The Ice Limit

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: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: The Ice Limit is on my ten best list. I was reading this book late into the night knowing I'd struggle to get up the next morning. I would say, "Okay, one more chapter." But, before I knew it, it was three more.

I've read a handful of books by Preston and Child. Although I like them all, The Ice Limit is my favorite. It's packed with adventure, and I mean packed. The characters are great. The authors' description of the characters made me grow attached to them. And for as many characters as were in the book, this was quite a feat.

The premise itself was fascinating. I'm a sucker for plots dealing with the unknown. In this case, the unknown is a meteor. The bulk of the book involves the efforts to extract the meteor from the ice and return it to Palmer Lloyd's museum. Needless to say, this is not a simple process. Beyond the environmental issues, the characters had to deal with sabotage, a mad Chilean (?) navy captain, and the meteor's strange properties.

The climax of the novel left me breathless, and the ending left me wanting more. The last final twist got me; I did not foresee it.

If you're looking for a fast read with lots of adventure and an intelligent plot, pick up The Ice Limit and settle in for a wild ride.

Rating:
Summary: Anti-Climatic, Lame, and Disappointing
Review: This is my second novel by these authors. The first one that I read was the "Cabinet of Curiosities" and I *loved* it so much! I just thought it was such a great read; I loved the story, the characters, the historical influence and the style of writing.

Although, the style of writing and character development in "The Ice Limit" is excellent; the story does contain the same high quality. The storyline is very weak and does not have a lot of substance. Basically, it is the story of a group of scientists and engineers hired by a multi-billionaire collector to sail to Chile and retrieve a meteorite from the country for the billionaire's collection. The whole of the novel is spent studying the characters and relaying their efforts to retrieve this collossal rock without letting the Chilean authorities know. That is seriously the bulk of the story.

The only element that I felt could redeem the book was the mystery of the meteorite's origin. One scientist believes that it might be an interstellar meteorite. This would be an amazing discovery since scientists commonly hold a meteorite from another galaxy would not break through our atmosphere intact. However, this mystery does not develop significantly in the story. In the very end the true source of the meteorite is revealed, but I did not "get it". I was more confused than ever and felt it was the worst ending of a book I have ever read. It was so anti-climatic.

It was a real effort to get through the book and I felt that the ending was a poor reward for my patience.

I would not recommend this book to anyone :((