The journey to protect the planet is never an easy one. "Runes of Iona" tells the story of Iona, as she travels through an environmentally ravaged world to stand against the crushing fist of a world government with only a group of seemingly hopeless rebels by her side. A tale of environmental fantasy and journeys, "Runes of Iona" is not a read to be missed for fiction collections.

The second of four fascinating novels of a series entitled "The Blessings of Gaia" by San Francisco Bay Area author Robert Balmanno, this science fiction novel is set in locales around the world a few decades from now. Devastated by a combination of a global war, which lasts 11 years resulting in over a billion fatalities and massive environmental damage caused by global warming, the ozone layer is depleted. People are dying of sun poisoning except the privileged few that live in parts of major cities protected by domes. This book picks up where Mr. Balmanno's first book, September Snow, left off. Runes of Iona covers the life and struggles of September Snow's young orphaned daughter, Iona, as she wages a revolution against a ruthless world dictatorship of the Gaia-Domes. As a child, Iona is taught by an aged hermit, Tom Novak, how to survive in the desert. She then must cross a dead zone wasteland south of the former United States to a secret location in former Mexico that her parents have set aside for her. Iona's life is in constant danger of discovery by the Gaia-Dome rulers. They intend to kill her and thereby wipe out the last remnants of September Snow. Iona lives alone in caves for a number of years until she meets a young former slave, Kull, The two become a team, raise an army of orphans, teach them how to fight the Gaia rulers, survive battles, and work to restore the ravaged planet. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mr. Balmanno's second book of the Blessings of Gaia series and look forward to reading the next installment. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the future of our planet. You will not be disappointed.

THE SECOND BOOK in the Blessings of Gaia series by Robert Balmanno, Runes of Iona, is in print, and, like the first, it's far-ranging and ambitious. The series began with September Snow which followed the protagonist Tom Novak, an author, philosopher, freedom fighter, as he worked with September Snow to disable the climate controlling wind machines of the Gaia-domes. In Runes of Iona, the machines are down and nature is slowly returning to something like normal, but little has changed in terms of the power of the Gaia-domes and their domination of the world. The second book follows Iona Snow and Kull, a freed slave, as they build a guerrilla army for the expressed purposes of dismantling the current power structure and toppling the dictatorship of the Gaia-dome government.

The novel starts strongly. The opening pages chronicling Iona's journey through the Forbidden Zone are some of the most engaging parts of the book. Balmanno's pacing of the story, as Iona crosses the desert and grapples with the unavailability of food and water, is spot on. The scope of the novel in other places works against constructing that kind of concrete familiarity that Balmanno achieves with Iona during her initial journey. I mean that because the novel covers the span of a generation (like the first book in the series), some time has to be condensed, and just as we can lose touch with our closest friends over the space of a couple of years, it can jar engagement when characters we've been sympathizing with grow up and become different outside the scope of the relationship we've developed with them through particular events.

While the book opens where the first left off, with Iona traveling across the desert, Kull, a freed slave, is the protagonist for much of the book. Kull is a slave plucked from certain death as a worker on a nuclear powered, sea-based, wind machine by a sub-magister, Clive. Clive raises and educates Kull secretly and in a way that is subversive to the totalitarian state — through books. It's notable that Balmanno, "a library specialist in a Silicon Valley library for 23 years" develops in his dystopia a totalitarian government counter-intuitively claiming a pro-environment stance while simultaneously being bent on destroying it and using that twisted environment as part of its means for controlling the masses. Further, the main roles that books, philosophy, and literature play are those of subversive activities that propel the characters forward and, by extension, their revolutionary potential. It's easy to imagine how Balmanno's experiences with literature and Silicon Valley have infiltrated his fiction.

The Blessings of Gaia series may be hard for some diehard sci-fi fans to swallow in that their tastes and expectations may have been formed by formulaic genre-based literature. I had misgivings about the nature of the first book as well, when I came at it from a sci-fi fan perspective. What I've realized over the course of the two books, though, is that Balmanno's intended audience is potentially more inclusive and diverse than those of a particular subset of a genre (say, sci-fi dystopia). Laura Miller, in her New Yorker article "Fresh Hell: What's behind the boom in dystopian fiction for young readers?" cites the work of Kay Sambell that argues that one identifying factor of typical adult dystopias is the need for an unhappy, even soul crushing, ending. And while Balmanno continually stacks the odds against those who resist the Gaia-dome government, each book chronicles the rebels' ultimate, although partial, successes, offering hope rather than despair. I feel like Balmanno's series breaks new ground in adult dystopia in that offering of hope and may appeal to readers who believe they aren't interested in sci-fi.

While there were points in the book that worked against my suspension of disbelief, Balmanno's characters do have their compelling moments. At the conclusion of Runes of Iona, much like the first novel, a reader feels as if she or he has truly accompanied the characters on a long journey. The focus on character at the beginning and end (usually by means of isolating central characters, for example Iona and Kull's final years together in the desert retreat) is engaging. The revolution in the books incrementally crawls towards full realization and after the first two one can't help but be interested in what happens next.

Paul Shovlin (Moldova 1996-98) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing at Binghamton University (SUNY). His research interests focus on writing instruction that integrates technology, writing instruction for basic writers, and critical analyses of the work of Robert E. Howard.

Robert Balmanno's book, THE RUNES OF IONA, is a wonderful sequel to his first book, SEPTEMBER SNOW. RUNES OF IONA follows the lives of two characters and the influences that make them rebel leaders against a futuristic theocratic system. Iona Snow is the daughter of rebel leader September Snow and grows up in the isolated mountain region in North America away from the authoritarian Gaia dome government. Kull is a slave to a Gaia magistrate who helps him escape the slave system and find his way to North America. The book follows the two journeys as both characters mature and learn from their experiences. I found the adventures of Kull the most interesting of the two, as he is the one who seems to learn the most. Though it has a lot of adventure, RUNES OF IONA also deals with serious ideas of global warming, environmental destruction, and the responsibilities of individuals to dissent in the face of oppressive systems. Though the Gaia government is portrayed as being evil, Balmanno depicts many sympathetic characters within the Gaia system who secretly sympathize with the rebels of the Gaia system. Like Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Balmanno uses science fiction to offer a social critique of our current society's problems.

The turning point for Robert Balmanno came on Earth Day in 1994. It was just an idea then, but 16 years later the Sunnyvale native is watching that small idea continue to take form in his second published novel.

Released on July 1, Runes of Iona is Balmanno's second entry in the Blessings of Gaia science fiction series, a four-volume epic that chronicles 2,500 years of a hypothetical future. The first in the series, 2006's September Snow, has sold nearly 5,000 copies to date, and the author expects the new book to sell even better.

"I've been living and dreaming this thing for a long, long time now," said Balmanno, who works part time at the Sunnyvale Public Library. "It's been frustrating and rewarding at the same time, so I'm delighted to be getting such positive responses from readers."

Balmanno has been writing for 32 years and says he has four unpublished novels, in addition to his two Blessings of Gaia books. September Snow is the top-selling book from Oakland publishing house Regency Press, and Balmanno will have book signings (although he prefers the term "meet-and-greets") throughout the Bay Area in support of Runes of Iona.

Balmanno said he first came up with the idea of a future where citizens rebel against a government that has used up all the world's resources at an Earth Day rally in 1994. He was watching a long interactive presentation about preservation and sustainability, when he saw at the end that the event was sponsored by oil companies and manufacturers. He started imagining a story of a future generation battling a corrupt, corporation-run government that has driven the world to environmental collapse.

"As I was writing the first book, I realized that it was really going to take two books, and then three, and finally four," Balmanno said. "I wanted to write it as if I was covering an entire epoch, from 50 years in the future to 2,500 years in the future."

Balmanno finished September Snow in 1998, then embarked on a long, laborious process of editing, selling and marketing the book. His efforts paid off when the book was published in 2006, and the second book in the series was moving much more smoothly until a health scare made Balmanno slow down last year.

While laid up after surgery at Stanford Hospital 18 months ago, Balmanno said he had "new inspiration" to finish Runes of Iona.

"I ended doing the best writing of my life," Balmanno said. "With my other books, every couple of pages I find something I wish I could go back and change. But the last 40 pages of Runes of Iona, there's not a single thing I would change."

Balmanno was born in Sunnyvale in 1951 and graduated from St. Francis High School in Mountain View in 1968. He earned a post-graduate degree from Kings College in London and spent two years in the Peace Corps in West Africa, which inspired one of his first unpublished novels. Balmanno says he's found inspiration from his many travels abroad, in addition to his longtime inspiration from such writers as Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell and Isaac Asimov.

Balmanno said he has gotten positive feedback from a wide range of readers, including a teenager who passed the book on to his sister, who then passed it on to their mother, and all three came out to a book signing. He counts Sunnyvale Mayor Melinda Hamilton and Vice Mayor Christopher Moylan as fans, and says he is sometimes approached on the street and at the library by fans of the books.

Balmanno says he is endlessly grateful for the support, since that is a lot of what he gets out of his writing. He says he made about $10,000 on September Snow, but he's put all those earnings into the writing and promotion of Runes.

Balmanno will have plenty of chances to hear from his fans on his current 22-city book signing tour. He'll be at the Mission Bay Borders Books & Music in San Francisco on July 30, then back in Sunnyvale on Aug. 7 for a book signing and reception at the Sunnyvale Art Gallery. Then he's at the Westgate Mall Barnes & Noble in San Jose on Aug. 14, and the Santana Row Borders on Aug. 20.

Written by Robert Balmanno, September Snow is a science fiction novel set in a dystopian future in which the Earth's climate is manipulated by nuclear-powered machines to disastrous effect. The ozone layer is all but gone, and a sun-poisoned population must seek shelter within protective Gaia Domes. The religion of Gaia, once dedicated to protecting the Earth, has been corrupted into an evil regime. One woman gifted in body and mind, September, spearheads the rebellion against the malevolent alliance's implacable rule, driven in part by the callous execution of her husband. Part cautionary tale, part sharply written adventure, September Snow is highly recommended.

A brilliant dystopian novel about the 'weather wars' of the future. September Snow begins an epic adventure that touches on some of the most pressing issues of our time. A collapsing environment, a Superpower become a rogue state, and economic injustices deteriorating into class warfare in a gripping story that spans generations and continents. Balmanno's novel asks the following question: Can Mankind live with nature or is he fated to destroy it and himself?

THE WORD AMBITIOUS best describes Robert Balmanno's entrance into the distinguished domain of the science fiction dystopia with his book September Snow, the first book in his planned four-book The Blessings of Gaia series. With this series, Balmanno offers a unique and timely approach to this subgenre with his focus on a climate out of control and a state religion based on nature worship, which, counter-intuitively, offers a framework for totalitarian control.

September Snow focuses on the experiences of the anachronistic Tom Novak, an old man and a writer from the years 2051 to 2097. By the end of that span, Tom is one of the oldest persons alive and probably the only writer. A relic of the past, Tom's memory holds the only unmitigated record of events from before, during, and after cataclysmic events, such as the worldwide Eleven-Years-War, climate change, and a radical and totalitarian government, that have irrevocably affected modern life. Society is composed of the few who have money, power, and everything, and the masses at the bottom who are exploited. Much of the population, except the poorest of the poor and the few who resist, live in domes which offer protection from the fall-out of a breakdown in the earth's climate, particularly from the scorching sun, but make people dependent on the totalitarian theocratic Gaia government.

In the early parts of the novel, Tom works within the system, basically as a PR dupe, enjoying the few privileges afforded him as a result of his status, but, for the most part, he is soul dead. That is, until he is liberated, literally, and later spiritually, when he is mistaken for a VIP and kidnapped by a resistance movement led by the namesake of the book, a woman named September Snow. September, wife of the scientist who orchestrated many of the advances that the Gaia government uses to enforce its rule, is especially equipped to search for and attempt to strike at the government's Achilles heel.

Writing science fiction is a risky business. Fans, such as myself, can be persnickety when evaluating new works, because of the kinds of expectations we sometimes have. Balmanno is not writing so-called hard science fiction, science fiction characterized by an extrapolation from the technicalities of real science. For example, technologies like nuclear fusion and nuclear powered wind machines capable of changing the weather exist, but are not theorized in detail. Further, while political issues surrounding economic inequality, government control, climate change, and human interference with the natural world are certainly relevant to the arc of the novel, they do not take center stage like they might in Orwell, Huxley, Zamyatin, or the like. This book is about character and characterization. And while it's easy to compare it to the seminal texts in the genre, 1984, Brave New World, We, and others, such as Logan's Run, in my opinion it does Balmanno a disservice and risks a misreading of the novel and, perhaps, estranging oneself from it. To me, Balmanno's work is not so much about competing with Orwell and the rest, but more in the tradition of the homage or, in modern terms, a mash up which uses different characteristics from these masterpieces as touchstones aligned to a polarity of Balmanno's own. The strength of the novel ultimately lies in its accessibility. It isn't just for science fiction readers, but is more attuned to a general audience, especially one concerned with issues important to us today and their implications for tomorrow.

There are certainly some aspects of the novel that were problematic for me. Elements like the prologue may feel like they tell too much, rather than show. Also, there is a tendency for repetition in places. A close reader may feel the repeated phrases and description are unnecessary, while it might serve other readers well in keeping them informed with what's going on. Also, some characteristics felt either too gratuitous or stereotypical, for example, Tom's talent for weather prognostication being possibly connected to his Native American heritage, or the description of the Yoda-like Native American Shamans who train Iona Snow, September's daughter, in the desert at the end of the book.

But, the scope of the novel and Balmanno's relentless focus on his characters have the tendency of ameliorating any shortcomings. This novel is big in a couple of ways. First, it covers nearly 50 years of time in 346 pages. Second, the action takes place all over the earth, from Antarctica to the Himalayas to the American-Mexican Sonora desert. While Balmanno might not go in depth in many aspects of the state of the future, the breadth he offers results in a feeling of a fully realized world. While I can't say I identified with the main character Tom Novak, I found myself keenly interested in what was going to happen to him next. Balmanno has a knack of nurturing that kind of curiosity. Further, the end of the novel is strong. Iona's development and the rest of the story that follows September's last desperate attack on the Gaia government are compelling. Also, the end paves the way for the next in the series, which focuses on Iona's struggle, and left me looking forward to book two.

Northern California writer Robert Balmanno creates a future world of social and environmental havoc and destruction. In his wonderfully crafted sci-fi novel, "September Snow" we are treated to the first book of a new series called "The Blessings of Gaia". It opens strong and forceful and throws us into a world that projects our worst fears of what might happened to our planet if "global warming" and other social issues are not dealt with in the present. His imagination creates a whole new world order. Society has had to change and evolve drastically because of the world climatic changes and the death of billions.

They powers n control take to building city like states under huge protective dooms where they can protect their society from outside influences and the weather. Inside these domes the society is controlled and the old religions are undercut and stagnant. Outside of the domes there is nothing but violence, social anarchy, death and dying. The world is divided up into groups. The largest group is composed of 4 billion people and they live in extreme poverty and have no power and no control over their fate. At the highest level there is an elite group of 2200 families who control everything and have to power of life and death; they live in extreme wealth and privilege. There are three other groups in-between.

Into this world comes a new religion that is librating but also repressive that is called Gaia. The author spends lots of time building for us all the forces at play in this new world order. He gives us great details of how things work and what is happening to people on the earth at this time in the future--which is 2051 to 2097 AD. The book relates all the events of this time period through Tom Novak a 103 year old man who is the last surviving person to have known what it was like before the new civilization was created. The title character is the rebel leader September Snow who fights against huge odds for justice in this unjust world.

There are some very well written parts of this book and moving dialog. It is obvious that the author had a vision of where he was taking this series of books. If you like futuristic stories and sci-fi books then is one that you might enjoy.

Robert Balmanno's September Snow is a multi-faceted novel about a dark, foreboding future with a ray of hope shining through it. The book, a futuristic adventure story, builds on many of the issues facing today's society, which fuel this dynamic dystopian tale--the first of a series of four--to its riveting conclusion.

Not your typical science fiction story, September Snow stands strong and tall by itself, removed from the clichés and generic formulas so often associated with the genre. Author Balmanno endows his characters with the spark of life, giving them real, complex personalities and making the reader long to know them more intimately.

While reading this yet-to be-discovered gem, I found myself fleeing with the heroic characters across vast expanses of a ravaged planet Earth of the next century. Balmanno's clean, vibrant prose catapulted me across the vast desolation of North America to a grim, futuristic New York City, and onward to the few remaining hidden sanctuaries of the rebels in the Himalayas, the Antarctic and South America, eventually to end up in the stark desolation of the Mexican high desert.

Open the book cover and be swept into a future of environmental degradation brought about by a regime bent on altering the weather for purposes of world domination and a planet responding to the tampering with violent climatic changes. Balmanno paints a chilling picture of a society gone profoundly wrong and the remnants of humanity misled by an unfettered, genocidal theocracy seeking to rub out its opposition by manipulating and destroying history only to replace it with its own malignant philosophy.

Is this haunting tale a vision of things to come, or is it a warning of things that still may be averted? The author leaves it to you to step aboard this thrilling ride into a turbulent, stormy future.

I've worked in the Sunnyvale Library since I graduated from high school in 1985, and over the years I've noticed that many of my coworkers are aspiring writers, musicians, and artists. One of those coworkers has been working especially hard at writing novels and organizing his coworkers into an effective union. Two years ago, Bob Balmanno published September Snow, a wonderful science fiction book that combines the qualities that I admire in Bob as a person: a strong sense of storytelling and a passionate social conscience.

September Snow takes place in the year 2051 A.D. The world has been devastated by a long war that wrecked havoc on the Earth's ecosystem, and a new religion called Gaia is being used by a malovent government to manipulate its citizens. Our main character, Tom Novak, remembers a time before the society had transformed itself, a time when people could go outside without suffering solar radiation and poisoning and citizens could think for themselves and read what they want. Tom is one of the last people to have these memories, and the independence of thought that it gives him makes him a threat to the powers that be. He eventually discovers an insurgency of people intent on overthrowing the Gaia system, and he falls in love with their leader, September Snow.

September Snow works on 2 levels. On one level, it's an exciting science fiction adventure, filled with grand heroics as Tom, September, and a small band of insurgents battle against overwhelming odds to defeat an overarching government. On another level, September Snow is a strong indictment of the path our environmental degradation is taking our society and our planet. It talks about the depletion of the ozone layer and the destruction of various ecosystems and it's a very timely story. I enjoyed the book on both levels.

This book reflects the heavy strain of social conscience that can be found in all aspects of Bob Balmanno's life. In reading the bio of the book, I found out that Bob was in the Peace Corps as a young man, herding cattle in Africa. Bob was instrumental in organizing part time workers in the city of Sunnyvale to form a union and be a part of SEIU. I was secretary for 3 years for our chapter in the late 1990s, and I grew to respect the passion of Bob,and the other leaders of the group to help workers with their grievances and work out equitable and fair solutions. I didn't do much as secretary but take notes of the meetings, but I was able to observe Bob and the other 4 leaders of the union make sure that the members were informed of the issues so that they were knowleadgable enough to make up their minds before voting. When our group negotiated with the city for a contract, I noted the amicable and businesslike way in which the union and the city negotiated. It took away a stereotype that many people have told me about unions, that they were always antagonistic towards managemen and didn't take into mind the bigger picture. I found the exact opposite was true.

Bob typifies the intersection of literature and activism that I respect. He's in a line with such writers as Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Grace Paley, and Doris Lessing, writers who engage in the problems of the society around them through their writings. It's a tradition in literature that goes back to Steinbeck and Tolstoy and Voltaire.

Robert Balmanno has done a splendid job in creating a book that weaves warnings to our society into a great tale of adventure and the power of the human spirit. He has created a bleak and chilling look into what can happen to our planet if serious issues aren't properly addressed and problems aren't corrected. At the same time, his characters show that there is hope for us as a global society.

Balmanno uses imagery to give readers another way to look at the way technology has changed us as a group and as individuals. The Wallscreen of September Snow's time already exists in some degree with the huge screen TVs of today. Balmanno uses the Wallscreen to illustrate the dangers of allowing the alluring technology of home entertainment systems to push literary pursuits to the background.

This book is superb thought-provoking entertainment. The series of which it is Book One is projected to three more volumes. I look forward to the release of those three books, as will anyone who reads this highly recommended work.

Ever wonder why Captain Kirk got away with everything? Or why Galaxy Quest was a pretty cool movie in spite of itself? Because the writers had an insight into what we wanted to see and feel, but with their own stamp on it, of course. No this is not your typical review, writing about TV and movies when it's a book were talking about. Let's see, good writing, awesome storyline, non-predictable, convincingly thorough, and...if you have the imagination for good earthly sci-fi then this is the book to read next. I've read September Snow a bunch of times and it locks me in each reading. Robert Balmanno takes us on a starried search for truth in the not too distant future when the Ozone really gets bad and on a good day, if your lucky, you wake and live in a Domed city that only the privileged, and their lackeys get to survive - and thrive - in. If you're like the rest of us, then you are outside and old by the time you hit your mid twenties. Can any good come of this? Read the book. Enjoy holding the world in your hand. P.S. There's a sequel being written, turns out September Snow has a daughter.

In 2051 AD, the world has changed. Several billion people have been killed in the Eleven-Years-War and the Gaia Religion signifies the whole planet. Tom Novak, a 103-year old white-haired man, is the last person to remember how it was before the revolutionary changes took place. He is an ex-writer with an intuitive ability to sense the weather regardless of the fact the world is encapsulated in domes. In a world where mass executions take place daily and are televised on Wallscreen, Novak is at extreme risk of being killed for a mere thought.

Balmanno, himself, has the ability to see into the future of global warming, polar meltdowns and nuclear regression. A gifted literary genius, Balmanno takes a word, tweaks it into a sentence, twists the plot and maneuvers September Snow into a five-star epic that should not be missed. It makes the reader beg for the rest of the trilogy.