TPL Review

The Demise of Hypocrisy

What begins with a UFO entering the stratosphere at fifty-thousand miles per hour and ends with cosmic chaos disrupting the best laid plans of gods and angels? The answer is Cloud Drops by Nicholas Ifkovits.

The least I would say about this novel is, "Hold on to your seat" because this sucker flies at about twice the speed of a UFO. In 224 lightning-fast pages we are introduced to a coherent alternate reality, some well-drawn characters, and protagonist Ledyard Patterson, the earthly contact for beings from heaven, and son of wealthy, corrupt televangelist Pat Patterson.

Heaven is peopled with resurrected beings living in a state of playful bliss that calls to mind the condition of liberated humanity envisioned by philosopher Herbert Marcuse. They eat well, they play well, they relish the beauty of God's creation, and they suffer no illness nor anxiety.

Rather than inhibiting these creatures, their electro-magnetic bodies allow them greater freedom of movement and form. (Their linked bodies become the UFO's.)

Jesus runs Heaven, of course, and the heavenly council includes such members as Mohammed, Gandhi, Buddha, Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon (sitting next to Linda McCartney, no less), and Susan B. Anthony. It's an easy going and agreeable group that seems to buy into Lennon's philosophy from Strawberry Fields that there's "Nothing to get up about." They meet and they talk, but heaven is such a delightful place and everybody gets along so well that the council is more a celebrity showcase than a meaty decision-making body.

The council does, however, decide to follow through with a risky plan proposed by Cambian, a resurrected being who, in his eathly life, had died as a teen in Cambodia. Cambian recommends that Heaven intervene directly on Earth to reduce the impact of Pat Patterson's misguided ministry. The plan includes a series of encounters between the heavenly Cambian and Patterson's son, Ledyard, a number of heavenly council meetings, and the miraculous incarnation of Cambian (with disastrous results) at a church meeting officiated by Pat Patterson.

Nothing goes as planned, though, so that the conclusion is surprisingly and deliciously morally ambiguous. The effect is all the more surprising because Cloud Drops adopts and maintains a lightweight, predictable moral orthodoxy throughout, and one expects the end to be moralistic and predictable. It is neither.

When I was handed Cloud Drops I wasn't sure what I was getting in to. I'll sum it up in a word: DELIGHTFUL. Pick this novel up. It's fun, it's fast, it's easy, and at $11.95 it's also a bargain.

— And from thousands of fans, a few selected notes —

I started reading Cloud Drops and found it quite bizarre. I could not put it down! It reminded me of my faith. My handle is "Black Sheep," and I'm also kind of a lost sheep, but I know God is looking out for me. Thank you for writing Cloud Drops and helping me broaden my horizons.                                          — Steve Curfman / Arthur, ND

My son bought Cloud Drops and Other Dreams for me, and you autographed them. I wanted to thank you and let you know how much I enjoyed both books. They are great!!! Cloud Drops was certainly different. It makes one kind of hope that it really is that way. Again, thank you.                                           — Jean Cambell

Your somewhat satyrical portrayal of televangelism is sure to strike a familiar and sympathetic chord with everyone who's ever asked themselves how anyone can have THE TRUTH and still declare that everyone else is headed straight to hell (unless, of course, they repent and send a monetary donation to a certain P.O. Box number). Cloud Drops has a fine mix of humor and tragedy, with an unexpected ending.                                           — Don Davis / Denver, Colorado

I just wanted to thank you for stopping me in the mall last Sunday to look at Cloud Drops. I read the first three chapters and it put me in tears. It reaffirmed for me things I always felt, and it also helped me realize that I tended to avoid Jesus in my life because of religion. I always say that I have a good relationship with universal entities, but that isn't always true. I get too caught up in my disgust for organized religion, and forget the man behind it. Thank you for this book, and your clarity beyond fantasy. You paint with natural prose images of Utopia that bring memories and feelings of satisfaction. Cloud Drops is tragic in its identification of the masses and what inspires true hate and prejudice. In that lies a dichotomy that as a flock we can be led astray, but as a group of individuals focused upon one common goal, we cannot falter. This book is an affirmation for those who share your ideals, and an awakening for those who never thought beyond the stained glass windows....                                         — Laurie Goerig / Littleton, Colorado