Ollie's Cloud

by Gary Lindberg

It Was an Age of Expectation In the years leading up to 1844, the entire globe, it seemed, was experiencing religious fervor. Both the Bible and the Qu'ran hinted at the coming of a Promised One who would cure the ails of the world. During these years, two twelve-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 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 battle that will alter the lives and beliefs of millions forever.

Genres: Historical Fiction

536 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2013

Reviews

[Jr Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ollie's Cloud

Change story,boring at times. Prolonged unnecessarily. Lacking meaningful ending . Anisa' s character was removed unceremoniously. Ali/Oliver is a confused character most of the time. Gorden's character was kept alive with out any meaningful purpose.
Only good narrative skills of the author will take one to the end of the story.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

We received this book in the mail today, August 8, 2013. Signed by the author, Gary Lindberg, it was a gift from his wife, Gloria, who visited us a couple of weeks ago. I read Gary's first eBook, The Shekinah Legacy as soon as it came out. That story was historical fiction, but it reads like current 21st Century events. Thrilling! This new story set in the mid-19th Century coincides in time with the emergence of the Baha'i Faith. Gary knows the territory and the history, a battle that continues to play out more than 160 years later.

I finished reading Ollie's Cloud today, September 30. You may read Baha'i history from a book called The Dawnbreakers, Nabil's Narrative, translated by Shoghi Effendi. Extreme violence ensued in Persia after the Declaration of the Bab in Shiraz on May 22, 1844. Gary Lindberg's story begins more than 20 years before that. He makes creative changes in names of historical characters and places. He allows the main character dialogue that was never recorded, while providing accurate historical facts that were thoroughly documented.

Was there a real person like Oliver Chadwick, the boyhood friend of the "First Believer" in the Revelation of the Bab? Oliver has his own troubled history. He believes in God, and has his own good reasons to hate God. He spends his life trying to punish God, by persecuting the new Manifestation of God and his devoted followers.

Was there one such person as Oliver who was wealthy enough
and had the political influence to also the masses in America against "false" religions? He is like the evil ancestor of Forrest Gump, present at the great events of the first half of the 19th Century. He is the "manifestation" of the Evil Whisperer the Baha'i Scriptures warn about, who plays on our vain imaginings, our inclinations toward superstition, and our satanic ego, our insistent self.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise had so much promise, and I expected the two boys at the beginning to part ways, learn different yet parallel lessons about life, and reconcile at the end to share their lessons. I guess in a small way they did, but the ending felt very disappointing to me. And it took way, way too long to get there. Since I like long books, and often feel cheated when the book is too short, I can only assume that this book felt too long because I didn't really like Ollie. Jalal was a more interesting and appealing character, yet his story was more abbreviated. Kind of a shame really.