TSJ Presents the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations with Climate Fiction Thriller A Blanket of Steel
On 1 November 2026, I had the absolute pleasure to meet Professor Tshilidzi Marwala and present him my Climate Fiction/Thriller A Blanket of Steel at the thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations University Institute of Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) at the World Pavilion in Toronto, Ontario.
Professor Tshilidzi Marwala
In addition to his position as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Professor Marwala is also the Rector of the United Nations University, which has institutes all around the world. Professor Marwala is based in Tokyo, and on 1 November 2026, he was in Toronto to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Toronto’s institute located in Richmond Hill: UNU-INWEH. He has had quite a career, which you can read about here. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge (UK) and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering.
Above: TSJ with Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala
The Gala at the World Urban Pavilion (More Photos Below)
At the World Urban Pavilion in Toronto celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of UNU-INWEH (The United Nations University Institute of Water, Environment and Health), I had the honour to present the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, with A Blanket of Steel, the climate fiction thriller recently published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd. I also had the opportunity to speak to those gathered for the celebration, and I said something like:
“The way to teach about sustainability is not to teach about sustainability — it’s to teach about the failure of sustainability and its effects on humanity. A Blanket of Steel won the 2024 Global Thriller Award Grand Prize, and I’m proud and thrilled to present this book to Professor Marwala.” — Timothy S. Johnston
I don’t remember exactly what I said, but it was similar to that. I actually didn’t even know I would be speaking … but I embraced the opportunity and ran with it. It was an exciting evening, and here are a few photos, below. Thank you to Reza Pourvaziry, the Chair of the Urban Economy Forum, for inviting me to the event to present the book to the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Professor Marwala. I enjoyed meeting him very much, and I’m proud of this opportunity.
The gala event took place at the World Urban Pavilion in Toronto on 1 November 2026.
Above: The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S. Johnston (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.)
“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop
More Photos from the Gala Event at the World Urban Pavilion
Here are some other photos from the evening celebrating thirty years of the United Nations University Institute of Water, Environment and Health:
Above: Reza Pourvaziry (left), the Chair of the Urban Economic Forum who invited me to present the book to the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Prof. Marwala (Centre)
Above: Speaking with writer and CEO of The Daniels Corporation Mitchell Cohen. At right is Brad Robinson, indigenous advocate and CEO of Thrive Tours, which focuses on sustainable tourism and experiential education in Sault Ste. Marie.
Above: With Brad Robinson, Carlos Sussa (member of the UEF advisory board), and Mitchell Cohen (CEO of The Daniels Corporation, writer)
Above: TSJ studying the World Urban Pavilion’s journey in Regent Park’s revitalization in Toronto, Ontario
Above: Entertainment by harp player, Emily Belvedere. She was wonderful!
Above: The World Pavilion vision
Above: TSJ at the event
Above: With Grade 12 Award Winner, Moroti Adegboyega, who won the 2026 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for inventing “an autonomous aquatic robot that uses artificial intelligence and magnetized liquids (ferrofluid) to selectively remove plastic pollution from water while keeping marine life safe.” I later gave him a signed copy of The Shadow of War. His plan is to enter a University Engineering program next year. His future is bright!
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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.
— Timothy S. Johnston, 5 November 2026
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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel
“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop
“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite
“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories
“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest
“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels
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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!
WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.
Book Cover & Jacket Copy:
AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!
A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …
Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.
Taunting him.
Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.
If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.
But the assassin could be anyone …
Watch your back, Mac.
A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:
The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007
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TSJ’s Awards
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THE WAR BENEATH: FIRST PLACE 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Action / Adventure Category Winner, 2019 Silver Falchion Award Finalist, 2018 CLUE Award Semi-Finalist, 2019 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist, & 2019 CYGNUS Award Shortlister
THE SAVAGE DEEPS: FIRST PLACE 2020 CYGNUS Award Winner, 2019 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards Finalist, 2022 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist; 2019 CLUE Award Shortlister
FATAL DEPTH: FIRST PLACE 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award Winner, 2022 Silver Falchion Award Finalist (Best Action Adventure), 2021 CYGNUS Award Semi-Finalist
