PROLOGUE
The cataclysmic nuclear war of 2053 all but destroys planet earth, forcing many survivors to live within the confines of nuclear fission-proof concrete structures, for their safety.
The riveting 2055 tale is told primarily through the experiences of a 43 year old Australian male – Ewan Mackenzie – lifelong owner of a vast farming operation. Ewan has great difficulty in coping with the frustrations of life inside the Chinese Government controlled building, totally disconnected by sight, sound and touch from the world outside. He dreams constantly of escape to return to his life as it once was, if that still is a possibility?
Although responsible for a unique indoor natural-food production enterprise, Ewan’s existence seems barren and pointless, until he becomes besotted with a beautiful woman he had met in his younger years, who has similar feelings for him. These two, Ewan and Olivia, develop a special love, a love for the ages, a commitment to one another that can rise above even the most impossible of circumstances – which it is required to do. Powerful criminal elements view Ewan and his food production enterprise as a threat to their aim to dominate the new order, and set out to destroy him. Eventually, Ewan is forced to accept the fact that if he can not escape his monolithic prison he will be killed, while at the same time recognizing that he and Olivia almost certainly will die from radiation effects in the world outside if they do manage to escape.
The characters, a mix of Australian and Chinese men and women, politicians, army personnel and an aboriginal Elder, come to life in dramatic circumstances and through dynamic conversational exchanges. The reader can not help but become engrossed in the life-threatening challenges faced by Ewan and Olivia, nor moved by their love and the assistance that comes to them, often from unanticipated sources.
The cataclysmic nuclear war of 2053 all but destroys planet earth, forcing many survivors to live within the confines of nuclear fission-proof concrete structures, for their safety.
The riveting 2055 tale is told primarily through the experiences of a 43 year old Australian male – Ewan Mackenzie – lifelong owner of a vast farming operation. Ewan has great difficulty in coping with the frustrations of life inside the Chinese Government controlled building, totally disconnected by sight, sound and touch from the world outside. He dreams constantly of escape to return to his life as it once was, if that still is a possibility?
Although responsible for a unique indoor natural-food production enterprise, Ewan’s existence seems barren and pointless, until he becomes besotted with a beautiful woman he had met in his younger years, who has similar feelings for him. These two, Ewan and Olivia, develop a special love, a love for the ages, a commitment to one another that can rise above even the most impossible of circumstances – which it is required to do. Powerful criminal elements view Ewan and his food production enterprise as a threat to their aim to dominate the new order, and set out to destroy him. Eventually, Ewan is forced to accept the fact that if he can not escape his monolithic prison he will be killed, while at the same time recognizing that he and Olivia almost certainly will die from radiation effects in the world outside if they do manage to escape.
The characters, a mix of Australian and Chinese men and women, politicians, army personnel and an aboriginal Elder, come to life in dramatic circumstances and through dynamic conversational exchanges. The reader can not help but become engrossed in the life-threatening challenges faced by Ewan and Olivia, nor moved by their love and the assistance that comes to them, often from unanticipated sources.
