"Panic Peak," a "cli-fi" thriller, is launched in Niwot

A new genre book was launched on Friday night, April 12, at the Winot Cafe in Niwot as Dr. William A. Liggett's new climate fiction thriller, "Panic Peak," was presented to an enthusiastic audience.

At start time there were only a few open chairs, which soon were filled with many standing in the back of the room for the event. Over thirty people attended the presentation.

Liggett first spoke about his story as an 18-year old who spent a summer at the Hoh River area in Washington state and Mount Olympus. Then he set the stage for his book, and introduced the fictional characters.

His talk featured photos taken from his time at the research station on Blue Glacier that sits below Panic Peak on Mount Olympus, and he also shared a 3D tour of Panic Peak, where much of the action in his book takes place.

Liggett read multiple passages from "Panic Peak," which posits several possible geoengineering solutions to climate change with both intended benefits and unintended consequences. The protagonists are responsible-minded scientists, while the anti-hero and villain demonstrate how selfish ambitions can be catastrophic, not just for the individual, but for the planet. The narrative and action are fast-moving and draw the reader into the tension of several plot twists and moral dilemmas.

In addition to the author's presentation, Liggett's wife, Cathy Jenni, shared several things we can all do to reverse climate change that are suggested in Paul Hawken's book, "Drawdown." Many are easy and straightforward, such as removing meat from our diet at least one night or more a week, reducing food waste, cutting down on unneeded fashion buys, keeping clothes longer, and recycling them at the end of their life.

The crowd had several questions for the author and for his wife regarding proposed solutions to climate change. A raffle awarded attendees gift cards from Whole Foods as well as a photo of "Panic Peak" mounted on metal.

Inkberry Books was on hand with copies of "Panic Peak" and the first book of the trilogy, "Watermelon Snow," each available for purchase. As the presentation ended, a long line of readers formed with books in hand for signing by the author.