Balls

President John Hansen #1

by Richard Rohmer

This book, published in 1979 deals head on with the growing reliance by the US on fossil fuels. Ironically over 3 decades later nothing has changed.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Major-General (Ret'd) Richard Heath Rohmer, OC, CMM, DFC, O.Ont, KStJ, CD, OL, QC, JD, LLD (born in 1924). Canada's most decorated citizen, an aviator, a senior lawyer (aviation law), adviser to business leaders and the Government of Ontario and is a prolific writer. Rohmer was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and spent some of his early youth in Pasadena, California as well as in western Ontario at Windsor and Fort Erie.

The Peterborough Examiner's lead editorial of 14 January 2009 says this: "Rohmer, one of Canada's most colourful figures of the past half-century, was a World War II fighter pilot, later a major-general in the armed forces reserve, a high-profile lawyer and a successful novelist and biographer."

Reviews

[Reading Rohmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s 1985. As the worst winter storm in American history moves in on Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York State, gas monopoly TransState cuts off 350,000 customers. Twenty thousand people die in Buffalo, a supernatural place of rapidly freezing water and car consuming snowdrifts. Everyone else is spared, save newly installed American president Hugh Baker who makes the mistake of visiting the city. Those who aren’t dead agree that the government’s lax industry regulations are to blame. President John Hansen, Baker’s successor, inherits a country at “its weakest point since the Revolution.” He comes up with a “very clever” plan that involves stealing Canadian technology to transport natural gas by tanker. The gas is Canadian, too, which leads to an ultimatum just like the one in Ultimatum: Give us your natural gas… or else!

Not to be confused with Ultimatum 2.

More: Balls! discussed at the Reading Richard Rohmer blog

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, originally published in 1979 deals head on with the growing reliance by the US on fossil fuels.

Ironically it is now 2012 and nothing's changed.