Review – How to Surf a Hurricane by Todd Medema
Synopsis
One man’s fight for the future ignites a hurricane of change.
Moro Petroff’s revolutionary battery project, vital for a sustainable future, is abruptly shut down by his uncle. Refusing to give up, Moro risks everything on a daring heist during a massive storm. From corporate sabotage to hurricane surfing and unexpected alliances, his desperate gamble could either save the world or destroy everything he knows.
Determined to get his prototypes back, he enlists the help of a professional hurricane surfer, an Alaskan oil worker, and a French salt farmer. But he’s no criminal mastermind, and they soon find themselves caught between a growing hurricane and a surprise algae field.
Will Moro succeed? Will they beat the hurricane surfing world record? And how exactly does one farm salt?
Buy the Book
Review
How far are you willing to go to protect the world?
Moro is from a wealthy family, but has big ideas on how to produce cleaner energy and move away from nuclear and gas. However, that doesn’t sit well with his family since they are all about fueling the world with their power company. Batteries that last longer are not a money maker in their eyes. When they shut down his project, he brings together a band of like-minded people to help him steal the batteries. Nothing ever goes as planned, and this group encounters roadblocks, but what they achieve seems impossible, especially since the heist takes place in the middle of a hurricane.
I enjoyed this book and how grounded most of the characters were. In fact, there were several I wouldn’t have minded knowing in real life. They all have drive, ambition, and are environmentally aware. There are many intricate parts of this book, and areas that I am unfamiliar with, such as farming salt, but I learned a few things about those different paths. While some of this is theoretical, such as surfing a hurricane in a specially designed pod, it isn’t something that couldn’t eventually come to pass.
This book was a fast read for me, and it was easy to follow the various characters, their motivations, and the outcome, whether it was what was expected or not. There are some tense moments mixed in with humor, a smooth balance to make this an easy to read novel.
We give this book 5 paws up.
About the Author
Todd Medema is the author of How To Surf A Hurricane, a heist thriller showing that stories about climate change and adaptation can be fun and hopeful. He wrote it because he believes the future doesn’t have to be a dystopia, and he got tired of only reading stories of doom and gloom. He is currently working on a new novel in the Hurricane universe.
Todd studied Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University. After working on self-driving cars and board games, he discovered a passion for clean energy. He spent four years working on grid-scale battery storage and now offers Product Management consulting to clean energy companies.
Todd spends his free time playing games, climbing rocks, and gleefully riding his electric bike everywhere. He is currently working on expanding the Hurricane universe.
