From the author of many nautical texts comes The Lake, a contemplative brouhaha that is part science fiction, part environmental commentary, and packed with the not-so subtle ironies of life. While many seafarers know Captain William P. Crawford from his previous works of nonfiction, his timely foray into creative writing is nothing short of brilliant. His pitch-perfect prose is complemented by the witty banter of his intriguing archetypal characters and as he illustrates a likeable group of people threatened by a truly curious natural disaster he conveys the vulnerability of the American Dream. After Southern California's Lake Crowley is split at its foundation by an earthquake, the water becomes an elixir-and a truth serum. As desperate people migrate to its shores to drink from its waters, pandemonium besets Los Angeles and a group of public servants, including the California governor and American president, will be forced to intercede between human nature and Mother Nature.