming for money, and for blood. Based around real events in Alaska's past, Meridian is Book Three of the series Seasons of Want and Plenty. Kris Farmen is a writer, editor, and historian. His books include The Devil's Share , Turn Again , Edge of Somewhere , and Blue Ticket . His work has also appeared in Alaska magazine, the Anchorage Press , and Russian Life , among others. He lives in Alaska with his wife, daughter, and rescue dog.