Rating: 
Summary: Not up to par
Review: As a reader of military fiction books, Thunder of Erebus let me down. First of all, I do have to admit that I like stories where the US whips ups on the bad guys and wins in the end, which is not the case here. But more importantly, the premise of the books is based upon a previously unknown super weapon that the Soviets have built and unleash on US forces. This is unrealistic and allows the author a convenient way of manipulating the plot.So in the end, despite some pretty good writing, it's the plot the let me down. If that is what matters to you, then you may want to pass on this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to par
Review: As a reader of military fiction books, Thunder of Erebus let me down. First of all, I do have to admit that I like stories where the US whips ups on the bad guys and wins in the end, which is not the case here. But more importantly, the premise of the books is based upon a previously unknown super weapon that the Soviets have built and unleash on US forces. This is unrealistic and allows the author a convenient way of manipulating the plot. So in the end, despite some pretty good writing, it's the plot the let me down. If that is what matters to you, then you may want to pass on this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A great techno-thriller
Review: I liked the book fom begin to end. I have argree this is way better than Storming The Intrepid
Rating:
Summary: "Thunder of Erebus" snowballs into a book you can't put down
Review: I was a huge fan of Harrion's "Storming Intrepid", and was therefore extremely happy when his second effort came out. At first I was kind of disappointed because it didn't jump right into action like "Intrepid". Instead, Harrison spends the first half of the book building all the necessary elements for the second half, which then just explodes. I'm glad I stuck with it, because I usually dump a book if after 50-75 pages I'm not hooked. I'm glad I stuck with it because "Erebus" became one of my favorite books.I read the first half of "Erebus" in about a week, and the second half in two very long nights. The degree of action, detail, and just great storytelling all coalesce and makes "Erebus" very difficult to put down. I'm not even a fan of the Clancy-style books, but I always keep an eye open to see if a new Payne Harrison is out
Rating:
Summary: "Thunder of Erebus" snowballs into a book you can't put down
Review: I was a huge fan of Harrion's "Storming Intrepid", and was therefore extremely happy when his second effort came out. At first I was kind of disappointed because it didn't jump right into action like "Intrepid". Instead, Harrison spends the first half of the book building all the necessary elements for the second half, which then just explodes. I'm glad I stuck with it, because I usually dump a book if after 50-75 pages I'm not hooked. I'm glad I stuck with it because "Erebus" became one of my favorite books.
I read the first half of "Erebus" in about a week, and the second half in two very long nights. The degree of action, detail, and just great storytelling all coalesce and makes "Erebus" very difficult to put down. I'm not even a fan of the Clancy-style books, but I always keep an eye open to see if a new Payne Harrison is out
Rating: 
Summary: Erebus is a THUDEROUS tale told VERY well.
Review: Like many who picked up a copy of 'Thunder of Erebus' I did it entirely because of how much I enjoyed 'Storming Intrepid' (which I recommend HIGHLY as well). I am VERY happy to say that Mr. Harrison's streak continues with novel #2 and it is in every way as good and in some ways even better than 'Intrepid'. NOBODY enjoys a good techno-thriller like I do, but this was so much more. Now it isn't without its faults however--nothing insurmountable, but it DID present a bit of an originality problem for me. First we've got the very rare radioactive substance called 'Rubidium' so rare in fact that they can only find it in enough quantity in a very IN-hospitable place: Antarctica. Now why is this stuff so valuable? America plans on using it for an incredible defense platform that creates an invisible solid barrier in the sky which when implemented will render ANY incoming missles useless if/when they hit the 'barrier'. Now WHERE have we heard THIS before??? Has anyone read 'Raise The Titanic'? In that scenario (written MANY years previous I might add) America is searching for an incredibly rare substance called, 'Byzanium' which will be used to create an invisible barrier which will effectively render Intercontinental Ballistic Missles useless... oh and guess where they discover this Byzanium?? In a very IN-hospitable place North of Russia on an island called, Novaya Zemyla. Now I'm sorry, but this 'coincidence' is a bit too convenient for me to give this a 5-star rating, in fact, if it were NOT for this glaringly obvious problem, it would have in fact received a full 5-stars. Okay, aside from this little problem, I very much enjoyed 'Thunder of Erebus'. A great techno-thriller that as I have come to find is out-of-print...a BIG mistake if you ask me. I found my copy at the used bookstore...maybe if you are fortunate enough you can find it in like manner. If you haven't read 'Raise The Titanic' you will enjoy this novel a LOT more than if you had and also recognized the similar plot-lines...either way this is a superior techno-thriller which deserves a LOT more acclaim than it ended up receiving.
Rating:
Summary: Erebus is a THUDEROUS tale told VERY well.
Review: Like many who picked up a copy of 'Thunder of Erebus' I did it entirely because of how much I enjoyed 'Storming Intrepid' (which I recommend HIGHLY as well). I am VERY happy to say that Mr. Harrison's streak continues with novel #2 and it is in every way as good and in some ways even better than 'Intrepid'. NOBODY enjoys a good techno-thriller like I do, but this was so much more. Now it isn't without its faults however--nothing insurmountable, but it DID present a bit of an originality problem for me. First we've got the very rare radioactive substance called 'Rubidium' so rare in fact that they can only find it in enough quantity in a very IN-hospitable place: Antarctica. Now why is this stuff so valuable? America plans on using it for an incredible defense platform that creates an invisible solid barrier in the sky which when implemented will render ANY incoming missles useless if/when they hit the 'barrier'. Now WHERE have we heard THIS before??? Has anyone read 'Raise The Titanic'? In that scenario (written MANY years previous I might add) America is searching for an incredibly rare substance called, 'Byzanium' which will be used to create an invisible barrier which will effectively render Intercontinental Ballistic Missles useless... oh and guess where they discover this Byzanium?? In a very IN-hospitable place North of Russia on an island called, Novaya Zemyla. Now I'm sorry, but this 'coincidence' is a bit too convenient for me to give this a 5-star rating, in fact, if it were NOT for this glaringly obvious problem, it would have in fact received a full 5-stars. Okay, aside from this little problem, I very much enjoyed 'Thunder of Erebus'. A great techno-thriller that as I have come to find is out-of-print...a BIG mistake if you ask me. I found my copy at the used bookstore...maybe if you are fortunate enough you can find it in like manner. If you haven't read 'Raise The Titanic' you will enjoy this novel a LOT more than if you had and also recognized the similar plot-lines...either way this is a superior techno-thriller which deserves a LOT more acclaim than it ended up receiving.
Rating:
Summary: Action-packed military novel!
Review: Payne Harrison is not nearly so widely known as Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, Harold Coyle, etc. but his books are well worth the read. This novel combines elements of military strategy and tactics with the human elements of fear and perseverance, all in a unique setting at the bottom of the globe. I especially enjoyed Harrison's ability to get away from the hardware specifics and into the character development, although there were several battle sequences which had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Whether you like fighter aircraft, battleships, or submarines, it's in there. You get perspectives from high ranking military strategists, a president who rose from the ranks of network TV, numerous warfighters from both Russia and the US, as well as the scientific crew on Antartica. Overall, a definite page-turner that will keep you enthralled and awake past your bedtime.
Rating: 
Summary: Great action, crummy style
Review: Payne Harrison tries to bury this book beneath fifth-grade level prose. Luckily, he fails... barely. 'Thunder of Erebus' is a fine, rollicking, action-packed military adventure novel. The premise - WWIII fought on the Antarctic continent - is intriguing, if a little far-fetched. The attack on the Russian carrier Tblisi is brilliant. In fact, every military confrontation in this novel is riveting. Unfortunately, Harrison's idea of character description would be more at home on a Hollywood casting couch. Can't you show me what a character's physical attributes are without describing them in a 400-word paragraph? If the author put half as much thought into the style of his narrative as he did into the choreography of the warfare, 'Erebus' would be a 4- or 5-star novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Audio version is awful -- buy the paper version!
Review: This is the most poorly edited and abridged audio book I have listened to (and I've listened to 100s). This 2-tape audio book should probably have been a 4-tape book -- or more. Military units appear for a few minutes then are never heard from again. It seemed like a good book -- I just wished I'd gotten more of it on the tape.
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