About the Book
In 1962, John F. Kennedy said, "Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be worthy of two Nobel Prizes -- one for science and one for peace." Sixty-four years later neither prize has been awarded.
In CLOUDS ABOVE the year is 2035, the same year renowned science author Maude Barlow (Blue Covenant) predicted that water would become the most valuable resource on our planet. Our lakes and rivers are drying up at an exponential rate. All that's needed to push us over the edge is a drought. Without land lakes and rivers, clouds won't form, so even cloud seeding will no longer be useful. Should we look to the ocean for our water solution? Desalinization? Moisture from the air?
Grayson Fields, age 27, PhD in math and science, tries desperately to help prove her grandfather's theory. A theory that's never been tested. They must first make it work inside Georgetown's abandoned gymnasium (a gift from the university for his experiments.) But one particularly greedy water treatment company is out to sabotage Fields' and her grandfather's experiments. Steve Muller, the sinister CEO of Purity Worldwide will do anything to stop them; because if they succeed there'll be no need for turning sewage into drinking water, which is exactly what Purity Worldwide does, a process that began in 2005, and is in use today.
Even now, waste water treatment plants around the globe are growing at an exponential rate. Purity happens to be the bully in the industry. Soon, we will all be drinking treated water that came from our toilets.
As our rivers and lakes continue to evaporate into puddles, there will no longer be enough large clouds over land to create rainwater. India and Africa are the first to experience the disease caused by improper treatment. Demand for converted wastewater will overload the treatment plants, creating a worldwide catastrophe. The giant filtration companies will fail to keep up.
Here's an example to consider. Put a drop of sewage in a bottle of Dom Perignon and it can no longer be called champagne; so too will millions of water bottles no longer be water when a tiny leak occurs in the filtration membranes of these plants. It's already happening. Today! Chemical solutions and reverse osmosis will not be enough to reverse the disaster.
CLOUDS ABOVE is a plausible thriller that promises to uncover a possible way out. But it will take the genius of our two Georgetown professors to try something unique. Something that's never been done.
It will require the fortitude and determination of these main characters to face the corrupt and greedy water barons to make it happen--with some unexpected help. Danger from all angles face Grayson and her Grandfather. Politicians are on the take from the water filtraters and do as much to sabotage the professors' work as does Steve Muller and his scientists.
CLOUDS ABOVE will take you from D.C. to India and the Himalayas, and along the way reveal several countries already facing enormous water shortages. Reading CLOUDS ABOVE is entertainment with eye-opening real consequences. But like all good stories this one doesn't end as you'd expect.
CLOUDS ABOVE may just become the most important book of the next few decades.
About the Author :
He's the author who coined the phrase Christian Murder Mystery, and displays it on the cover of his Solo series-tantalizing murder mysteries filled with chilling explorations of hypocrisy, true faith, and good versus evil.Or, as Publisher's Weekly describes the series, "Entertaining, high-energy murder mysteries."Michael was a successful ad agency owner employing 90, and winning numerous national and international creative awards. After selling his firm, Thompson & Company, in 2011, he turned his attention to full-time writing. His latest novel, CLOUDS ABOVE is debuting now in paperback, Kindle, and in independent bookstores via Ingram Spark. Hardbacks available directly from publisher, Shepherd King Publishing. Disciple Design has created branding, logo designs, digital work, brochures, book covers and many other internationally awarded works of commercial art for corporations and non-profits.
Review :
"As the world faces a water shortage like no other time in history, will Grayson Fields, the young, but brilliant scientist be able to use her science skills and determination to stop the ultra rich water filtraters from taking over earth's water supply while producing dirty water sold mostly in poorer countries? Can she and her grandfather bring rain to a parched world in 2035 and in doing so put the perpetrators out of business? Readers quickly become involved in a realistic scenario that traverses the planet from D.C. to India and the Himalayas while greedy billionaires will do anything to stop them. Thompson brings to life this plausible world in such a way that readers will not only be engrossed in the outcome of an elaborate setting but will find the science of climate manipulation thoroughly intriguing--even vital to our survival." D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review.
"While this may be science fiction, it could actually happen. That's just one of the things that makes it intriguing. Thompson weaves believable characters, both good and despicable, along with dangers throughout. Plenty of new-found knowledge about our water future kept me in the story the entire way. This is a new genre for Thompson and once again he knocks it out of the park." Susan Reichert, former Editor-in-Chief, Southern Writer's Magazine.
"The surprising twists and turns of Thompson's intriguing sci-fi thriller had me cheering for the well-developed main character, Dr. Grayson Fields. Her journey whets my appetite for plausible solutions to our planet's dilemma we face in the not too-distant future." Dr. Shirley Raines, president emerita of The University of Memphis, and author of 12 novels, including An Uncommon Journey: Leadership Lessons.
"Most well-written thrillers leave you temporarily satisfied, but after a few days you can hardly remember the world-threatening plot that our hero has foiled. But CLOUDS ABOVE is the rare exception. Not only is it a great thriller, but it brilliantly opens your eyes to a civilization-ending threat that is not only very real, but that few of us are yet even aware of. And the book's appendix gives you enough factual data to bring you fully up to speed on today's real threat. CLOUDS ABOVE is a novel you'll enjoy, find richly rewarding...and want to share with others!" Jack Warner, Nantucket author
"Thanks to the space program's satellites orbiting the earth, we can predict the weather, and yet we cannot change it. So it was just another hot, cloudless summer day when I turned to the first page and started reading Michael Thompson's book, Clouds Above. I'm glad I waited, because the real life problems brought by draught -water rationing, wildfires, crop losses- happening annually in some areas of the world, continually in others- was intersecting with and mirroring the story I was reading.
I could tell this author had done his homework. The research shows, yet he weaves it so skillfully into the story that it's easy to digest, understand, and recall as the events unfold: the need and the resulting conflict and greed. Those who sought answers. Those who did the opposite." Rocky Blair, book editor
