Ice Hunt
Released On: Jul 01, 2003

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.

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Critical Acclaim

  • 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. —

    Publishers Weekly
  • 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, Amazon.com

    Nicholas H. Allison, Amazon.com
  • 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.

    Booklist

FAQ

  • Q. Most of your novels have a special geographical setting, for example the jungle in Amazonia or the North Pole in Ice Hunt. Nature itself seems to be one of your main characters. Do you agree?
    A. I certainly do. All story is tied to setting. Characters rise out of their landscape, whether it’s ... Read More
  • Q. Your descriptions of nature in Ice Hunt are phenomenally vivid. One almost feels the chill wind blowing while reading your book. Have you ever been there?
    A. I have been to Alaska and its vast parks and tundras, but I’ve never ventured out into the ice fie ... Read More
  • Q. In Ice Hunt an experimental American submarine comes across an abandoned Soviet polar station encased in an iceberg – with a horrible mystery inside. Page by page many scientific details emerge. How much research did it take?
    A. I spend about three to four months researching a book: reading, interviewing, taking notes, travelin ... Read More
  • Q. Ice Hunt, like your other novels, is action, action, action. Page by page you take the reader on a roller coaster ride. How do you relax and release tension after a day full of writing? Or don’t you? Are your heroes always with you?
    A. While I’m in the depths of writing a book, the characters all inhabit my waking world. They are se ... Read More
  • Q. You are not only a bestselling author, but also a veterinarian. Do these two professions influence each other?
    A. Although I’ve stepped away from the clinic I started and ran for two decades, I will never abandon ... Read More

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