By John Cairns

HONG KONG – Amid charred debris from the global economic inferno, author Martin Baker looks like a genius. But knowing that financial problems have burned so many people erases any glee, making him reluctant to boast or even to mutter, “I told you.”

Meltdown (Macmillan, London, 390 pages), Martin’s aptly titled first novel, appeared early last year. The story swirls around collapsing financial markets and the economic consequences. Once the book reached stores, the world economy promptly began a real meltdown.

“I take no pleasure in the unfortunate situation or the economic stresses that people feel,” Martin said. “Instead, my emotion is frustration, confounded by irritation. I didn’t cry ‘wolf’ when there was no wolf. Actually, I yelled, ‘There’s a whole pack of wolves headed our way.’ No one listened in time.”

Initially, some critics scoffed that the novel’s plot sounded “too extreme”. But Martin soon realized it wasn’t extreme enough to reflect unfolding realities.

Fifty-year-old Martin recently visited Hong Kong and chatted with Cairns Media Magazine. Knowing his past accuracy, we had to ask when the world economy will rebound.

“Before the end of 2009, things should have stabilized somewhat,” Martin said. “By then, I doubt if we’ll see the same scare-mongering headlines. Generally, people knuckle down and get stuff done. Asia may recover first. America and Europe may need until late 2010 before things become more comfortable.”

Formerly a British journalist, Martin spent more than a decade researching, writing and rewriting Meltdown and then guiding it into print. His impeccable timing prior to the crashing markets and plunging economies boosts the novel’s chances to become a Hollywood movie.

“I’ve just had my fifth series of meetings with people from Hollywood,” Martin said. “In a nutshell, I’ve found the right people…. I’m in the final trimming, cutting and polishing on a fifth version of the screenplay.”

Version Thirteen, another novel about Samuel Spendlove, the Meltdown hero, this time facing peril in Russia, will appear soon. “It sets two huge industries, oil and arms, against each other,” Martin said. He’s researching a third novel, one set in Shanghai. “You can say a lot and get people to understand much more by engaging them with compelling fiction.”

In 1996, Martin published A Fool and His Money, a collection of satirical essays. Earlier, he studied law. Frequently, he wrote for the Daily Telegraph and the Independent on Sunday.

Although Meltdown has sold well, Martin’s uncertain how much its timely appearance and precise topicality helped. “If there was a reverse correlation between stock prices and the book’s sales – the lower the market, the higher the book sales -- I’d be doing extremely well,” he said. “But I doubt if there’s been a huge impact. Funnily enough, what happened in the real world may have created a psychological resistance. People feel they’ve been saturation-bombed with bad news.

“While Meltdown’s absolutely on the money in its timing and accuracy in describing the financial system with all its weaknesses, the title’s somewhat laden with doom. Really, it’s a good-news book. The hero gets the girl and saves the world.”

For more information: www.martinfdbaker.com

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