Ice Hunt

Rating:
Summary: Definitely an "Eeeeeee" Ticket!
Review: Ice Hunt was a fun surprise for my reading circle. Our consensus: Hoo-yah! Each of us liked it, often for very different reasons. I enjoy how Rollins mixes people, critters, and circumstances to give us a rippin' good, high-energy tale. The people in this story kept us turning the pages from one fast-paced scene to the next. Even the secondary characters are interesting, but I must admit that I had found my favorite in Matt, the Fish & Game guy, by page 2 of chapter one.

Ice Hunt presents a vivid sense of place, whether in the "Cyclops" chamber of a research submarine, the Brooks Range in Alaska, or the turns and wormhole twists of a creepy crawlspace carved into the polar ice. Rollins weaves science and nature into the plot (boy, does he!) and lets characters use their expertise in their own branch of science to deal what is thrown at them. I recommend this heartily. The only caution I have is: be careful how much caffeine you drink before and while reading. This story will get your blood pumping!

Rating:
Summary: Beneath the ice, Hell has frozen over!
Review: It's almost an accident: a research sub stumbles upon a lost military base settled deep beneath the ice--Ice Station Grendel. At first, it all seems dead; but then they realize that there is indeed life...but it's not human...

Enter Admiral Viktor Petkov, commander of the Russian Northern Fleet. Petkov's father oversaw Grendel's research facility...and Petkov is determined to restore his father's legacy, even if it means throwing the world into a new ice age...

Matt Pike is a Fish and Game officer, former Green Beret, and divorced from Inuit sheriff Jennifer Aratuk. The couple find themselves in the middle of events, thanks to a mysterious reporter who still has a few secrets up his proverbial sleeve.

Along with a whole slew of characters, they are about to discover the secrets of Ice Station Grendel, and are about to experience the most horrifying days of their lives. Because in a covert battle between the Russian and American governments, the enemy isn't always clear, and those closest to you may in fact be your worst enemies.

James Rollins has written some outstanding novels. His first, "Subterranean," remains one of my favorite books of all time. "Ice Station" comes close to topping that list, too. With all the adventure of his previous four books, plus some amazing character development (even the evil Petkov is drawn as a human figure; I felt myself feeling sorry for the poor guy several times), "Ice Hunt" is a bonafide thrilling ride. It fits the two big "U's" of great suspense novels: unpredictable and unforgettable.

Rating:
Summary: Nonstop adventure at the Polar Ice Cap
Review: Once again Rollins takes readers on a roller coaster ride, coupling brisk action with better-than-average characterization for an author of plot-based thrillers. I think the thing I admire most about Rollins is his superb imagination. He manages to make unbeliveable plots seem factual. What a talent! The "things never meant to survive or be found" were wrapped in enough scientific plausibility to allow the the reader to engage completely in the story. Also Rollins created a very interesting array of characters who work well together in all aspects. I never miss a Rollins book, for the simple reason that his batting average is so darn good. His novels range from very good to spectacular--this makes me await eagerly each new book. If you like LOTS of action, suspense, narrow escapes, some who DON'T escape, original plot lines, and likeable characters, you really can't go wrong with a Rollins story.

Rating:
Summary: FRIGID AIR
Review: While Rollins' ICE HUNT is derivative in many ways, he still manages to give the reader a roller coaster of a ride, complete with covert governmental operations and a thrill a minute chases in improbable scenarios. Rollins can't quite come up to the amazing level of Matthew Reilly or Lincoln and Childs, but he nonetheless is pointed in the right direction.
What's right about the novel is the characterization of its two leads, Matt Pike and Jennifer, the ex-wife sheriff. They have the essential heroic qualities, but maintain their human flaws as well. Bane, the superdog, is right out of a Dean Koontz book, and the villains of the piece (of which there are many)offer little in the way of novelty.
Another flaw is the fact that our own US government is just as villainous as the Russians. In this time of let's stay behind our government, Rollins' use of them as devious and covert echoes the lack of creative writing. So many books paint us as villains, it would be nice if a writer would cut us some slack.
All in all, though, it's an enjoyable what if vehicle, and would make a great movie.