Ollie's Cloud

In the years leading up to 1844, the entire globe, it seems, is experiencing religious fervor. Both the Bible and the Qu'ran have prophesied the coming of a Promised One who would cure the ailments of the world, and the time seems ripe.

During these years, two 12-year-old best friends in a desert village in Persia, dream of becoming great mullas and being first to recognize the Qa'im, the Promised One of Islam. But for Ali, son of the local mayor, it is not to be. One night his mother, an English girl enslaved after her missionary parents were killed, packs up Ali and after a breathtaking escape from the harem returns to London.

Suddenly wealthy, Ali becomes "Ollie" and is Christianized, educated, and brought into the family business, the London Times. Unfortunately, a series of heartbreaking tragedies befall the young man in England and America. As he bitterly rages against God and sets out to persecute those who carry out "His cruel purpose," the best friend he left behind becomes a trailblazer of a new religion that threatens Islam and is savagely persecuted by a brutal 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.

Bestselling author Gary Lindberg has traveled around the world to research his novels. His first novel, a thriller entitled The Shekinah Legacy, was the most popular thriller (Kindle) on Amazon in 2012. As a writer and film producer/director, he has won over one hundred major national and international awards. He is the co-writer and producer of the Paramount Pictures feature film That Was Then, This Is Now starring Emilio Estevez and Morgan Freeman. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, Gloria.