In Atmosphere: A Novel by John Clarke, a hundred feet below the Ross Sea - which is frozen - there is an ancient flying saucer trapped among glacial ice and volcanic rock. Top divers from the navy have been tasked with the job of getting information from the crash site. Government scientists Jason Parker and Laura Smith join forces with an unlikely band of brothers in order to save the world. When the forces of good and the forces of not so good go head to head over the same issue, will humanity survive? Or will it all fall apart in the end?

My first confession is that I have not read the first two installments of this book series. I do plan on going back to read them now that I have read this one though. The second confession is that this book works very well as a stand-alone as well. I might have missed a few finer points here and there but, overall, author John Clarke has done a fantastic job in making this book one that can be followed even without the other two. This is a fast-paced story and it does not pull any punches at all. I found myself feeling like I was running a very hard and fast marathon with every page that I finished. It is very clear the author knows his stuff when it comes to diving and the naval end of things, which adds even more weight to the enjoyment of this book. If you love good science fiction, don’t miss out on this book or the series. I would put this on my must-read list for sure.

Atmosphere by John Clarke is the third and final edition of the Jason Parker trilogy and it is definitely a challenging read, but the challenge is well worth the taking. And for those who have read the first two installments, Middle Waters and Triangle, Atmosphere is a fitting culmination of a science fiction novel that takes us from the depths of the ocean to mystifying outer space. The story opens with a big bang as Earth is hit with a near extinction level gamma-ray burst or GRB. Top government scientists Jason Parker then teams up with a troll called Truman, a synesthete cosmologist, an Osage Marine from the Tzu Washtaki clan, a blind remote viewer and the help of extraterrestrial technology. Their mission is to save the world and with China and the United States of America locked in conflict, it is an impossibly gargantuan task, to say the least.

John Clarke's Atmosphere is a dystopian science fiction novel that is based on actual scientific details so the chances of it becoming a reality is not a very remote possibility. Set amidst an all too familiar geopolitical background, the twists and turns of this story are quite relatable. But what makes Atmosphere doubly enthralling is that aside from the thrills, excitement, mystery, and adventure, of which it has plenty, the novel is not only about the survival of planet Earth but also its transcendence into one that can withstand future catastrophes through evolution. Kudos to John Clarke for coming up with a science fiction novel that defies the imagination but feels so very real.