Rating: 
Summary: Ice Hunt v. Ice Station
Review: James Rollin's Ice Hunt shares a number of similarities with Matt Reilly's Ice Station. So, which one is better? Let's see.
Both take place in polar enviroments, one in the North the other in the South. Both involve accidental discoveries of "something buried in the ice" that two or more parties are more than willing to kill for, to either take possession of or destroy. Both sites are adjacent to lairs of mutant, man-eating killer beasts.
What follows is an exciting series of chases, gunfights, betrayals, captures and escapes. When it comes to writing combat scenes, the edge has to go to Reilly. Few can write gunfights better,IMHO. What I like about Rollins is that he spreads the action around among several of his characters. This gives the story a little believability, or at least as much as one could manage when reading this type of story. Reilly gives his main character the bulk of the action scenes which even Superman would have a hard time handling. Sure, both books have scenes of their characters making extremely, unlikely and miraculous escapes from certain death situations but with Rollins, at least you're not reading about it happening to the same person over and over again.
So who's the winner? You, the reader, are. If you're a fan of this genre, you can't go wrong with either book. My reccomendation is to read them both. Just don't read them back to back.
Rating: 
Summary: Great way to chill off during hot Texas summer
Review: James Rollins has done it again. He took us below the ice in the Artic with his newest thriller. The action was non-stop right from the beginning and I found that I was quickly immersed in the characters' predicaments. Once again, James Rollins creates a book that mixes the strange truth of science with a twist of the imagination. I just love this combination!I highly recommend this book. You will enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Promise unfulfilled
Review: James Rollins' earlier novel, AMAZONIA, was a mixed blessing. The first half, a "lost worlds" novel, showed promise. The second half, presumably the book's resolution, was disappointing, a melange of magic behind the pseudo-scientific curtain. But AMAZONIA showed that the author could, when he stayed "on task," tell an interesting tale. ICE HUNT has, at least, the virtue of consistency. It is a storytelling failure from the opening to the end. Oh, you could say it is just your run of the mill monster-in-the-ice, Ruskies vs. the Good Guys, Nazis were really bad people, end of the world, submarine novel, but it's less than that. Three elements weigh against the reading experience: 1] ICE HUNT is so derivative as to suffer badly by comparison to its predecessors. ICE STATION ZEBRA did the important parts of ICE HUNT many years ago. THE THING did it at least twice on film years ago. Both [or all three, if THE THING counts twice] were far more entertaining, and they haunt ICE HUNT for any literate reader. And I am not counting Beowulf whose Grendel is a much more interesting fellow than any of Rollins's walking whales. 2] Rollins has no idea how to mix romance and action. Each time one of the "lovers" is about to act, s/he gets all weepy and revisits lost possibilities. Better that they get sliced into small pieces by the ice boat and fed to the Huskies, I say. 3] ICE HUNT is illustrative of the "BUT school of action and suspense. The "BUT" school functions something like this: Our stalwart hero has reached the end of the road, no doubt about it. There is no exit, no hope. The monster is heating our hero's next with his superheated breath, jaws open and teeth gnashing. No hope I say! A grizzly [one of the monsters but not the only one] death is at hand! BUT! something implausible occurs, and our hero escapes the monster's clutches. BUT! only to leap from the proverbial frying pan, etc., and, MY GOD! no hope! All is lost! BUT! something else implausible occurs. Recognize it? Sure you do. It can work once or twice, but this is no way to run a plot line or frighten the reader. We just read on through the horror, waiting for the next BUT. So, not a good outing for Mr. Rollins. One hopes he was well paid for dropping aspirations to write a novel in favor of treasure hunting for easy money.
Rating:
Summary: Sensational Audiobook read by Ron Dreyer
Review: Just listened to this audiobook --and I have to say, it was like listening to a big summer blockbuster! The narrator, Ron Dreyer, kept me interested and enthralled throughout the entire story. He and James Rollins make a great team. The action scenes were very exciting. It's crammed with over the top characters, accents, technology and plot elements. "Ice Hunt" is pure entertainment. It should make an awesome movie.
Rating: 
Summary: I Read This Story Before?
Review: Just prior to reading this book, I read Matt Reilly's Ice Station. Being that these books came out about the same time, I wonder if the authors worked together to come up with their stories since they are so much alike. The things that are the same include: old abandoned ice stations (different poles however), dangerous prehistoric creatures lurking around, undocumented military skirmishes between the US and other countries, combination scientists/military teams at the ice stations, battles that include air chases, a foreign warship ready to blow the place up, etc. This book is ok (3 stars) but the Reilly book was far better (4 stars).
Rating:
Summary: Rockin and Rollin adventure
Review: More adventure from James Rollins! This time at the top of the world! Russians, Black ops teams, carnivorous predators, ex-wives...everything that sends a chill down the spine then freezes it in place in the lonely wilds of Alaska and the Polar Ice Cap. Fun from the opening line in chapter one ("Always respect Mother Nature...especially when she weighs four hundred pounds and is guarding her baby.") to the chilling final lines of the novel (and no, I'm NOT going to write it down here). Go buy the book! Really, I mean it! Click the "buy it now" feature! I dare ya!
Rating:
Summary: Average Thriller
Review: Nothing spectacular in this book, kind of between a Michael Crichton book and a Mathew Reilly book, science meets adventure. Not as good as Crichton,, but not as outlandish as a Reilly. A Russian Ice Station dating to the 1930's is discovered by a research US Navy Sub, insuing chaos begins, and there is a possible world threatening catastrophe as the ultimate outcome unless the heros stop the MADNESS. Oh, sorry I forgot about the undiscovered man eating creatures called Grendels. Combined with Delta Force commandos and Russian Leopard Corps there's plenty of action at the top of the world. But little else, if you like sensless action, pseudo science, and chaotic sequence of events, then by all means pick it up.
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: Thar She Blows?
Review: Rollins, a favorite author of mine, has written some pretty amazing books. That said, "Ice Hunt" is not one of his best. While it has its moments, I had a sense of deja vu while reading it. In a sense, I felt like I was reading "Ice Station" by Matthew Reilly again. I love both authors but their choices can be a bit "odd" at times. Rollins has chosen as his monster a pack of walking whales. Below (or is it above) that is a plot about human experimentation in cryogenics. So...we have our civilian heroes struggling between American black ops, Russian troops, and some kind of Moby Dick on land. (Land Shark anyone?) Rollins has done better work. I'm a sucker for a polar story but this one left me cold.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: See synopsis above. After I read 'Amazonia' I put James Rollins on my must read list. I am so glad I did. In 'Ice Hunt' he takes adventure to a new level. The book's intense, the main subject very interesting (cryopreservation), and it reads like a combination of 007, Indiana Jones, and Dirk Pitt. A well rounded--and researched--adventure sure to please anyone with a taste for quality adventure.
I have to agree with the Amazon reviewer, though. The cover art gives it a somewhat hokey look (mass market?). Most highly recommended.
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