Every cloud has a silver lining
A little introduction
Humans have a record of pushing our boundaries, progress and evolution are our drivers, but at what cost, are we really moving forwards, or are we just playing with fire, which usually means at some point, we are going to get burnt.
Synopsis
In the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the leaders of the world's nations learn the desperate truth about the state of the Climate and global warming.
In a desperate attempt to reverse the devastating trend the leaders of the world turn to technology to solve the world's problems, and a vote is passed to accelerate the Solar Geoengineering programme, a risky technology that involves using aerosol sulphates to coat the clouds and making them more reflective and reduce the impact of the suns rays. Technology is risky, and no one knows how the planet and its delicate eco-systems will respond.
All countries have agreed to work together under the umbrella of the International Panel for Climate Control, but the prize is too great, for the country that delivers this technology will not only have control over the global climate and weather, but also the entire world.
The race is now on to be the first past the post, whatever the cost.
The team is back this time in a world where trust is in short supply and information is paramount. At the request of the President, they must again, hack into the world's supercomputers and uncover their plans. What they discover changes everything and places not only their lives in danger, but the entire world.
My notes
Solar Geoengineering is a real thing and millions, if not billions of dollars are being spent developing it as a solution for rising global temperatures. Whilst at the moment it is being held back by ethical, political, and moral concerns. The sad truth is the closer we get to climate meltdown, the more likely we are to ignore these concerns in favour of saving the planet, instead of changing our behaviour, we are again looking for shortcuts, and playing with fire.
A few of the main characters
David Carmichael
British Chemistry Professor (40 ish)
Loved up and living in paradise, our British professor has finally found happiness with his eccentric girlfriend
Special skill – Chemistry genius
Cassia Nilsson
American Black hat Hacker (40 ish)
Our talented hacker takes centre stage, this time she has government support in stopping a rogue supercomputer from preserving the species
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Special skill – World-class hacker
Nick Colletto
Ex American Special Forces (40ish)
Nick and Sarah are now together and only want a peaceful life, trouble is life doesn’t work like that, now they have to step up one more time to save everything they value most.
Special skill – Wet work (killing people and special operations)
Sarah Conner
Ex South African special forces (40’s)
Tired of running around and saving the world, all she wants is to live in Paradise pods and shut the world out, but this time she doesn’t have a choice
Special skill: Hand to hand combat, peacemaker
Robert Johnson
British Prime Minister (48)
The first black Prime Minister and he is about to enter his second term. He is from a working-class background, down to earth, but a bit of a loner, totally focussed on his career, and still single. He constantly struggles with his confidence but is a gifted speaker.
Special skill: People believe him
Katie Rayner
American Journalist (40 ish)
Tough war reporter fiercely independent and will go to extreme lengths to dig out a story. She has no time for relationships, in search of the truth, she is Cassia’s best friend, and will do anything to help her out, but has a secret she is trying to hide.
Special skill: Connections, she has a wide network of connections
President Gerald Ratner
President of the United States
The US President forges an uneasy alliance with the Russians and Chinese, all sides agree to work together, but none of them have any attention of keeping their promises.
To support the alliance, the President must betray his own country and sabotage their plan.
Special skill – Duplicity
Li Zhou
Prime Minister of the Peoples Republic of China
An aggressive tactician, with desires on the Premier's position, all he has to do is deliver the Solar Geoengineering program before anyone else. Unbeknown to the party he has forged an alliance with the Americans and Russians, one he has no intention of keeping.
Special skill – Extensive resources and a cold heart
A few final thoughts
At first this series was only three books, however when I read about Solar Geoengineering, and it was seriously being considered as a solution to our current global crisis, I had no choice, I had to pen a story in a hope that some may read it before it is too late
The last point…
This final book in the series (honest) and poses several difficult questions, which is our reality. A reality that none of us has the stomach to face. Whilst it is fictional, the brutal truth is we are really not that far away from any of these stories becoming a reality. Are we capable of changing our ways, before its too late, or do we still press on in the name of progress and ignore the warnings?
