Ollie's Cloud

????? "Ken Follett is not the only successful thriller writer to transition to historical novels. Gary Lindberg has also masterfully made the leap." ?????-- Mary Freeman, Amazon Reviewer
????? "Well-researched historically and full of interesting twists." ?????-- Bruce Rubenstein, author of Smoke and The Great Rockwell Heist
????? "The book is filled with enough adventure and intrigue to make a thriller, but in the end is the moving story of two fascinating spiritual journeys." ?????-- Jennifer Renaud, Amazon Reviewer

??Astounding Adventure in an Age of Great Expectations??

The year is 1827 - seventeen years before the Muslim and Christian worlds expect the appearance of the "Promised One" that each religion has been awaiting for centuries.
 
What could possibly go wrong?
 
During this time of global religious fervor, two best friends begin unexpected adventures into the trials, tumult, and tragedies of adulthood. This sweeping tale of love, intrigue, betrayal and great hope transports young Ali from a dusty Persian village into a dazzling western world that he never could have imagined.
 
Raised in the harem of the town mayor, Ali is abducted one night by a Christian missionary and his mother, who is a victim of his father's abuse. After a breathtaking escape, Ollie lands in Regency England where his devout Muslim faith is stamped out, he is given a new identity ("Ollie"), and the harsh schools of Dickens' age teach him how to be both a Christian and a proper Englishman.
 
Good fortune and keen wits helps Ollie become a wealthy young man, but restlessness drives him further to the west, to New York, the heartland of American revivalism, where a series of heartbreaking tragedies turn him against all religions and every "man of the cloth." 

As he bitterly rages against God, the best friend left behind becomes the trailblazer of a new religion--neither Christian nor Muslim--that is declared a heresy and savagely persecuted by a ruthless Persian regime. The startlingly different paths of these two best friends finally converge, with each on opposite sides of a climactic armed battle that may alter the lives and beliefs of millions.


????? "Lindberg, who already has a film under his belt, has written a true book, in the tradition of the likes of Dickens and Tolkien." ?????-- Pamela Bell, Amazon Reviewer
????? "At its heart, "Ollie's Cloud" is a deeply moving and personal story about how good intentions can be overwhelmed by the events of life." ?????-- Moeller, Amazon Reviewer
????? "Totally relatable -- I felt like I was watching my best friends grow up!" ?????-- Brant Zwiefel, Amazon Reader