The word Stratumentis is a combination of two Latin words, “stratum” meaning layer and “mentis,” meaning of the mind.  Stratumentis literally means, “layered minds.”

Stratumentis is the name of the fictional city in my new book, In the Image of God.  In the novel, it is a fantastic spherical structure designed and built by the wealthy and ruthless business genius, Tatsuo Hamachi.  Stratumentis is suspended in the open space of the widest part of the Grand Canyon, half above the rim and half below, nearly a mile above the Colorado River and over one mile from either rim.  The gigantic sphere is approximately one half mile in diameter and over two hundred stories high.

Stratumentis houses thousands of workers and laboratories.  The outer skin is composed of Crystaleen, a fully transparent glass that has excellent photovoltaic properties as well as a high insulative value.   This material is incredibly expensive as it can only be manufactured in high earth orbit.  The entire sphere weighing billions of tons is suspended by eight nanofiber cables attached to four enormous towers, two at each rim.  From a slight distance, the city appears to float.  Its shiny surface reflects the sun, giving the illusion it is a second, smaller sun rising in the gorge.

In the Image of God is available in print and electronic versions from online retailers.  Here is the link to the Amazon listing.