Product Description

Carved into a moving island of ice twice the size of the United States, Ice Station Grendel has been abandoned for more than seventy years. The twisted brainchild of the finest minds of the former Soviet Union, it was designed to be inaccessible and virtually invisible. But an American undersea research vessel has inadvertently pulled too close—and something has been sighted moving inside the allegedly deserted facility, something whose survival defies every natural law. And now, as scientists, soldiers, intelligence operatives, and unsuspecting civilians are drawn into Grendel's lethal vortex, the most extreme measures possible will be undertaken to protect its dark mysteries—because the terrible truths locked behind submerged walls of ice and steel could end human life on Earth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18168 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-01
• Released on: 2004-06-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 544 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060521608
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Despite the submarine cover art and the rather awkward title, this is no by-the-numbers military thriller: rather, it's a full-blooded, multidimensional adventure story set in the frozen wilds of Alaska, both atop the ice and underneath it. And it's one heck of a fun ride. Matthew Pike is a Fish and Game officer cataloging bear populations in the remote Brooks Range--but he's also an ex-Green Beret, which comes in handy when trouble drops out of the sky in the form of a crashed bush plane, a cryptic survivor, and some very nasty and well-equipped pursuers. Meanwhile, an American submarine stumbles on an abandoned research station buried under the Arctic ice cap, unleashing a race to conceal the horrors that took place there and to capture the priceless scientific secret still locked within.

James Rollins invokes the polar environment so vividly you can hear the wind shriek and feel the ice forming on your nose, and the scientific/medical puzzles at the story's heart may remind you of Michael Crichton's best. The characters, while mostly familiar hero or villain types, are crisply drawn and in some cases quite sympathetic, but it's the nonstop action that carries you along. During several climactic chase scenes, you may find yourself laughing in pure delight--or gasping for breath--as Rollins keeps finding ways to ratchet up the tension one more notch. Ice Hunt is an escapist's delight. --Nicholas H. Allison

From Publishers Weekly
While Clive Cussler maintains the gold standard in action lit, Rollins has a firm grasp on the silver. Some astonishing threat or daring feat explodes into print on nearly every page, but that's the author's weakness as well as his strength, because in Rollins's books character and even plot take a backseat to sheer action. Rollins set his last novel, Amazonia, in steaming jungles; here he does a 180 and tells a tale of brutal cold, above and beneath the North Pole ice cap. An experimental American sub comes across an abandoned Soviet polar station encased in an iceberg. Meanwhile, a Russian admiral, the son of the man who once ran the station, is preparing to alter world history by exploding a nuclear weapon at the polar cap, melting it and flooding the globe. And Fish and Game warden Matt Pike, a former Green Beret, comes across a downed aircraft in the Alaskan mountains and rescues the sole survivor, who says he's a journalist on his way to the American polar station; immediately, Matt and the survivor are relentlessly pursued by black-clad Russian special forces. Eventually all parties, including Matt's estranged wife, end up at the abandoned polar station or the nearby American station; Russians and Americans, including Delta Force, battle fiercely over the privilege of exposing or forever hiding the secret of the Russian station, and in turn they must combat the prehistoric predators who roam the Russian station in search of warm meat. The plot is preposterous from the get-go, and Rollins's characters, though fully drawn, have about as much effect on the novel's course as riders on a roller-coaster-which is what this novel is, and a first class one at that if maximum mayhem is desired.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
At an abandoned World War II-era Russian base beneath the Arctic ice, U.S. scientists find a treasure trove of biological and geological discoveries and a horrific scene of tragic experiments. As they struggle to determine the nature of the atrocities that occurred at the facility, the U.S. military finds itself pulled into a quickly escalating but entirely covert war for control of the top-secret station. Haplessly caught in the midst of it all, an Alaskan park ranger and his Inuit ex-wife find themselves hunted by more than just Russian commandos; a type of creature long since dismissed as myth stalks the tunnels of the station in an all-too-real incarnation. All the while, the maniacal head of the Russian forces, bent on the rebirth of civilization, relentlessly pursues a plan to destroy the world. Rollins delivers another fantastic tale of action and adventure. New readers will be delighted and established fans will find exactly what they have come to expect: a fun and fast-paced story that is full of suspense. Gavin Quinn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Reading entertainment at its best! Two thumbs up!
I'm not going to bother giving you a synopsis of the storyline for this novel, the publisher's blurb preceding these reviews does a fine job of that. Personally, I think this book is probably the most action packed of Rollins' collection of novels. I was hooked by page 25, talking to myself as I cheered on the good guy as he escaped from snipers by page 59, was forgetting to make myself some supper by page 150, living on popcorn and Coke Classic by page 300 with nothing on my mind but reaching the end of this fun ride! This book is packed with nail biting chases and battles, a white knuckle plane ride in the first 100 pages that will leave you breathless and hoping you see it on the big screen one day and more than enough interesting twists and turns to make you drool with anticipation and suspense. I won't give anything away in regards to the base storyline or what you'll find lurking deep in that ice station but believe me, it will be worth the time you invest to read this book. All the excitement comes together into a climactic ending that will make your jaw drop. Rollins incorporated a nice mix of different characters, some more intense than others but all relevant to the storyline and for moving it forward. An absolutely brilliant story with a very imaginative ending. I absolutely LOVED this book!!! This was how action/adventure was meant to be written!

Nonstop adventure at the Polar Ice Cap
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.

Ice Island
This was my first Rollins book, finished a month ago. The first thing that popped into my head: you get your money's worth. Rollins's book is thick, and took longer for me to get through than most books. I found this quality intriguing, to say the least, since I almost feel like Rollins isn't leaving any details out.

Let me get this out of the way: the title *is* a little awkward and it's since grown on me. Still, while reading, I always imagined that I would've picked up the book sooner had it been titled with a little more panache.

Rollins's characters are built up, with backstories, twists, and realistic physical descriptions, combined to help you actually visualize the character, rather than someone your mind just 'plugs in' until the book is through.

***Sort of a Possible Spoiler***
My only regret is the second half of the book. There's just too much ding-dang fighting. In first half, you have adventure, discovery, characters doing fun things with the ice... but the second half is non-stop accusing, escaping, explosions, weather being bad... if I were an editor, it could've been trimmed 50 pages.
*** End Sort of Possible Spoiler***

Anyway, this book has me hooked. I'm including Rollins in my usual fare of annual reads.

For a quick additional read, I recommend reading this article on sonar before beginning the book. I found that sonar is a little more confusing than I grew up believing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonar