Customer Reviews

Ice Hunt

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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!

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.

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

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.

After Amazonia, James Rollins became one of my all time favorite authors. This book, as Rollins usual, was filled with twists and turns. There were so many twists and turns that I had a very hard time keeping up.

Though most of Rollins book is on the edge of Sci-Fi stuff, he usually could sell me into beleiving that what he was talking about could happen. In this case, I couldn't by the story line and was more than a little annoyed with the ending.

It's a great read, but not Rollins best writing.

Once upon a time there were walking whales. Anxious to appear in a James Rollins novel these little scamps moved to the North Pole, got fat, and developed a nasty temper and an appetite to match. Millennia passed and the whales wound up frozen in the ice until a research team discovered them and promptly set up and under ice research station to study the whales and suspended animation. Experimenting, of course, on human subjects. But Ice Station Grendel suffers a mysterious accident and all are lost. With the Cold War's beginning Station Grendel and its monsters are conveniently forgotten until the USS Polar Sentinel, while trying an experimental sonar, rediscovers the base and the horrors within it.

When Matthew Pike, an Alaskan Fish and Game officer rescues a newspaper reporter from a plane crash, the last thing he expects is to become the target of a series of cold-blooded killers. Before he knows it, he, the newspaperman, and Matt's ex-wife Sheriff Jennifer Aratauk are the focus of a wild chase over frozen fields and icebergs. Inevitably, the chase leads them to the Ice Station where their fates and that of the researchers become intertwined.

For all that the Grendels spend a lot of time dining on unsuspecting researchers, they are hardly the real monsters. Russian strike teams arrive in their own submarine and U.S. Delta teams join the fray with their own hidden agenda. The base hides more than one secret and several governments have no intention of letting the events of the past or the present become public knowledge. Soon everyone is trying to blow someone else up, and the world is in danger of an ice melt that dwarfs the threats of global warming.

This is classic James Rollins. Take a handful of facts, beautiful researchers, and countless armed military and police. Throw in some monsters, and a threat to the world as we know it, and you have the basis for a lot of non-stop action that only stops occasionally for an explanation or a few tender moments between the leads. The poor Grendels get the short end of the stick, typecast as cetacean meat grinders, but before you notice how small a part they have you will have read the book through.

Buckle your seat belts, folks! This is what I love about Rollins. His books are so much fun. From the first page to the last, you are on such a unique ride. I don't want to spoil any of the action or surprises, but 'WOW'! And his characters are so enjoyable. Let's just say Kowalski is my favorite, and I'm sure you'll figure out why once you read the book. If you like action, suspense, and some great humor, I can't imagine how you wouldn't love Ice Hunt.

I get a kick out of reviewers who deduct stars based on whether a story like "Ice Hunt" is believable. As with most readers of this novel, this book is probably as close as I will ever get to the Polar Ice Cap, battling Russians, or facing monsters from the depths. Is is believable? Maybe not, but this fast paced, character driven book allowed me to escape from my world of all too believable mortgage payements, cubicle walls, annoying co-workers etc.

If you like action books, with great character development, books that will have you on the edge of your seat, and really rooting for the good guys, then "Ice Hunt" is for you. Sure it sticks to the pattern Rollins has created, with lost civilizations, end of the world scenarios being played out, heroes with haunted pasts....in short all the elements you find in any James Rollins book, but no one does it better. This is a fun book, and I have read "Ice Station" by Reilly as well, and that too is a great book, and though both have similar setting and pacing, they each stand on their own. If you have read one, and enjoyed it, then you are sure to enjoy the other as well. This is a great book, but a really under-appreciated author, who deserves more recognition.

If you like scary besties this book is for you. Some of the most oringal creations on paper reside within this books pages. Is still smile when I think about the originality of the creatures and how well they were descibed. One of James Rollins' best.

I've been a reading fan of this man's novels since his first one - subterranean. But to my distress, the resulting next couple of books fell well short, but we're still good.
But I knew he had not reached his all-time high yet.
And here, James Rollins has finally raised the bar on his own writing, taking it to the next level in maximum entertainment.
Like his competition, Matthew Reilly, James Rollins gives us heart-stopping, non-stop action/adventure in the artic wastelands.
But unlike Reilly, James Rollins puts in more characterization to his main protagonists, making his readers actually feel for the main characters loss and redemption.
Matt Pike and his ex-wife were a thrill to read about. From their pained past to their slow and strange way of getting back together again, Rollins weaves a tale with so many twists and turns that it's virtually impossible to put the book down.
If you like wild romps through reading fast-paced adventure with everything thrown in - from monsters to Soviet and American Special Forces - and more inbetween, then this one's for you!
A must read for anyone who loves adventure and romance.
Thanks James for entertaining me to the utmost once again.
Looking forward to what you will bring us next...