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Ice Hunt characters make novel memorable

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By Nicole Tracy

Literary Columnist

Nicole TracyDeep within the Arctic Circle lies a secret former Soviet base, named Ice Station Grendel. It was accidentally discovered by an American research submarine named the Polar Sentinel, when a crew member saw something moving inside the station.
Thus begins the race between the Americans, who want to study the base, which is hollowed out from an iceberg, and the Russians, who will do whatever is required to secure the secret base.
Finding himself a target in the race for the station is the main character of the novel, Matthew Pike. He is a former Special Forces operative, who just happens to get caught in the middle of it all by rescuing a plane crash survivor. Only problem is, no one was supposed to know about the plane crash.
After escaping from several attempts on their lives by the Russian forces, Pike, his dog, Bane, and his ex-wife, Jenny end up in the Ice Station with the Americans and the research teams. It’s a veritable treasure trove of scientific research, fossils, geological history completely preserved in the ice, and it also comes complete with some really nasty previously thought to be extinct creatures, that are referred to as Grendels, that wreak havoc on the people in the station. As if that’s not a bad enough situation, the Russians show up and start causing even more problems for the people in the station.
It eventually turns out that the ice station was a secret experimental lab used by the Russians for some pretty sinister experiments, and they will do whatever it takes to make sure that those secrets are never discovered. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t counting on having to deal with Pike. He as one would completely expect, manages to pretty well single handedly get the remaining people out, and save the day.
The ending of this book is probably one of the best that the reviewer has ever read. By the time one gets to it, reading the last few pages, it’s a very satisfying end for the bad guy. One just can’t help but feel that the character gets what he deserves. By all means resist the urge to pick up this book and just read the last few pages. One has to read the whole book for it to have the full effect.
Ice Hunt was the reviewer’s first time ever reading a James Rollins novel. It had come highly recommended by several people, as it was a great story with an excellent ending. The reviewer has to agree with the recommendation. Rollins takes what could have been a pretty mundane story and makes it come to life with characters one can really get into, and even despise in a few cases.
If one hasn’t read this one yet, and likes action and adventure novels, this one is a must read. If one has read this one, it deserves a re-read. The ending is just as satisfying the second time around as it was the first.
Ice Hunt is available at the Howard County Public Library. Copies are limited, so if it is unavailable, ask at the front desk to be placed on the waiting list for it.

 
 In addition to serving as an associate librarian with the Howard County Library, Nicole Tracy has years of experience in literary fields. She writes an exclusive weekly column for The Nashville News.

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