Ice Station (Paperback)

Do yourself a favour and read this book, even if don't read any other books this year, this is THE one book to read.

Ice Station is the third Matthew Reilly book that I've read, and I must admit that I didn't like it as much as the other two. I think that a certain "Matthew fatigue" has set in: Mr. Reilly's super-charged action style was fascinating at first, but after a while it gets a bit tedious.

In addition, I think that Ice Station is even more unrealistic than either Temple or Area 7, which is saying quite a lot considering how unrealistic all of Matthew Reilly's books are. Especially the diving sequences are totally crazy: diving to a depth of 3000 feet, a diving bell that is open to the sea at the bottom and yet implodes when a window is damaged, pills that prevent the blood from absorbing nitrogen, etc., etc.

Matthew Reilly wrote Ice Station when he was 23 years old and going to university, and I think that it shows in that this book is not as well researched and the tone is a bit immature. Both Temple and Area 7 had a more polished feel to them.

Despite my negative comments I must say that I liked the plot and think that Matthew Reilly is very good at creating and developing an imaginative story line. In fact, I wish that he'd tone down the non-stop action and instead concentrate more on the story, with treachery and surprising twists and turns, and many competing forces, each with their own agenda.

This book introduces Lieutenant Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield of the U.S. Marines, and tells the story of his background. Scarecrow returns in Area 7 and Scarecrow, and if you intend to read any of these books it would be an advantage to read them in the correct order.

In conclusion, lots and lots of non-stop (totally unrealistic) action. The three stars are mostly for the clever story line, which unfortunately is somewhat buried in the never-ending action sequences.

Rennie Petersen

It's not a boring story. The pages kept turning as though they had a will of their own - despite my protests that the hour was late and I could use some sleep. Even so, it's not an entirely satisfying read. It starts well, with the science element seeming at least feasible. But as the story progresses the laws of physics are abandoned entirely. It's not a fantasy tale, but probability is stretched to breaking point. It leaves Douglas Adams' infinite improbability drive vehicle coughing in its dust at the starting block. I'm perfectly happy to suspend disbelief and go with the flow if the context is right - ie, if there's magic or amazing, futuristic technology. But this tale does not take place in a different, magical universe or a distant, technologically advanced future. So I baulked at some of the daft, impossible events.

If you just want action and plenty of it and you're not fussy about small technical details such as whether these feats of endurance, outrageous coincidences or bizarre physical phenomena are possible or likely in the context of the story's setting (this time, this universe, this reality), you should enjoy this book a lot. If you require consistency and believability, you might still quite enjoy it, but you'll be a bit mean with the star rating, like me.