Rating: 
Summary: Another good read from William Dietrich
Review: A US pilot gets recruited by German diplomat for an Antarctic expedition in a prewar 1938. The pilot falls in love in a German scientist and faces off against a SS officer. The expedition finds a deadly plague bacteria and an organism with antibiotic effects. The expedition ends with a conflict arrising between the invloved parties. Years later, near the end of the war, Nazis return to the island with the SS officer, the pilot and the scientist to retrieve the bacteria and use it to win the war. Here, the final battle for survival begins. Good first book by William Dietrich, interesting, full of action and human conflict.
Rating: 
Summary: Cold-hearted Nazis in Frozen Antartica
Review: Because of his experience in flying in icy weather conditions, ordinary good-guy American Owen Hart is asked to serve as pilot for a German team on an expedition to Antarctica. Thinking he can keep himself uninvolved emotionally and politically, little does Hart know what he's getting himself into!To begin with, he falls for the girlfriend of the fiendish Nazi Drexler, immediately setting himself up for problems. When they land on the Antacticic island, which landscape the author incredibly describes, they come across the wreck of a ship with dead bodies. When it is discovered that these sailors died of some bacteria on the island, a race begins to find an antidote to save themselves from death by the same bacteria. Searching the island, Hart and his love interest, biologist Greta, end up in an underground spring, where they experience romance, and then danger. Now that Drexler is suspicious about his girlfriend and Hart, he has diabolical schemes for getting rid of him. Hart and Greta battle the Nazis at an increasing pace as danger and horrific death threatens from all angles: treks and falls through ice, deadly bacteria, Nazi weapons and deception. Increasingly, Hart must become the hero to protect himself and Greta, and ultimately the world, which could be terribly threatened by the Nazis if they get their hands on that bacteria and turn it into a biological weapon! The vivid and unusual setting descriptions, incorporation of elements based on real historical events, diabolical bad guys you love to hate, variety of dangers faced, and several close escapes all added up to great fun!
Rating:
Summary: Cold-hearted Nazis in Frozen Antartica
Review: Because of his experience in flying in icy weather conditions, ordinary good-guy American Owen Hart is asked to serve as pilot for a German team on an expedition to Antarctica. Thinking he can keep himself uninvolved emotionally and politically, little does Hart know what he's getting himself into! To begin with, he falls for the girlfriend of the fiendish Nazi Drexler, immediately setting himself up for problems. When they land on the Antacticic island, which landscape the author incredibly describes, they come across the wreck of a ship with dead bodies. When it is discovered that these sailors died of some bacteria on the island, a race begins to find an antidote to save themselves from death by the same bacteria. Searching the island, Hart and his love interest, biologist Greta, end up in an underground spring, where they experience romance, and then danger. Now that Drexler is suspicious about his girlfriend and Hart, he has diabolical schemes for getting rid of him. Hart and Greta battle the Nazis at an increasing pace as danger and horrific death threatens from all angles: treks and falls through ice, deadly bacteria, Nazi weapons and deception. Increasingly, Hart must become the hero to protect himself and Greta, and ultimately the world, which could be terribly threatened by the Nazis if they get their hands on that bacteria and turn it into a biological weapon! The vivid and unusual setting descriptions, incorporation of elements based on real historical events, diabolical bad guys you love to hate, variety of dangers faced, and several close escapes all added up to great fun!
Rating:
Summary: Hot action in a cold place!
Review: Fans of WW2 adventure novels will enjoy Ice Reich very much. The story follows an American bush pilot hired by the Nazis in 1939 to explore Antarctica. However, the motive behind the Nazi's expedition seems suspect to the American. As the story progresses, the real reason for the expedition becomes clearer, and the American must make a number of serious decisions that will effect his life, his lover, and the future of mankind. William Dietrich's Ice Reich held my attention from the opening sentence, right up until the very end. His writing is crisp, the setting wonderfully original, and the story fast-paced. Dietrich has tied in a remote and desolate setting with a tense plot and fascinating characters. I'm looking forward to reading Dietrich's next novel, and hope that his second work of fiction is as enjoyable as Ice Reich.
Rating:
Summary: Ice Reich
Review: Good summer page turner, Most of the information was close to historical events with minor exceptions that only history buffs would catch. I recommend it for the die hard fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Neither Exciting or Evocative
Review: I wanted to like this novel. I wanted a lurid tale of Nazis in the Antarctica, up to no good with a super weapon or maybe establishing the beginnings of that secret base that, according to an old Police Gazette issue, Hitler fled to after the war. When I found out that Dietrich grafted a fictional plot on to the actual 1938 Nazi expedition to the frozen continent, I was fine with that too. I always wondered what they were up to down there. Bush pilot Owen Hart takes up a Nazi offer to return to Antarctica, site of a former expedition whose failure some blame him for. Ambitious Nazi Jurgen Drexler has talked the Nazi hierarchy into leading an expedition south to stake Third Reich claims in the Antarctic and research the feasibility of whaling there, whale oil being a strategic war material. In December 1938, the expedition departs. Besides the usual support types of sailors and pilots, the expedition includes Drexler, Hart, a sinister Nazi doctor, some SS alpine troops for muscle, and one Greta Heinz, "polar biologist". Heinz's possesses questionable qualifications. She's Drexler's girlfriend, not a noted scientist. The book starts slow. Things don't start to take off until over a hundred pages into the book with a violent encounter between the Nazis, bent on asserting their territorial claims in southern waters, and a Norwegian whaling vessel. Crippled in the encounter, the ship limps into the bay of an island where the grisly effects of a new plague organism are on display. The rest of the novel is taken up with Drexler scheming to use the plague as a weapon and Hart scheming to become Heinz's lover. I did like a couple of things in this book. The structure, where Hart's visits to Atropos Island are separated by most of WWII, was pleasantly unexpected. I also liked the portrayal of Drexler who was not the usual cliched Nazi constantly talking of the Master Race and wiping out Jews. Mostly an amoral careerist whose advancement is tied to the Third Reich's, he looks upon Greta as a trophy. His struggles against Hart are as much for Heinz's loyalty as ideological. That said, I could have done without the whole romance between Hart and Heinz though it motivates much of the plot. Characters thrown together and falling in love is such an annoying cliche in suspense thrillers that it's basically part of the formula. I didn't find this novel very suspenseful. Oddly enough, given Dietrich's background as a science journalist and visitor to Antarctica, I also didn't find this novel particularly interesting, scientifically, or evocative of the place. There wasn't enough detail, for me, about the microecosystem of Atropos Island. I also found Heinz's lab aboard ship, with her attendant feats of isolation, testing, and culturing Atropos' plague, somewhat unbelievable.
Rating:
Summary: Neither Exciting or Evocative
Review: I wanted to like this novel. I wanted a lurid tale of Nazis in the Antarctica, up to no good with a super weapon or maybe establishing the beginnings of that secret base that, according to an old Police Gazette issue, Hitler fled to after the war. When I found out that Dietrich grafted a fictional plot on to the actual 1938 Nazi expedition to the frozen continent, I was fine with that too. I always wondered what they were up to down there. Bush pilot Owen Hart takes up a Nazi offer to return to Antarctica, site of a former expedition whose failure some blame him for. Ambitious Nazi Jurgen Drexler has talked the Nazi hierarchy into leading an expedition south to stake Third Reich claims in the Antarctic and research the feasibility of whaling there, whale oil being a strategic war material. In December 1938, the expedition departs. Besides the usual support types of sailors and pilots, the expedition includes Drexler, Hart, a sinister Nazi doctor, some SS alpine troops for muscle, and one Greta Heinz, "polar biologist". Heinz's possesses questionable qualifications. She's Drexler's girlfriend, not a noted scientist. The book starts slow. Things don't start to take off until over a hundred pages into the book with a violent encounter between the Nazis, bent on asserting their territorial claims in southern waters, and a Norwegian whaling vessel. Crippled in the encounter, the ship limps into the bay of an island where the grisly effects of a new plague organism are on display. The rest of the novel is taken up with Drexler scheming to use the plague as a weapon and Hart scheming to become Heinz's lover. I did like a couple of things in this book. The structure, where Hart's visits to Atropos Island are separated by most of WWII, was pleasantly unexpected. I also liked the portrayal of Drexler who was not the usual cliched Nazi constantly talking of the Master Race and wiping out Jews. Mostly an amoral careerist whose advancement is tied to the Third Reich's, he looks upon Greta as a trophy. His struggles against Hart are as much for Heinz's loyalty as ideological. That said, I could have done without the whole romance between Hart and Heinz though it motivates much of the plot. Characters thrown together and falling in love is such an annoying cliche in suspense thrillers that it's basically part of the formula. I didn't find this novel very suspenseful. Oddly enough, given Dietrich's background as a science journalist and visitor to Antarctica, I also didn't find this novel particularly interesting, scientifically, or evocative of the place. There wasn't enough detail, for me, about the microecosystem of Atropos Island. I also found Heinz's lab aboard ship, with her attendant feats of isolation, testing, and culturing Atropos' plague, somewhat unbelievable.
Rating:
Summary: William Deitrich is a great author.(A.J.F3)
Review: Ice Reich is a definite hit from page 1. The storyline has a believable piece of WWII history for it's concept along with an interesting likable main character. A fast solid read, slightly reminiscent of the early Cussler novels. It has everything, exotic locales, suspense, intrique, danger, and the requisite love interest; which did have some corny dialgue in spots but certainly did not detract from the book as a whole. Hope the author writes another just as good and I wouldn't mind a series featuring the roving bush pilot.
Rating:
Summary: Ice Reich
Review: No, no, no. This is NOT a rousing adventure: it's a good, quick read that ends of going flat real fast half-way through. It starts off entertaining enough - even a jovial, skirt-chasing Herrmann Goering makes an appearance - and the first expedition to Antartica keeps your interest. But then it's as if the author was under a rush to finish it, because it devolves into this strained romance that tries to be Hemingway. By the last fifty pages I was plowing through it just to be done with it. Such a shame: now Nazi UFOs in Antartica - that would be a story!
Rating:
Summary: poor idea for a plot
Review: saw the ad for the book in "Time" and since i am a WW II history student, i bought it. Should have saved my dime. i was not interested in the work at all and found the premise of the story uninteresting. something like ;the story could have happened but there are so many other stories from the war that would have been more interesting and riveting. I don't thnk the scientific minds of the times would have been as intereste in the theory of the discovery as the author wouldhave us believe. i was disapponted with the book.
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