THE TOE – A YUKON POST-COLLAPSE STORY
In the post-Collapse Yukon, a man loses his toe to a wolverine on a Tuesday. He tracks it for four days through the barrens to get it back. Not because he needs it, but because he knows exactly where it belongs.
The Toe is a short story set in the world of Warriors of the Last Days.
It’s free to read. No signup required.
THE TOE is an unofficial prequel for the upcoming novel set in Dawson City, Cold Storage, where you shall meet Edouard Marsh again and what lies in the permafrost post-collapse…
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Could a wolverine actually bite through a boot and take a toe?
Yes. Wolverines have one of the strongest bites relative to size of any land mammal. They are documented breaking through frozen carcasses and heavy wood. A winter boot is not a serious obstacle. If a wolverine committed to your foot, your foot would lose.
What is the Sourtoe Cocktail?
It’s a real tradition that has been running at the Sourdough Saloon in the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon since 1973. A preserved human toe goes into a glass of Yukon Jack whisky. You drink it. Your lips have to touch the toe. You get a certificate. The toes are donated: by diabetics, frostbite victims, and at least one lawnmower accident. Over 100,000 people have done it.
Is the Downtown Hotel real?
Yes. It’s in Dawson City, Yukon. It’s still open. The Sourdough Saloon is still running the tradition. The Captain is a real title held by whoever is currently running the ceremony.
Is this story set in the same world as Warriors of the Last Days?
Yes. The Collapse, the trade economy, the post-nuclear Yukon… It’s all part of the same universe. The Toe stands alone and requires no knowledge of the series to read, but if you want more of this world, the novels are where it goes deeper.
Why is it free?
Because it’s a short story built around something real, and the people most likely to appreciate it are the ones who already know what the Sourtoe Cocktail is… or are about to find out. No catch.
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Stéphane Roy is a lifelong reader and writer with a deep love for science fiction, apocalyptic worlds, and tightly constructed mysteries. This is his first novel. He lives in the Yukon with his dog and his aquarium, where long winters, silence, and wide, sometimes glowing, skies leave plenty of room for imagining the end of the world, and what might come after it. He is also waiting, with cautious optimism, for the aliens to finally reveal themselves and straighten us all out.