The Iturup Protocol

The Iturup Protocol is a standalone science-fiction survival-horror thriller set on the disputed Kuril Island of Iturup, where a joint Japanese-Russian expedition uncovers a sentient, bioweaponized plant network called Plantania. As the story unfolds through military, ecological, and political lenses, it explores themes of cooperation with destructive entities, the ethics of engineered life, and the loneliness of command. The novel, structured in five parts and titled with Tarot cards, delves into the characters’ struggles to escape a transformed landscape that blurs the lines between infection and communion, culminating in a tense, silent retreat at dawn.