The Cloud
Elmore Hammes

Reviewed by Mary Aycock

The Cloud is the newest in a string of books by the Author Elmore Hammes, who lives in Anderson Indiana. This is the first of his books that I have read. The story starts off in homage to the origin of Superman and pulp classics like Flash Gordon before setting into modern science fiction romance/space opera.

The beginning does bring the whole Superman concept into mind, but soon departs from there into the most unusual and interesting story! Our Hero is a baby when he is sent on his journey across space, but when he arrives on Earth, he is a fully grown being, but not as his DNA originally intended. You see, the deadly Cloud that destroyed his home planet leached into the ship carrying him on his journey and blended its cells with his. So, we have a being with a kind and loving nature blended with the fierce nature of the Cloud and we are on pins and needles as we try to find out which part will win the battle. As he travels, his ship nourishes him and teaches him, and when he nears Earth, he begins receiving radio signals and television signals, so learns about life on our planet. He changes his body to conform to an adult male, then alters it a bit more to fit the ideas of his father, who said that our hero would be “a God among Men.”

He has no name when we meet him, he thinks of himself as only his father’s son. He arrives safely on our planet, hungry and naked He finds an unusual method of satisfying the hunger before hiding in the barn of a nearby farm, where our heroine, Charlotte finds him. Both seem to be victims of love at first sight, which is good because the Cloud is close on his heels and it has every intention of devouring every last soul on Earth, just as it did our Hero’s home planet.

Our Military has tracked what it thinks is a UFO, but has a hard time coming to terms with the abilities of the thing they are tracking. They know nothing of the Cloud.

Our Hero discloses to Charlotte that he is from beyond Earth and tells/shows her his entire journey and all about the Cloud that will arrive in less than 24 hours. She tries to contact someone in the Government that might be able to do something about the Cloud and ends up leaving a message for Homeland Security. She and our Hero spill the beans to Charlotte’s father, who christens our Hero Grant Thujalm, after learning that his father was named Hugrant Thujalm. Charlotte’s father has contacts high up in the Government and he makes good use of them.

That night, Grant and Charlotte express their love for each other, knowing it might be the only opportunity they have, since the Cloud is coming to destroy all. Through twists and turns, the Government arrives the next day and through miracles beyond compare, ALL of the nuclear armaments on Earth are fired at the Cloud in an effort to break it up into harmless bits, if it can’t be destroyed outright. Charlotte makes Grant promise to get back in his ship and head for the planetary system that would be next in the path of the Cloud, in case Earth’s defenses aren’t able to destroy the Cloud.

I won’t tell you HOW Earth is saved…but it is. I won’t tell you what happened to Grant. What I will tell you is that Charlotte finds herself with child, and so the roller coaster ride really begins!

This is a MUST NOT MISS story that will have you riveted to your seat! The author writes the shortest chapters I have ever seen, but each one packs a wallop! You will be totally surprised at the twists of events and where the story takes you. When I finished it, I turned back to page one and read it all over again! Wow…what a story!

Now I have to go hunt down some of the other stories written by Elmore Hammes and see if they leave me as breathless as this one did! Get yourself a copy of The Cloud…you will be glad you did!

Author Web Site
Review: Belt Buckles and Pajamas