Trempealeau

by John T. Umhoefer

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2024

Reviews

[Michael W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trempealeau makes the same impression as an old style printing press: sharp, crisp and indelible

I loved the vivid descriptions of LaCrosse and the surrounding gouge made by the Mississippi River over the eons. You can feel the author's deep love for the area. Add in a well-framed story and you have one of those novels where you look up after a while and realize the entire night has gone by.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sci fi is not my genre, but this had enough plot and characters to keep me going. The local references were wonderful! I could imagine Jen and Paul on Miller’s Bluff and my memories of Mr. Dee’s were reawakened. The plot was very involved, to the point that I was often confused. The book was way too long…

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because it was designated one of the top 100 Indie Novels of 2023 AND Trempealeau is just up the river. This novel is a kind of sci-fi thriller set firmly in this area of the Driftless, incorporating the history of platform mound builders, German POWs on local farms during WWII, cheese making, smelt fries, geology, and familiar places such as Trempealeau Hotel, Schmidty’s, Miller’s Bluff, towns like La Crosse and Independence, Del Bar, Mr. Dee's, Ward Avenue, etc. I did have a hard time knowing just what was going on, who the bad guys were (BTW, so does the main character, Jen), and which character was which. That said, I couldn't put it down, trusting it would all become clear in the end (not sure it did). I see this is first in a series to come. I'll probably read the next one when it comes along, even though I rarely read science fiction.

[Jeffrey A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This five-star novel is great; not bestseller-great perhaps, but perspective-altering great. I’ll save six stars for Williams Faulkner and Shakespeare but urge this hyper-local, multi-threaded Southwest-Wisconsin thriller on anyone who wants encouragement to open their mind to the wonder and wonderment of their very own locale, people, history, and mystery.

John Umhoefer could not have written this story quickly. Rather, it appears to be the product of a lifetime of observation and imagination far richer than most of us muster for our daily surrounds. He grew up in the small-town farming and small-city environment that hosts this decades long tale of people damaged by trauma—and unearned riches—that have fostered both secretive covetousness and, in some cases, the loving bonds of loyalty and generosity that constitute the most valuable treasures of our very human lives.

Trempealeau is not light reading—I restarted after seventy pages to make sure I had all the strands in hand—but it rewards the attention one gives it, and the language captures the character and resilience, as well as cheesemaking expertise, of what a superficial impression might misinterpret as an unprepossessing region.

So delightful, but never gratuitous, are the references to local sites and sights, sometimes rendered with artistic tweaks, that even readers like me who’ve spent time in La Crosse, Wisconsin and the neighboring communities will enjoy consulting Google Maps occasionally as they wend their way through the book.

Billed as Book One of The Trempealeau Stories, this novel will be a challenging one to follow up. No harm if the sequel doesn’t materialize—the book stands on its own—but if it does so and manages to maintain the quality of this fine debut, the author might well deserve that sixth star.

[Holly Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story based on fact, fiction, and fantasy. As a Wisconsin native, I remember some news accounts from the 1970's related to this story. The story line is intriguing; however it sometimes gets bogged down in the geology, which is necessary for the story line.

[Amy Lally · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid reader of SF, I found this to be a good read. It was even more so as a Wisconsin resident.

[Bill O'Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scifi book set in the Coulee Region! And fairly well written. It was a slow start with multiple characters & timelines yet engaging once I got into it.

[Sloane Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic! A great read to get into Sci-Fi and loved that it was based on the Midwest. There are many complex characters to follow and attach to. I was intrigued all the way until the end!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm realizing as I write this that I need to be careful not to give anything away about this unique book. :)

Instead, I'll focus on the reasons you might want to read this book:
1. If you like mysteries that unfold carefully, unpredictably, and yield a satisfying payoff at the end;
2. If you delight in re-imagining history through the lens of a creative mind asking the question, "What if we weren't told everything?";
3. If you're interested in immersing yourself in a rural, Western Wisconsin community, defined as much by its one-of-a-kind geography/geology as by the people who inhabit it;
4. If you appreciate the opportunity to inhabit and root for characters that are believable as they navigate all the world throws at them; or
5. If you have waited your whole life for a hero in the form of a craft cheesemaker!

John's story straddles many genres, but that's not what defines it. Instead, this story is defined by characters who feel familiar to this Wisconsin girl and who - like many of the people I know - can surprise you with their candid insights, unwavering resolve, and impenetrable discretion. Umhoefer explores these observations through a prodigal daughter returned home, as she re-learns the language of neighbors who have schedules driven by milking cows, pre-dawn cheesemaking, and the rhythms of local life.

Pick up a copy of this book to explore the meticulously researched details of life in western Wisconsin during WWII and the early 2000s, challenge yourself to predict where its going, and uncover one explanation for a strange transmission from Skylab in 1974 that made quite a stir and then ... vanished...

[Wisconsin Alumni]

John Umhoefer ’85
Author

From the author:
Trempealeau blends local fiction, mystery, multiverse, and apocalyptic science fiction genres to explain the real Skylab discovery of a massive circular structure in the snow-covered ground along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border in the winter of 1974.

After local media hypes the Skylab report of the circular structure, two curious teens in La Crosse, Wisconsin, begin hunting for this elusive geological phenomenon. They’re unaware that they’ve stumbled upon a generations-old secret reluctantly revealed to the U.S. government and young geologist Lawrence Marten during World War II and defended with deadly violence.

Paul Meadows is just fourteen when his friend, Pete Flottmeier, disappears on a solo search for the circle. Jennifer von Guericke was also a child inspired by the mystery – her farm marked the epicenter of the circle described from space. Her father’s disappearance soon after the Skylab report tore apart her family, and now, twenty-nine years later, in 2003, Jen has returned home to bury her estranged mother.

Jennifer meets Paul Meadows, still lost in his search for his boyhood friend. Now a new generation, led by Trempealeau County cheesemaker Steve Schleusener and 86-year-old professor Lawrence Marten, must decide if they will defend the awesome secret of the circle, or help Paul and Jennifer learn the truth.

But the secret is stirring. Mysterious earthquakes, building in strength, are shaking the globe, and the truth in Trempealeau threatens not just one Earth, but two.

[Amy Lally · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really entertaining and, enjoyable absorbing read, even more so if you're familiar with western Wisconsin. It's a pretty seamless blend of several genres and different time periods with compelling characters.