Fire Ice: A Novel from the NUMA Files (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Author) "LEROY JENKINS WAS hauling in a barnacle-entrusted lobster trap aboard his boat, The Kestrel, when he looked up and saw the giant ship on the..." (more)
Key Phrases: sub hase, special assignments team, moon pool, Black Sea, Rocky Point, Odessa Star (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This newest addition to the Kurt Austin series (after Blue Gold) has the men from NUMA ([National] Underwater & Marine Agency) team up with former KGB spies to face down a Russian mobster with czarist aspirations and a zealot's hatred for the "corruption and materialism" of the Western lifestyle. The NUMA research vessel Argo is in the Black Sea for a PR jaunt when Austin spots the overdue TV crew being chased down an island beach by mounted Cossacks. Austin learns from his old KGB Cold War adversary Vladimir Petrov that the island is a mothballed submarine base commandeered by paranoid mobster Mikhail Razov (employer of the Cossacks), a billionaire who built Ataman Industries by taking over utilities and mines sold by the state. Razov claims descent from the Romanovs and is plotting to assume the throne. Meanwhile, when a U.S. Navy sub goes missing and a mysterious tidal wave swamps a Maine coastal town, the NUMA team figures out that Ataman is mining "fire ice" unstable and explosive solid methane in the high-pressure deep-sea bottom. Austin and his oceanographic team join forces with Petrov and set out to foil Razov's plot. Cussler is in top form here, working in a role for Old Ironsides and Czar Nicholas II's crown while throwing in enough derring-do and eco-lore to leave his fans breathless. Coauthor Kemprecos (Blue Gold, with Cussler) adds his oceanographic expertise to the mix.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Deposits of "fire ice," frozen methane hydrate found in abundance off of the East Coast of the United States, become potential hazards of monumental proportions. When an insane Russian mining mogul decides he can use the sub stance to threaten and destroy large areas of major national powers, he becomes the target for Kurt Austin, leader of NUMA's (National Underwater and Marine Agency) Special Assignments Team. Austin and his partner in the fight against crime, Joe Zavala, encounter a band of traditionally dressed and armed Cossacks; an underground bunker of a Nazi sub; and the Russian mogul's assistant, who looks and acts like Rasputin. With its many surprises, constant action, and Cussler's special brand of characters, the book will be just the thing for readers who enjoy fast-paced action-adventure flavored with some alternate-history events.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 434 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1St Edition edition (June 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399148728
• ISBN-13: 978-0399148729
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #554,690 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The NUMA Files Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Progression, June 5, 2002

By	taking a rest - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Clive Cussler has done what some other accomplished writers have tried and failed to do. He started a new series that he co-authors, he has kept the quality of the reading very near that of his own books, and now they have gone from a paperback format to hardcover. The last step is a major one and speaks very well of the care this new series was created with. Other authors have tried the same diversification and they are not worth the soft cover format they were introduced with, and will never see the more expensive binding.

The central organization is the same; specifically NUMA, but the central character and the events he is involved in are stepped down from the more outrageous elements that sometimes turn a Dirk Pitt adventure into something akin to Indiana Jones. The famous bathtub escape comes to mind. The Pitt adventures have become classic in the genre and they make for great reading, they also have had occasion to go over the top at times. Kurt Austin is Dirk Pitt on a smaller scale. Austin collects antique dueling pistols while Dirk accumulates World War Two German Jets, railroad cars, and fantastically rare cars.

The idea of introducing a Romanov theme into a story is a gutsy decision for it has been used countless times, and in the majority of uses has become an overused cliché. Cussler and Paul Kemprecos handle the idea well, and while it is still a bit fantastic it does not cross the line in to storytelling that really is a pretty wild stretch to suspend disbelief.

I don't know the science of the Methane (Fire Ice), but again it strikes me as being credible. These books almost seem to take their cue from some of the countless ships that Mr. Cussler has located in real life, and which history will always owe him a debt. This story has a tragic event, but unlike many of the Pitt series the results are far less dramatic and flamboyant. Austin certainly enjoys the beautiful woman that NUMA scientists seem to have a knack for finding wherever they go, but again it is toned down quite a bit.

Whether on his own or in collaboration with another author, if a book has Cussler's name on it you invariable get your money's worth. He is a great teller of tales, and knowledgeable of history, a combination that guaranties good books. This is really escapist fiction at its best. And for those who enjoy the non fiction work of Cussler and his search for old ships there is a second installment of that book on the way as well.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't go wrong with Cussler, June 10, 2002

By	Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

See storyline above.

Kurt Austin returns for another adventure that's sure to keep you pumped till the last page.

When Cussler teams with Kemprecos, you get the Dirk Pitt clone known as Kurt Austin. An original character on his own but still as tough as they come. This time around Austin and his regular partners-including Joe Zavala-- must stop a Russian mad man, who claims to be a Romanov descendent, from destroying the United States and becoming the new Tsar of Russia.
I am never disappointed with a Clive Cussler novel. The entertainment value is unbeatable. The subjects he writes about are well researched, as are the locales (Black Sea, Istanbul). Even though the good guys always miraculously win, it's still darn good storytelling.

Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great Cussler novel, July 29, 2002

By	R. Aguilar (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Clive Cussler is an established author with a proven formula of success in his books. I love the way he takes a historical event, puts a twist on it and then works it into his story. I feel that this particular aspect adds a dash of credibility to his fantastic adventures. The book starts out in Odessa Russia when the Czars family is fleeing persecution from the Bolsheviks. Supposedly the family perishes in a ship while escaping through the Black Sea, but one of the girls survives and leaves the possibility for descendants. The villain of this adventure is a mining tycoon named Mikhail Razov who claims to be descended from the Romanovs. Razov hopes to claim world dominance by creating a series of tsunamis using an unstable methane hydrate compound called fire ice that would wipe out the United States coastlines. This action would weaken Russia's main opponent and leave him free to claim leadership of the Soviet Union and dictate world economic policy. In actuality, I found Razov to be a weak and boring character. His sidekick Boris actually made a better and more interesting villain. It was later revealed that Boris might have been descended from Rasputin himself so I think he would have made a much better antagonist.

Kurt Austin proves to be the same womanizing adventurer on the same caliber as Dirk Pitt. The two are very interchangeable. In this adventure, Kurt works in conjunction with one of his cold war enemies by the name of Viktor Petrov. Since the cold war has thawed out, Petrov is now very cooperative and has a new attitude toward the United States. They make a good team and their competitive relationship makes this novel more interesting. Kurt Austin also has a cast of supporting characters such as Joe Zavala, Paul Trout and Gamay. I felt that these characters needed to be developed a little more, their personalities need to be a little more distinctive and unique. Luckily Clive Cussler had a sprinkling of old familiar characters such as Admiral Sandecker, Rudi Gunn, Hiram Yaeger and Julian Perlmutter that strengthened the story.

The adventure in Fire Ice is as exciting as you would find in any Clive Cussler novel. I particularly liked the way he included the USS Constitution in a firefight exchange with the bad guys. The one thing that you notice right away is that Cussler did not make his usual cameo appearance in the novel. I thought that the officer on board the Constitution named Josh Slade would have provided Cussler with a good opportunity to write himself in but that does not happen in this book. I was disappointed when I first heard that Clive Cussler had written new novels that starred a different hero by the name of Kurt Austin. I didn't even bother to read "Serpent" or "Blue Gold" but when I saw "Fire Ice" at the bookstore I decided to break down and give it a try. I'll have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Now I'm going to go back and find the other two Kurt Austin novels to see if they are just as good.