The Ice Limit

Rating:
Summary: Yet another great novel!
Review: I don't think these two gentlemen could write a bad book 'cause everyone of their books thus far has been superb and "The Ice Limit" is no exception. I finish most of their books in only a day or so due to their page-turning power and this one was finished during the weekend. It gives us a new set of characters, an interesting set of locations and some astounding story-telling. Only trouble with Lincoln Preston books is you're constantly wondering 'When is the next one coming out??'

Rating:
Summary: A Meteoric Beach Read
Review: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs have been magnificent, edge-of-the chair storytellers from their very first collaboration, Reliquary. But their writing skills have been honed in every subsequent novel, giving their characters greater substance and sharpening their plots. If this story seems familiar, it is. Its key elements are variants of a somewhat standard storyline for these writers: Another rich eccentric teams up with some Indiana Jones-type scientists and engineers and everyone sees again that money can't buy everything, Mother Nature can be nasty, some mysteries loom beyond today's knowledge, and pushing the scientific relm might be risky. You'll know the major characters in here: Same people, same conflicts as in the earlier P&C books wearing different names. But why tamper with success? The formula works. This is another book that will keep you turning pages long past your bedtime. As in Thunderhead and their others, Preston calls on his background at New York's American Museum of Natural History to provide some scientific underpinning to this tale -- enough so you may even collect a little stray knowledge of meteorites and supertankers. Take it to the beach or a summer hammock. No Pulitzers here; no National Book Awards. But thrilling fun!

Rating:
Summary: A thanks to our READERS!
Review: We (Doug and Linc) would just like to thank our AWESOME READERSfor their loyalty and support (and good taste)! We enjoy hearing fromyou. Email us at [e-mail]. Check out our website, www.prestonchild.com

Rating:
Summary: A thanks to our READERS!
Review: We (Doug and Linc) would just like to thank our AWESOME READERSfor their loyalty and support (and good taste)! We enjoy hearing from you...

Rating:
Summary: This icy novel takes you to the limit of adventure...
Review: I have been a longtime fan of Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ever since I read their incredibly fun 'Relic' (which still ranks for me as their best release-to-date) I am always excited when I see their next book on the shelf...and after finishing up 'Thunderhead' I just couldn't WAIT to read 'The Ice Limit' although I had my doubts that they could exceed the fantastic adventure I had just finished. Well not only is 'The Ice Limit' better (in MY opinion), they have come up with probably the most surprising ending since the 'The Sixth Sense'.

Preston & Child have come up with another winner of a plot, this time we're at the very bottom of the world trying to recover the largest meteorite ever discovered. In fact, it turns out to be MUCH bigger than anyone predicted, making it by far the most valuable item of its kind in history. The problem now is finding a way to transport something so large from the Southern Hemisphere to the East coast of America...Enter Effective Engineering Solutions (EES) a company so certain of their success they actually GUARANTEE they will be able to pull off this amazing stunt. Herein lies the seeds of an incredible adventure which captured me literally from page ONE. I like a book that can seize my interest this way, and Preston & Child seem to have a knack for being able to do it in each of their books. From the eccentric Billionaire who wants the meteorite (Palmer Lloyd) to the mastermind behind moving it (Eli Glinn) and

then we have the mysterious Sam McFarlane, who is tapped to help find this massive rock and assist Eli in figuring out all the details of how to move the largest item in history so far. Now if this wasn't action enough (trust me, it is) factor into the situation the Argentinian Navy which has a ship with a renegade captain who is determined--at ANY cost--to see to it that the arrogant Americans NEVER retrieve whatever it is they are looking for (because he doesn't know for sure himself).

Preston & Child have once again served up an incredible action/adventure/thriller that keeps the pages turning as well as gives you an amazing surprise at the end--but PLEASE do NOT read ahead and spoil the surprise, trust me, it'll ruin the end if you do, but WOW!! What a GREAT ending! If you are a fan of these two fantastic and creative authors, do NOT hesitate, run out and grab this book and FORGET waiting until it comes out in paperback--this is worth EVERY PENNY in hardback (for the ending alone). Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The duo's best
Review: Preston and Child are very interesting writers, but typically they dwell more towards the supernatural side. Not ghosts exactly, but stories that need scientific disbelief greatly suspended.

That isn't nearly as true with this book. It's more primal. Rather than man vs some form of strange beast, it's simply man vs the elements (and, of course, man vs man).

It makes for a more exciting read. Nothing feels terribly contrived (though, of course, some twists are), and there's an interest in the process througout.

It's a story about greed and engineering, and that melds together quite well. Highly recommended for someone interested in a whimsical novel of this kind.

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!
Review: Wow! Brilliantly written! Most novels with this level of suspense are as realistic as a James Bond movie. The Ice Limit will keep you on the edge of your seat without insulting your intelligence. I couldn't put it down!

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorites
Review: This is, in my humble opinion, a far superior book to "The Relic," "The Reliquary," "Thunderhead," etc. While I adore all of these books, "The Ice Limit" is without any doubt the gold standard of techno-thrillers. I recommended this book to everyone I met out in Iraq, and continue to view it as a terrific, albeit understated, adventure book.

Unlike other books of the Preston/Child vintage, this was not necessarily destined to be a great adventure movie. This is not in any way a criticism of either this book or their other books, it is simply a fact. However, "The Ice Limit" provides some of the greatest suspense and adventure scenes of recent literature. Who can deny the appeal of a "race to the finish" of an American retro-fitted oil tanker vs. a South American warship?

Despite all the flag-waving, the real question is: How we will we (civilized nations) respond to the threat against humanity posed by this "meteorite?" For this is the central question that sets this novel apart from inherently localized threats such as "The Relic," "The Cabinet of Curiosities," "Stil Life with Crows" and "Thunderhead." All of these novels refer to a presence that could threaten humanity eventually;however, "Ice Limit" reflects the here and now...

To me, "The Ice Limit" embodies the best of the Preston/Child writings: personal conflict vs. personal preference; man vs. nature; science vs. religion; etc. This is the penultimate Lincoln/Child novel, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who will stand still long enough to listen :-)

Rating:
Summary: Rip-snorting technothriller - but it's *good*
Review: I described this book to a friend as
"This is what Clive Cussler would write
if he could write."

That is, the characters are two-dimensional (instead
of one), and plot twists sometimes arrive ahead
of the telegraph signal announcing them.

Palmer Lloyd is also one of the very few remote
believable billionaire industrialist tycoon
characters I've encountered in a novel. He's not
a cartoon plutocrat or a mustache-twirling villain.
The Indiana Jones meteorite hunter is a great
protagonist. Eli Glinn - I'd give a great deal
to have come up with _that_ character.

And so on, and so on. I was delighted to see a
Filipino supporting character - even a paragraph
of Tagalog! All in all, very enjoyable, and gave
me something to do while waiting for the next
Special Agent Pendergast adventure.

Rating:
Summary: Don't read before bed!! You will not sleep!!!
Review: That scary? Not really. But this novel is so very gripping that you will be completely unable to put it down. I was captivated by the thorough scientific journey Preston-Child takes you on. These are two excellent writers. There are plots in those minds that could never be imagined anywhere else. I would recommend Cabinets of Curiosities as well.

If you dislike binding scientific thrillers, by all means avoid these two. But for the sane world, read on! You won't be disappointed by the end. Not many can keep my attention these days, but these two are worth it. Add them to your library. I'm planning which ones to buy next already.