The White Mountain’s Guardian begins with a handful of enthusiastic hikers preparing to scale the steep cliffs of Arizona’s Mount Greer. “The mountain peaks loomed above them like an ancient titan draped in a shroud of mist,” said the narrator. “They whispered secrets of those in the past who had dared to conquer its heights.”

In this case, the chatbot author (here known as Marilyn Whetherhult) was being a bit melodramatic. According to most alpinists, Mount Greer was only considered to be a moderately strenuous hiking spot. It was nothing like Mount K2, for example, the most dangerous climbing experience on earth. 

But never mind, the hikers would soon have more to worry about than steep slopes and unmarked terrain. Townsfolk warned them beforehand about a man-like monster roaming the White Mountains, but they didn’t believe it. They dismissed the stories of Bigfoot as simply fairy tales meant to frighten children.  

It only took one day on the trail for the climbers to come upon the beast. And guess what? Bigfoot’s a chatty fellow. He sat down with George, the de facto leader of the backpacking group, to impart a little woodland gibberish. “You seek to conquer the mountain,” he said, “but the mountain does not yield to those who approach with arrogance or fear. You and your companions must confront not only the mountain but the shadows within yourselves.”

From this moment forward, the chatbot took over the narrative completely. I’m sure at some point a human had cobbled together a plot outline with a few bullet points, but the majority of this horrible novel was definitely written by ChatGPT, Squibler, Rytr, Sudowrite or some other soulless software program using artificial intelligence. 

And believe me—The White Mountain’s Guardian was a horrible novel. Possibly the worst novel I’ve ever read. Ugh! The narrative was maddeningly repetitive and stupid (nobody ever said AI was smart), and was often just pretentious, pseudo-profound bullshit. 

Despite these fatal flaws, the story pressed on. The hikers and Bigfoot formed an alliance and began to navigate the treacherous mountain paths together. It was a surreal image, noted the narrator: man and myth traversing the mountainside together. With Bigfoot as their guardian, George and his troop knew they would be safe.

Before their eventual return to civilization, the group encountered bad weather, landslides, wolves and one raging bear. The biggest threat, however, awaited  them at the town near the base of the mountain.

None of the locals of Eagar were happy to see Bigfoot standing in the middle of their town. To his credit, George attempted to defuse the situation with a brief speech. “What you see before you is not a monster,” he told the nervous crowd. “He is a being who exists beyond our understanding. You need to approach him with humility and respect.” The people of Eagar were not easily convinced, however. The local police leveled their weapons at the mythic creature while teenagers threw rocks at him. 

[ The White Mountain’s Guardian / By Marilyn Whetherhult / First Printing: January 2026 / ISBN: 9781291929908 ]