November 13, 2026 | For Immediate Release
Chicken House Press announces the release of With My Boots On, the conclusion to Brian C. Austin’s Survival Trilogy
It started with a 1977 Popular Science article and a manual typewriter. Nearly fifty years later, Walkerton author, Brian C. Austin has finished his story. With My Boots On, the third and final book in the Where Eagles Never Fly series, releases on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from Chicken House Press.
The faith-infused survival trilogy began in 2024 with Where Eagles Never Fly. It follows Roland Handson, a young man who loses everything and pours his grief into building the EAGLE, a groundbreaking craft made from off-the-shelf technology. In The Empty Swing, a computer virus cripples the world’s technology and Canada slides toward a police state. Ronald starts opening a hidden underground sanctuary to the people who need it the most, beginning with an Old Order Mennonite community targeted because the collapse barely touched their way of life.
With My Boots On picks up with Roland still rescuing refugees. Every trip to the surface carries more risk. Nassir Felipe, a powerful enemy from Roland’s past, is spending enormous resources to hunt down the EAGLE and its pilot. Below ground, the community is growing, and so are the complicated relationships within it. Ronald’s feelings for Janine, a woman deeply scarred by male violence, present even as he realizes he isn’t the only one looking for connection in their hidden world.
When a rescue mission ends in catastrophe. Roland is trapped and injured, and he has to face his own mortality. With the EAGLE damaged and Felipe’s forces closing in, the choices he makes will decide his own fate and the future of everyone who depends on him. Roland is a hero who has always put the lives of others ahead of his own, and now he learns what that calling may finally cost.
“Writing a novel is a task of creative delight, often peppered with agony,” Austin writes in the book’s Author’s Note. “Now, all these years later I find myself reluctant to turn the computer off and launch this story on its journey.”
The reluctance makes sense. Austin has spent more than 1,000 hours on the mathematical calculations behind the EAGLE’S weight, water displacement and acceleration, and he did most of that work before he owned a computer. He wanted any reader with a working knowledge of physics to stay with the story instead of closing the book in disbelief. A summary of the calculations is included in the appendices for technically minded readers.
The rigour had paid off with readers. One five-star review of the first book called it “apocalyptic superhero science fiction,” praising how Roland’s “brains, faith, and stubbornness shape him into the hero the world needs as it falls apart,” and noted that the EAGLE comes with “just enough detail to make me think maybe it’s not science fiction after all.”
The final book takes readers from Grey-Bruce farmland to the rugged, isolated shores of Lake Superior. Its message, about hope that holds when everything else gives way, will resonate with readers of faith and adventure-fans alike. It shows that real courage isn’t found in grand gestures or dramatic rescues. It’s found in the quiet decision to keep fighting when all hope seems lost, and to face the end with dignity, purpose, and your boots firmly on.
Austin will launch With My Boots On at the Read Local Author Event on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Paisley Legion Branch 295 on the corner of Bruce County Road 3 and Bruce County Road 11 in Paisley, Ontario. Readers can meet the author, pick up signed copies of all three books, and celebrate the end of a story nearly five decade in the making.
With My Boots On is available in paperback through Chicken House Press, Indigo, Amazon, and independent bookstores across Canada beginning November 14, 2026. Retailers are welcome to register with Chicken House Press for wholesale discounts.
Brian C. Austin is a Walkerton, Ontario author with more than four decades of writing experience. He spent 33 years as a volunteer running the Resource Centre library at Hanover Missionary Church, where his love of excellence in books grew deeper. Where Eagles Never Fly was his first novel in over a decade. His influences include James Herriot, Farley Mowat, Jules Verne, and Robert Service. With My Boots On completes the trilogy.
For media inquiries or to request a review copy, please contact Alanna Rusnak at Chicken House Press.
ISBN (print): 978-1-997584-04-9 | 232 pages | Christian Science Fiction
Roland Handson continues his dangerous mission of rescuing refugees for his underground sanctuary. But with every surface journey, a powerful enemy from his past—Nassir Felipe—draws closer, dedicating vast resources to hunting down the EAGLE and its pilot.
As the subterranean community grows, so do the complicated relationships within it. Roland’s feelings for Janine, a woman deeply scarred by male violence, persist even as he recognizes he’s not the only one seeking connection in their hidden world.
When a rescue mission ends in catastrophe, Roland finds himself trapped, injured, and facing his mortality. With the EAGLE damaged and Felipe’s forces closing in, his choices will determine not just his fate, but the future of everyone depending on him.
In this thrilling conclusion to the trilogy, Roland discovers that true courage isn’t found in heroic gestures or dramatic rescues, but in the quiet decision to keep fighting even when all hope seems lost—to face the end with dignity, purpose, and his boots firmly on.
In a world filled with persecution and hostility, it’s up to the brave ones to soar where eagles never fly.
Note: Amazon Prime shipping is fulfilled through an Amazon warehouse and takes 2-3 weeks to arrive.
Paperback | 232 pages | Christian Science Fiction, Action and Adventure
