ISBN: 0385334001
ISBN13: 9780385334006
Meltdown
ISBN: 0385334001
ISBN13: 9780385334006
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Book Overview
In his spellbinding new novel, oceanographer James Powlik combines cutting-edge science with a storyteller's gift for drama. A heart-pounding action thriller, races across the frozen expanse of the Arctic Ocean as a team of scientists fights to stop a radioactive plague--and a deadly mystery beneath the sea. Dr. Carol Harmon has taken her environmental research vessel, the, deep into one of the most forbidding places in the world, the ceaselessly shifting Arctic ice scape. When two of her crew are ravaged by what appears to be radiation poisoning, Carol needs help fast--so she calls on the person she trusts most. Brock Garner is an oceanographer, a former Naval officer, and a man who has never quite stopped loving his ex-wife, Carol. Answering her call from across the globe, Brock flies from one ice-bound pole to the other. But by the time Garner arrives, a frightening scenario is taking shape: Deep beneath the ice, something is leaking deadly radiation. Worse yet, the greatest danger the global seas have ever faced may be only part of a bigger cataclysm. A disaster of untold proportions is looming--the world's first man-made Ice Age. A life-and-death battle is about to be unleashed...not just for the Arctic, but for the very future of Earth. Brilliantly imagined, unfailingly gripping, is a taut, action-packed adventure infused with real-life science. A novel that crackles with spine-tingling authenticity, it is a thrilling, rollicking roller coaster of a read. The clouds parted and the black surface of the Arctic Ocean came into view. Before the plane stretched the long corridor of water opened by the vessels, flanked on either side by fractured pieces of floating ice. "What the hell is?" one of the flight engineers suddenly said. He pointed toward the sea roughly half the distance to the horizon. Then the others saw it: a distortion in the surface. Seconds later, the sea itself rose up, flicking along its length like a carpet being shaken. The ocean rolled and exploded upward, flinging huge chunks of ice aside. For a moment, the water seemed suddenly to be speeding up at them, then just as suddenly it passed below, streaking to the east and falling away behind the bombers. The captain thought he knew what he had seen, but could not fully com-prehend it. Then he thought of the ships below them and wondered if they could see the massive wall of water rising up from the ocean. In the time it took him to reach for his radio, the damage was already done.... This description may be from another edition of this product.
- Format:
- Hardcover
- Language:
- English
- ISBN:
- 0385334001
- ISBN13:
- 9780385334006
- Release Date:
- November 2000
- Publisher:
- Delacorte Press
- Length:
- 352 Pages
- Weight:
- 1.45 lbs.
- Dimensions:
- 9.5″ × 1.3″ × 6.5″
Related Subjects
Customer Reviews
A tale worth losing sleep over
James Powlik's second novel is as relevant as his first in its accurate and harrowing depiction of real-world threats to the global environment. His characters, well-drawn and evocative, balance the science narrative to provide an eco-thriller worthy of any big-screen adaptation. Well worth the time to enjoy.
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A gem
"Meltdown" provides a rare mix of an interesting, intelligent mystery with well-drawn characters. The setting is wonderful and the finale is worth every page of the build-up to the climax. Timely and relevant (both environmentally and globally), Powlik packs this one with drama and politics. Highly recommended.
0
Ice-bound thriller with a lot of heart
Despite its setting in the high Arctic, "Meltdown" is a warm and exciting tale of adventure, romance and mystery rolled into one without any of the threads becoming tangled or worn. I raced through this one in two days, rapt with interest in how the thrills and spills would come out -- as in Powlik's previous work, the reader is left hanging on for dear life until the final chapter. I agree with Publisher's Weekly - this would make an excellent movie.
0
A sequel that doesn't disappoint!
I have always been skeptical of sequels, especially when the original is as well-done as this one's ("Sea Change"). With "Meltdown," Dr. Powlik not only meets the bar he set for himself and his characters previously, but spectacularly exceeds it. "Meltdown" is really two books in one - a compelling mystery and a titilating (if wistful) romance taking place in the face of (another) global catastrophe. This science writer is a true find and I hope he's here to stay -- the genre could use more from him. Also recommended: Sea Change by James Powlik
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Good sf
The Arctic appears to be dying, as every living creature seems dead or on the brink of death. In Canada north of the Circle, the Leukemia ravishes the Inuit. The crew of the research vessel Phoenix is stunned when two members are found dying from radiation poisoning. The ocean-living creatures all contain toxic levels of radioactivity. Other signs show that something is wrong with the ecosystem surfaces.Phoenix leader Dr. Carol Harmon reluctantly asks her former husband, Navy Lieutenant Commander Brock Garner for help. Though he is in the Antarctic region, Brock moves as fast as he can to answer Carol's mayday. Both conclude that illegal dumping has placed the planet at risk of a new ice age with radioactive contamination to ride along the moving frozen sea. However, neither one yet realizes how close to danger either one is to them from individuals with their own program.As with the powerful SEA CHANGE, MELTDOWN is a non-stop environmental thriller that showcases the ability of James Powlik to tell an action-packed tale. The story line grips the reader although the detail technological explanations provide a mixed blessing to the audience. On the one hand, it gives credence and authenticity to the plot while educating readers. On the other hand it slows down the pace to more of an ice age creep at times because many fans will need to ease up on the reading pace to fully grasp the information. Regardless, readers who enjoy scientific backup in immense depth will relish this strong environmental thriller.Harriet Klausner
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