Meltdown

Rating:
Summary: A gem
Review: "Meltdown" provides a rare mix of an interesting, intelligent mystery with well-drawn characters. The setting is wonderful and the finale is worth every page of the build-up to the climax. Timely and relevant (both environmentally and globally), Powlik packs this one with drama and politics. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping story, well told with frightening implications
Review: As a (retired) submariner with some arctic experience, I particularly enjoyed the scientific and military details woven into a very exciting fictional drama -- if only some of my own tedious tours were as harrowing and evocative! James Powlik is a writer who can certain pull his weight in the high-tech genre but with a sensitivity for the environment, the plight of native peoples, and a relish for good-old-fashioned romance that few, if any, of his rivals possess. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but shallow
Review: Carol Harmon, a beautiful and brilliant marine biologist conducting research in the Canadian Arctic discovers ominous signs of massive radiation poisoning emanating from points unknown. Strangely stricken blue whales are the first clue. Two divers Harmon sends to investigate sustain horrific radiation poisoning, only confirming the danger. Essentially alone at the top of the world, she calls her ex-husband, ex-USN officer Brock Garner, for help. Garner, himself conducting some research of his own in the Antarctic, travels pole to pole to help Harmon track down the source of the mysterious radiation slick and perhaps devise a way to stop it.

Compelling? Sure, at first. So much so, that it's easy to look past the book's pedestrian prose and cardboard characters. Unfortunately, the novel fails because the characters never really do anything to solve the mystery. Though Harmon and Garner and brilliant and surrounded by a supporting cast of geniuses, they never actually discover for themselves the source of the unexplained radiation slick. Instead, they follow the trail to a mysterious polar oil-rig that doubles as a covert intelligence guard post. There, they meet a USN officer who "solves" the mystery by telling the heroes where the radiation is coming from. (Why the ominous Commander Krail couldn't tell all when he first met Garner early in the book is the biggest mystery of all). Until then, Harmon and crew steam around the Arctic sharing with each other (and us) all that they know about radiation, nuclear weapons, the environment and marine biology. A story about the world being saved by a motley band of geniuses who are both brilliant and clueless at the same time could have been a great page-turner. Instead, Powlick seems to buy into his characters' intelligence, even as their smarts seem to get them nowhere. In short, Powlick spends so much time trying to convince us that his characters are brilliant that he doesn't actually make them very smart.

This becomes plainly obvious early in the book when Powlick reveals how little he credits his own readers - the way he tells the history of nuclear weapons as if none of his readers had ever watched a Discovery Channel or History Channel documentary is just one example. For another, there's the story of a homey Ukrainian village that the character Zyubov had last seen in the mid 1980's. The chapter ends with the stunning revelation that the berg was destroyed by Chernobyl, as if readers couldn't make the connection themselves (radiation...Ukraine...1980's.....hmmmm). All marine biology are referred to by their scientific names (the blue whales are repeatedly called Balaenoptera, a move meant to be correct even as the bland prose do little to convey size and mass of the earth's single largest life-forms) Even the choice of supporting characters' names - Wigner, Groves and Teller - seems excessively arch for an inside joke (the real Wigner discovered how substances used to suck-up radiation produced in sustained chain reactions frequently release that energy as heat; Groves was the General in charge of the "Manhattan Project" - Paul Newman played him in "Fat Man, Little Boy"; Teller invented the H-Bomb). There's even a chopper pilot named Tibbits, but his helicopter is not nicknamed "Enola Gay". Even the glossary at the book's end - once used but now long abandoned by authors of techno-thrillers - shows how out of touch it is; much of the terminology seems unnecessary, as if they were used simply because doing so justified the glossary. But nothing highlights how poor a story this is than the threadbare plot. Once the heroes learn the source of the radiation, an ambitious plan is put into motion to contain it. Powlick drops a bombshell with a subplot involving sabotage that isn't so much a surprise twist as it is simply incongruous. There's a de-facto villain, who seems to have been created simply for a short and unexciting bout of mortal combat in deep-sea diving suits lifted straight out of James Cameron's "The Abyss". Very little in this story seems original and none seems worth reading. Imagine "Smilla" without those darkly appealing characters and the heroine's icy narrative and you've got an idea of how much a waste of time this story is.

Rating:
Summary: Unintelligent, unoriginal and unsatisfying.
Review: Carol Harmon, a beautiful and brilliant marine biologist conducting research in the Canadian Arctic discovers ominous signs of massive radiation poisoning emanating from points unknown. Strangely stricken blue whales are the first clue. Two divers Harmon sends to investigate sustain horrific radiation poisoning, only confirming the danger. Essentially alone at the top of the world, she calls her ex-husband, ex-USN officer Brock Garner, for help. Garner, himself conducting some research of his own in the Antarctic, travels pole to pole to help Harmon track down the source of the mysterious radiation slick and perhaps devise a way to stop it.

Compelling? Sure, at first. So much so, that it's easy to look past the book's pedestrian prose and cardboard characters. Unfortunately, the novel fails because the characters never really do anything to solve the mystery. Though Harmon and Garner and brilliant and surrounded by a supporting cast of geniuses, they never actually discover for themselves the source of the unexplained radiation slick. Instead, they follow the trail to a mysterious polar oil-rig that doubles as a covert intelligence guard post. There, they meet a USN officer who "solves" the mystery by telling the heroes where the radiation is coming from. (Why the ominous Commander Krail couldn't tell all when he first met Garner early in the book is the biggest mystery of all). Until then, Harmon and crew steam around the Arctic sharing with each other (and us) all that they know about radiation, nuclear weapons, the environment and marine biology. A story about the world being saved by a motley band of geniuses who are both brilliant and clueless at the same time could have been a great page-turner. Instead, Powlick seems to buy into his characters' intelligence, even as their smarts seem to get them nowhere. In short, Powlick spends so much time trying to convince us that his characters are brilliant that he doesn't actually make them very smart.

This becomes plainly obvious early in the book when Powlick reveals how little he credits his own readers - the way he tells the history of nuclear weapons as if none of his readers had ever watched a Discovery Channel or History Channel documentary is just one example. For another, there's the story of a homey Ukrainian village that the character Zyubov had last seen in the mid 1980's. The chapter ends with the stunning revelation that the berg was destroyed by Chernobyl, as if readers couldn't make the connection themselves (radiation...Ukraine...1980's.....hmmmm). All marine biology are referred to by their scientific names (the blue whales are repeatedly called Balaenoptera, a move meant to be correct even as the bland prose do little to convey size and mass of the earth's single largest life-forms) Even the choice of supporting characters' names - Wigner, Groves and Teller - seems excessively arch for an inside joke (the real Wigner discovered how substances used to suck-up radiation produced in sustained chain reactions frequently release that energy as heat; Groves was the General in charge of the "Manhattan Project" - Paul Newman played him in "Fat Man, Little Boy"; Teller invented the H-Bomb). There's even a chopper pilot named Tibbits, but his helicopter is not nicknamed "Enola Gay". Even the glossary at the book's end - once used but now long abandoned by authors of techno-thrillers - shows how out of touch it is; much of the terminology seems unnecessary, as if they were used simply because doing so justified the glossary. But nothing highlights how poor a story this is than the threadbare plot. Once the heroes learn the source of the radiation, an ambitious plan is put into motion to contain it. Powlick drops a bombshell with a subplot involving sabotage that isn't so much a surprise twist as it is simply incongruous. There's a de-facto villain, who seems to have been created simply for a short and unexciting bout of mortal combat in deep-sea diving suits lifted straight out of James Cameron's "The Abyss". Very little in this story seems original and none seems worth reading. Imagine "Smilla" without those darkly appealing characters and the heroine's icy narrative and you've got an idea of how much a waste of time this story is.

Rating:
Summary: Ice-bound thriller with a lot of heart
Review: Despite its setting in the high Arctic, "Meltdown" is a warm and exciting tale of adventure, romance and mystery rolled into one without any of the threads becoming tangled or worn. I raced through this one in two days, rapt with interest in how the thrills and spills would come out -- as in Powlik's previous work, the reader is left hanging on for dear life until the final chapter. I agree with Publisher's Weekly - this would make an excellent movie.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome storyline
Review: Having thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Powlik's last book, "Sea Change," I was well aware of the author's ability to tell a thrilling tale on a sweeping, epic scale. "Meltdown" exceeds even this expectation with credible characters, solid science, romance and drama and I highly recommend it. My problem with the audiobook is that nowhere on the package, nor in the catalog where I bought it, does it mention that this title is ABRIDGED in audio format - by as much as 60 percent. Suspecting as much, I ran right out and bought the full-text hardcover and was not disappointed by what I had missed. Also, the audiobook narration (by Bob Loza, an inappropriate choice for this type of book) contains numerous amusing misreadings and mis-inflexions that do a great disservice to the author's intent with dialogue and narrative. It's a testament to a good story to make me buy it not once but twice, however, the abridged audiobook (Meltdown lite?) is far less appetizing. Having heard the author speak at local book signings, one wonders why the publisher doesn't get him to read his own work for audio format.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome storyline
Review: Having thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Powlik's last book, "Sea Change," I was well aware of the author's ability to tell a thrilling tale on a sweeping, epic scale. "Meltdown" exceeds even this expectation with credible characters, solid science, romance and drama and I highly recommend it. My problem with the audiobook is that nowhere on the package, nor in the catalog where I bought it, does it mention that this title is ABRIDGED in audio format - by as much as 60 percent. Suspecting as much, I ran right out and bought the full-text hardcover and was not disappointed by what I had missed. Also, the audiobook narration (by Bob Loza, an inappropriate choice for this type of book) contains numerous amusing misreadings and mis-inflexions that do a great disservice to the author's intent with dialogue and narrative. It's a testament to a good story to make me buy it not once but twice, however, the abridged audiobook (Meltdown lite?) is far less appetizing. Having heard the author speak at local book signings, one wonders why the publisher doesn't get him to read his own work for audio format.

Rating:
Summary: Can the world be saved?
Review: I favorably reviewed James Powlik's first book, "Sea Change," because it combined narrative excitement with authentic scientific background. Powlik doesn't "dumb down" his extensive knowledge of biological oceanography for the layman. In his new book, "Meltdown," Powlik again displays his encyclopedic knowledge as he describes a cataclysm in the making. It seems that there is a radioactive leak in the Arctic that poses a threat not just to the local inhabitants, but to mankind as a whole. Powlik brings back two attractive characters from "Sea Change," the formidable Dr. Carol Harmon and her ex-husband, the macho yet sensitive Brock Garner. Two of Carol's crewmen aboard her research vessel have died suddenly and painfully, and she calls upon Garner to help her identify and contain the source of the problem. Garner comes to the rescue with his sidekick, Zubov, and that is when the narrative starts to go awry. The plot simply does not hold water (no pun intended). It is way too convoluted, going off in far too many directions. Powlik mixes in, among other plot lines, a heroic and poignant Eskimo and his dog, some clever use of bacteria and algae, several tepid love stories, a "mad scientist" who is brought in with his far-out invention to try to save the day, a deadly saboteur who wreaks havoc, several fatal crashes, a self-serving and arrogant naval commander, a "tsunami"-like wave that costs several lives, and much, much more! The book is far too busy with plot; fewer and more developed characters would have been welcome. The book, at over three hundred pages, is a bit long. It is not enough that "Meltdown" has a valuable message or that it has scientific authenticity. A novel must entertain, or it is not achieving its mission.

Rating:
Summary: A sequel that doesn't disappoint!
Review: I have always been skeptical of sequels, especially when the original is as well-done as this one's ("Sea Change"). With "Meltdown," Dr. Powlik not only meets the bar he set for himself and his characters previously, but spectacularly exceeds it. "Meltdown" is really two books in one - a compelling mystery and a titilating (if wistful) romance taking place in the face of (another) global catastrophe. This science writer is a true find and I hope he's here to stay -- the genre could use more from him. Also recommended: Sea Change by James Powlik

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but shallow
Review: I suppose I was spoiled for this genre of science/fiction when I first read Jurassic Park, but I am still always looking for another good story with lots of "true" facts to entertain and challenge me. Can not say that Meltdown (the audio version) did this, although it certainly has all the necessary ingredients. I could go along with the plot for most of the story, but found it thinning as it went on. I did think that the underlying ecological and political messages were interesting and relevant. Do not understand, however, why these female scientist-types always have to be of the attractive/blond/obcessed-with-work variety, but then I don't work for a publishing company. I had a problem with the editing of the book itself. It was obviously abridged, and not just because I had read the book (because I didn't). Nevertheless, I thought the narration (by Bob Loza) was good - a smooth, even reading; a bit understated, but I tend to like that style in audiobooks, as opposed to what I would want in an actual audio production with multiple actors. Good clean recording.