The Man of Cloud 9

by Adam Dreece

Alternate Cover Edition can be found here.

A brilliant man, a banned technology, and a dangerous idea in a fearful time.

Seventy years from now, America’s land has been devastated. Worldwide, the belief in building a brighter future has been forfeit in the name of holding society together and keeping our collective heads down.

One man believes he can change the world with microbial cloud-powered nanobots. Is he a Steve Jobs meets Elon Musk, or will it cost him everything?

Enjoy a new and different side of best-selling author Adam Dreece (author of The Yellow Hoods and The Wizard Killer) in this high-tech science fiction thriller.

Genres: Science Fiction

366 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2016

About the author

In 2014, I stopped my "hopefully one day" dream of becoming an author, stopped doing nothing with my writing, and kicked off my indie author life. Twenty-five years of doing nothing with my writing was enough, and after two medical events, I was filled with drive to change my life.

I've written the much loved young adult series, The Yellow Hoods, a world where steampunk and fairy tale meet.

In 2016, I showed two other sides of myself as an author, The Wizard Killer - Season One which is post-apocalyptic fantasy written in an episodic style, and the upcoming science fiction book, The Man of Cloud 9, which is infused with some of my high tech life from before I was an author.

I'm a frequent public speaker at schools and conventions, a dyslexic with some motivational chronic issues, and live in Calgary, Alberta with my wife and kids.

Reviews

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This is the kind of science fiction novel that will appeal to people who don't typically read science fiction. Even though the story revolves around futuristic technology, this is more of a story of people than science. I would even be tempted to classify this novel as literary fiction, rather than science fiction. This novel explores themes of determination, ethics, innovation and relationships. The writing is smooth, easy to read and straightforward. Personally, my favourite aspect of the story was the relationship between Niko and Tass, which felt very authentic and worked very well on an emotional level.

If you, like myself, read The Wizard Killer prior to reading to this novel, you must leave all your preconceived expectations at the door. In many ways, this book is the polar opposite of the serialized fantasy. The distinctions between these two works truly demonstrates Dreece's range as an author. Again, let me repeat, this novel should not be compared with The Wizard Killer. Doing so would do a great disservice to story of The Man of Cloud 9, which is a very different piece of fiction.

This story takes place in a near-distant-future with more advance technology that still feels familiar to our present day. The technology itself described in the novel is enticing and feels very possible. I would have loved to spend even more time with this technology and the other creative technologies imagined in this future.

As I understand, the author has a background in software development with experience working with Silicon Valley companies such as Microsoft. Dreece, undoubtedly, drew on his own experiences when writing this novel. The story reads almost like biopic. Stretching over the course of 18 years, this novel is slower paced, providing short glimpses into the life and career of the genius inventor, Niko Rafaelo. At times, I almost forgot I was reading fiction. Niko has some similarities to the renown creator of Apple, Steve Jobs, although they certainly also have their differences. While both men are drive, genius inventors, the fictional Niko has far a more compassionate side than the infamously cold Jobs. The storyline speeds up towards the second half as the ethical dilemmas of the nanobot technology arise.

I would recommend this book to readers who appreciate fiction with emotional depth and thought-provoking explorations of future technology.

I received an ARC edition of the novel from the author in exchange for an honest review. As always, my opinions are entirely my own.

[Joseph Jeffery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an advanced review so I'll be as spoiler free as possible.

Steve Jobs + Corporate Espionage + insanely cool future tech. That's what you're looking at. A condensed biography of a genius in a future that feels far too real at times. The world presented to the reader is one of devestation - physical in how badly the world has been scarred by changes in climate, but also one that seems broken by abuses of technology, and legislation. There's a feeling of hopelessness that makes this much darker than the Yellow Hoods, and though the main character Niko can be seen as a beacon of hope in dark times, his Jobs-like ego and simmering anger pushes him far more into the anti-hero territory.

Yet, Niko is fascinating in his pursuit of his goals, in his dogged, almost relentlessly driven attack on the world around him. Despite his penchant for turtlenecks, he goes beyond just being a facsimile of Jobs. I was frequently reminded of biographies I had read of other tortured geniuses such as Einstein, who despite set backs could not let go of an idea.

There's a lot to like here, but there is a point early on where things drag a bit too long before the meat of the story emerges and kicks it into high gear. The calm before the storm if you will. Overall it is a deeply satisfying tale for young adults.

4.5 Stars (Goodreads unfortunately doesn't allow for half stars)

[Ilana Maletz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Man of Cloud Nine is a definite page turner. It follows the life and accomplishments of Niko Rafaelo, a technological genius who is especially driven in furthering nano cloud technology. His motives are good; he is trying to help heal and advance humanity as it attempts to recover from catastrophic environmental damage to the planet. We see Niko’s life in series of watershed moments over the course of eighteen years. His bold research becomes a race against time, as old enemies and failing health both threaten to keep his astounding vision from ushering in a whole new age for humanity. I loved the pacing. It was really dramatic, and I was often on the edge of my seat, hoping for Niko to succeed.
The other thing I really liked about the book was just how possible everything seemed. This story takes place in a not so distant future, and the characters, even given their semi-apocalyptic environment, all behave in ways that are entirely familiar. Humanity is no more or less enlightened from having suffered a near planet ending event. However, humanity hasn’t counted on Niko Rafaelo, and his ability to see and create far beyond the realm of familiar.
One other thing I thought was very inspired in Dreece’s story-telling, was this habit of Niko’s to always compartmentalize his life. This compartmentalizing carried through all the way to the end of the book. We could never fully anticipate what was coming next, because it was Niko’s habit to never tell anyone all of what he was thinking or planning. It was an aspect of his genius, and we, as readers, are subjected to it as much as the characters in the book are.
But this compartmentalization also ended up being one of the aspects that I felt limited the story. We were not privy to much that happened in the other compartments of Niko’s life. I feel like the story would have been even more poignant had we had a chance to see how Niko was as a father, or as a man in love, or as a man with past that had left him with a powerful enemy. The ending also was not as powerful as I would have liked. It felt rushed, and not as neatly tied up as I was hoping for.
Having said all of the above, I was very impressed with my first introduction to Adam Dreece’s work, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more. Lucky for me, there is quite a lot out there to choose from. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thought-provoking read.

[Heidi Angell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! Rene Auberjonois was right, this is a unique and insightful story with a fantastic take on the future world grounded in modern technology and very realistic! I absolutely loved following Niko in his visionary ventures dealing with a world that had become afraid of technology and had banned certain lines of development because of their fear. 

Adam Dreece creates a very realistic future dystopia where technology has been halted in many aspects because we grew faster than we were ready, got burned, and were afraid to take further risk. Being the wife and mother of tech heads, I really appreciated Niko's frustration with "regular people" and his desire to keep his worlds separate. The crazy risks he took because he believed so inexplicably in what he was doing, his single-minded focus, and even in the way that his behaviors alienated him from those around him and put everything at risk, all rang true. 

One of my frustrations with a lot of stories is that the plot is often based on lack of communication (and yeah, it's realistic, but at the same time the characters don't demonstrate why they are inefficient) and I find myself yelling at these characters because the problem is so obvious that even they must know that it is their own darn fault and should stop doing that stupid thing. (For example: If Gibbs would just take 2 seconds to explain, instead of expecting everyone to just trust him, we would lose half of NCIS!) 

But in Man of Cloud 9 we understand Niko so well and even though he knows he is creating a lot of his own problems, we actually "get" why he does it. (And no, it isn't just because he is a techno geek and lacks social skills. It is so much more deliciously complex!) 

This story was so delightful in its depth and focus that I could not wait to give it to my eldest son (the tech head) for Christmas. Dreece expertly weaves a story with multiple layers. The technical struggle is enough to excite any Sci-fi enthusiast, the moral dilemma is a teasing thriller throughout to draw us forward, and the complex relationship struggles are enough for any fan of drama to stay hooked. 

On a side note, I got a glorious tickle when he mentioned "The Yellow Hoods" a couple of times in passing, as this is actually another series that Adam Dreece wrote that falls in the Fantasy realm. I also got a laugh when he mentioned a fellow author friend, Angela B. Chrysler. It was fun seeing how he pulled from his real world and added it into The Man of Cloud 9!

I must mention that the editing did suffer a bit towards the end, but not to the point that the story lost understanding, and not really enough to pull me out of the story. 

[Margo James · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's funny I was asked to read and review this book. My husband and I have a little place on the Arkansas river that we retired to. We call it Cloud9 because it's our happy place. So I was excited to get this book. Niko's cloud9 was the production after the release of NanoCloud8, so not the same meaning but I believe the same idea. We know we have to keep pushing the boundaries of science and technology or we could lose all we have gained because our base will be outdated quickly. There are always a few highly motivated men and women with ideas that could change our world, usually for the better. There are always a few geniuses that are so narcissistic that they think everything should be done their way, no matter the cost. In The Man of Cloud 9 we get to watch the machinations of both sides. Have you ever watched someone as they do something they have a passion for, even if you don't understand what they are doing? It's like watching plants grow, butterflies be born, and children light up with knowledge they understand and embrace. Even though parts of this book were technical, the underlying story was very basic and enduring. Remember all technology has it's beginnings in someone's brain. It's our job to make our world better by following our passion, unless it's to be an assassin or a terrorist!
A great story, but even genius minds need to learn the difference between passed and past!! Big pet peeve!

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Kindle Unlimited and got it from one of my freebie sites that don't show up as the ones do that link to amazon from my freebie sites. As an ex computer tech and also reader of sci-fi found it definitely interesting. Have read the writer's Yellow Hoods collection {including the prequel} so wanted to see what else type subjects he wrote on.

[Katrina MacWhirter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biography of a man who changed a world we don't know.

The Man of Cloud 9 isn't what you're expecting on several levels. Dreece presents you a character that you won't get to know well, any more than you got to know Steve Jobs. It's set in our future, but we don't explore the way we would in typical science fiction. Instead, we either pick up on what the characters take for granted, or we wish we could kick the doors down and see for ourselves.

And yet, for all its remote nature, the tone is intimate. A life story written by someone who cared for this man, for those who lived this history. You and I just happened upon something that might well be none of our business, on our way through a world gate.

But are you really the boring, responsible time traveller who drops the book and walks away?

Here there be real people. Also concepts that challenge genres, and mysteries that will set you mulling, ranting, and wondering.

If you read and loved the Wizard Killer like I did, you might hate this book. The narratives have a violently different style and focus and pace. Wizard Killer will inspire fanbases. This is a life story with a maddening ending that doesn't answer your questions, just as the lives of geniuses will always leave you guessing and interpreting and vilifying. 

But with Dreece, you're in good hands, if not precisely safe. He will keep you turning pages. He doesn't shy away from difficult. This is the book to pick up if you're looking for some sci-fi that isn't proper sci-fi -- which makes it the very best kind.

[Dawn Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had I not spoken with Adam, and purchased this book upon conversation, I would never have guessed this book was written by the same man who wrote the yellow hood series. I was completely blown away by the difference in writing, but it was a very good read.

It is kind of like a biography mixed with loads of tech. I'm not normally one to read books such as this, so I will tell you now, if you desire action this is so not the book for you. However, I found a very compelling story behind it, following Niko's life.

The time line is mildly confusing at the beginning, but as you get farther into the novel, it becomes a little easier to grasp. I found myself wanting to know more about what was happening with him. while it follows Niko's life primarily, there were some definite twists that smacked me in the face. One of which I did predict, I'll try to skip spoilers, but I feel Adam did well in hiding the biggest twist and saving it for the end.

now that I have finished the book, I find I am left with wanting to know exactly what Niko did. I have a few more questions about the tech that Niko founded than there are answers, however I believe that leaving a reader wanting to know more, is what keeps them coming back for more!

[Erin Sneath · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s rare to find a hard science fiction novel that is so personal, so intimate. In The Man of Cloud 9, the tech is an expression of everything protagonist Niko Rafaelo is, and society expresses itself through his tech. Because of this, even those of us who are easily bored by technobabble will stay engaged and have trouble putting the book down. It’s all thematically connected. Even in scenes that could have easily been marred by dry info dumps, Dreece parcels out the necessary information through genuine character moments.

Literary elegance aside, there are some fun moments too, with nods to existing sci-fi fandoms and the occasional pun character name. The main antagonist an entertaining Darth Vader type (in more ways than one.) She is possibly the only weakness of the story, with a motivation that doesn’t entirely fit with her M.O. That said, real people are often motivated by their own damage rather than logically, and Dreece gives the reader the impression there’s more to her story than what we see on the surface.

I cried a little at the end. That doesn’t happen often. A great read.

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book. Just like the iPhone this is a story of an ever increasing market share for a nanite application. Each new version is announced via a great show.

But the creative genius behind it is bored with the incremental nature of the product and wants to leap ahead. So while the company in working on version 6 he is working on version 9.

Soon there is competition and both the genius and his company are brought to their knees. Can they recover ? What is the truth behind version 9 ?

Read the book to find out

[Perley-Ann Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Man of Cloud 9 takes place in a brilliantly creative new world, within a high tech business start-up atmosphere. The 'body' is the next frontier, and Adam Dreece has creatively integrated technology with the body to come up with a fantastical way people use their body with knowledge.

Niko, the hero, is an amalgamation of all the genius innovators of our time, and this is done so well. The reader very quickly enters a world of nanoclouds, nonobots and a new type of airplane that defies nature as we know it. All the characters are so well crated. We care about them, we feel their struggle, and we definitely root for them.

This book is either a 'can't put it down' or 'don't want to finish as this new world is beyond interesting'. I was the later. Guess I'll just have to read it again!

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally a Young Adult author, Adam Dreece has crafted a fascinating look at futuristic computer skullduggery.
We follow genius inventor Niko Raphaelo, a Steve Jobs type whose creation of nano-clouds allows people to immerse themselves in their computer programs.
This revolutionary technology draws the ire of a former girlfriend who ruthlessly steals his company.
As a Sci-fi novel Dreece deftly shows a world where you can do anything by waving your hand or nodding your head.
But a new operating system called Cloud 9 could threaten civilization as Niko's rival rushes the untested product to market.
Enjoyable look at corporate intrigue in the late 21st Century.

[Brad Fonseca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a familiar world of the near future and insert a driven main character who fights against long odds to make his dream a reality. Then, watch as his own success becomes his greatest challenge.

This one was a real page-turner for me. It gave the reader a view into how technology start-ups struggle to "grow up" along with their founders. It also presented a mystery in the main character, Nick Rafaelo. You get a peak into what he's thinking but you never see his long play until the end of the book. There were also a lot of interesting twists and plenty of great supporting characters.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the near future, in a world of new start-up businesses and ruthless companies, this book is an intimate and up-close look at the life of Niko Rafaelo, a genius innovator of nano-technology.

Niko and the cast of supporting characters are well fleshed out and the relationships between them are well written and believable.

It's an interesting and imaginative book, that kept me turning the pages.

[Matt Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hooked me in the first few pages. The attention to detail as well as the marvellous/haunting vision of the future made this a wonderful read. As a side note the imagination and description of the use of technology in the future was a treat.

[Jordon Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good

Coming from a development background professionally it was neat reading a story which took that and built a story around and with such. I really enjoyed Man on Cloud 9. It's not what I'd typically expect of science fiction but it definitely kept me coming back for more.

[Alison McBain · Rating 5 out of 5]

​Adam Dreece’s novel The Man of Cloud 9 starts out where few novels do: at the funeral of its protagonist, Niko Rafaelo. He’s a lauded as a hero who saved the USA from several natural disasters through his innovative technology. However, the real story isn’t about his death, but about his life, how he accomplished what he did, and how he used his work to change the world.

The story continues after the funeral by jumping back eighteen years to when Niko was twenty-five and fighting to complete his thesis and start a company to explore nanobot technology. But his university is playing politics, and his professor—in fact, his whole department—seems like an obstacle to his success. His proposal to use nanobots in an innovative way is seen as problematic and harmful, but he manages to push through with a measure of luck and hard work.

However, success isn’t a plateau but a climb, and once Niko’s company becomes a worldwide phenomenon, he has to continually go higher and higher in an all-consuming struggle to outlast his business rivals. This driving force might be the key to helping others, and it might also prove to be his greatest success… and greatest failure.

The writing in this novel is engaging and draws the reader in right away, with a conversational tone and the allure of mystery in what happens to Niko that leads to his funeral in Chapter 1. A likable but complicated character, Niko exhibits flaws that make him both a genius and a realistic human being. The strongest and most enjoyable elements of this book center around the technology and the conversations between the characters—the dialogue is realistic and fun to read, with some good sections of humor, drama, and character building.

The one thing I would have liked to see is more non-tech scenes in the first half of the book. I enjoy the human touches in a sci-fi novel, so I would have loved to see more about Niko’s personal life early on, such as his family background. There are hints dropped here and there, but that was one element I felt could have been expanded earlier, although more is explained later in the story.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to lovers of near-future sci-fi, cerebral storylines, and political and boardroom intrigue. It’s a thought-provoking read that I finished in a few hours, and it kept me gripped from first page to last. Highly entertaining!

[Tammy Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a genre I usually read, but found it enjoyable.

[Cody Defoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was fantastic, the character development and twists and turns had me caring throughout. Niko's story is a wonderful story of the technical world in a futuristic society, but grounded in the reality of where technology could be going in the next 50 years or so. I had to dock 1 star for the amount of grammatical errors throughout (definitely could use some heavier editing) but the story itself was a must-read for anyone with interest in a futuristic incarnation of Steve Jobs or Elon Musk.

[J.M. Dover · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rating is 3.5 stars (but I rounded it up to 4 stars).
I enjoyed the book. It was well written and an interesting premise. But (and you knew there was a but) I didn't love it. There was not an intensity that grabbed me and forced me to read the next page.

[Bryan457 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing.
Snapshots in time of nanobot-social-media genius' early triumphs, over-extension, and eventual collapse.