John Umhoefer ’85
Author

From the author:
Trempealeau blends local fiction, mystery, multiverse, and apocalyptic science fiction genres to explain the real Skylab discovery of a massive circular structure in the snow-covered ground along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border in the winter of 1974.

After local media hypes the Skylab report of the circular structure, two curious teens in La Crosse, Wisconsin, begin hunting for this elusive geological phenomenon. They’re unaware that they’ve stumbled upon a generations-old secret reluctantly revealed to the U.S. government and young geologist Lawrence Marten during World War II and defended with deadly violence.

Paul Meadows is just fourteen when his friend, Pete Flottmeier, disappears on a solo search for the circle. Jennifer von Guericke was also a child inspired by the mystery – her farm marked the epicenter of the circle described from space. Her father’s disappearance soon after the Skylab report tore apart her family, and now, twenty-nine years later, in 2003, Jen has returned home to bury her estranged mother.

Jennifer meets Paul Meadows, still lost in his search for his boyhood friend. Now a new generation, led by Trempealeau County cheesemaker Steve Schleusener and 86-year-old professor Lawrence Marten, must decide if they will defend the awesome secret of the circle, or help Paul and Jennifer learn the truth.

But the secret is stirring. Mysterious earthquakes, building in strength, are shaking the globe, and the truth in Trempealeau threatens not just one Earth, but two.
mystery science-fiction Lynne997

I picked this up because it was designated one of the top 100 Indie Novels of 2023 AND Trempealeau is just up the river. This novel is a kind of sci-fi thriller set firmly in this area of the Driftless, incorporating the history of platform mound builders, German POWs on local farms during WWII, cheese making, smelt fries, geology, and familiar places such as Trempealeau Hotel, Schmidty’s, Miller’s Bluff, towns La Crosse and Independence, Del Bar, Mr. Dee's, Ward Avenue, etc. I did have a hard time knowing just what was going on, who the bad guys were (BTW, so does the main character, Jen), and which character was which. That said, I couldn't put it down, trusting it would all become clear in the end (not sure it did). I see this is first in a series to come. I'll probably read the next one when it comes along, even though I rarely read science fiction.2023-2024 science-fiction Marcia812 2

Sci fi is not my genre, but this had enough plot and characters to keep me going. The local references were wonderful! I could imagine Jen and Paul on Miller’s Bluff and my memories of Mr. Dee’s were reawakened. The plot was very involved, to the point that I was often confused. The book was way too long… Holly Adams1 review

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