The Ice Limit

by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Book Overview

In the desolate reaches of southern-most Chile, a remarkable discovery has been made. It is a massive meteorite whose very existence will change science and perhaps mankind. When an expedition is sent out strange things start to happen

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446525871
• ISBN13: 9780446525879
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

You want a page-turner? This fills the bill.

...anyone who is looking for an absorbing, fun, thrill-a-minute vacationtime page-turner should certainly enjoy the book. Preston and Child have developed a winning formula for science-and-myth-based thrillers, and this may be the best one they've released so far. Yes, the story IS formulaic, with some of the plot developments being forseeable right from the beginning. There also are elements (such as a deranged Chilean destroyer captain) that strain credulity and ask the reader for a "suspension of disbelief." Despite this, however, there are enough twists, turns, and surprises to keep readers riveted. The characters tend toward stereotype, but they do exhibit enough reflectiveness and personality to render them adequately believable. Finally, the quality of the writing itself is far better than one finds in most potboiler "thrillers."As always with Preston and Child's efforts, one can certainly envision this book as a Hollywood production someday. If *The Ice Limit* ever appears on the silver screen, I'll certainly buy a ticket.

This icy novel takes you to the limit of adventure...

I have been a longtime fan of Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ever since I read their incredibly fun 'Relic' (which still ranks for me as their best release-to-date) I am always excited when I see their next book on the shelf...and after finishing up 'Thunderhead' I just couldn't WAIT to read 'The Ice Limit' although I had my doubts that they could exceed the fantastic adventure I had just finished. Well not only is 'The Ice Limit' better (in MY opinion), they have come up with probably the most surprising ending since the 'The Sixth Sense'. Preston & Child have come up with another winner of a plot, this time we're at the very bottom of the world trying to recover the largest meteorite ever discovered. In fact, it turns out to be MUCH bigger than anyone predicted, making it by far the most valuable item of its kind in history. The problem now is finding a way to transport something so large from the Southern Hemisphere to the East coast of America...Enter Effective Engineering Solutions (EES) a company so certain of their success they actually GUARANTEE they will be able to pull off this amazing stunt. Herein lies the seeds of an incredible adventure which captured me literally from page ONE. I like a book that can seize my interest this way, and Preston & Child seem to have a knack for being able to do it in each of their books. From the eccentric Billionaire who wants the meteorite (Palmer Lloyd) to the mastermind behind moving it (Eli Glinn) andthen we have the mysterious Sam McFarlane, who is tapped to help find this massive rock and assist Eli in figuring out all the details of how to move the largest item in history so far. Now if this wasn't action enough (trust me, it is) factor into the situation the Argentinian Navy which has a ship with a renegade captain who is determined--at ANY cost--to see to it that the arrogant Americans NEVER retrieve whatever it is they are looking for (because he doesn't know for sure himself). Preston & Child have once again served up an incredible action/adventure/thriller that keeps the pages turning as well as gives you an amazing surprise at the end--but PLEASE do NOT read ahead and spoil the surprise, trust me, it'll ruin the end if you do, but WOW!! What a GREAT ending! If you are a fan of these two fantastic and creative authors, do NOT hesitate, run out and grab this book and FORGET waiting until it comes out in paperback--this is worth EVERY PENNY in hardback (for the ending alone). Highly recommended.

Completely Enjoyable.

These boys did their homework. The Ice Limit is a complete work. The premise--an expedition to retrieve the world's largest meteorite from an inhospitable Chilean island near Tierra del Fuego for a billionaire's museum--is worthy. The plotting is above par. Plenty of twists and page-turning suspense. And the surprise ending, foreshadowed throughout but difficult to predict, is a special treat, ratcheting the tale up another notch on the Richter scale of excellence.But two things make The Ice Limit a best-seller and sure candidate for a movie. One is the characterizations. With nearly ten major characters, it must have been a daunting task to keep them well-defined, easily identifiable, and fresh. Readers want characters, not caricatures. Child and Preston make their efforts look easy and transparent. My favorite was Eli Glinn, head of the engineering firm hired to scoop up the heaviest object ever moved by Man. He was unique, sort of a mixture of Roddenberry's Spock and Verne's Captain Nemo.The other bonus was the science. I almost thought they had overdone it at times, but by book end I was simply left impressed. And it's not the depth of their understanding of one particular subject; it's all the subjects. They researched everything. Meteorites, Chile, Antarctica, navigation, oil tankers, periodic charts, meteorology, structural engineering, naval ordnance, electronics, and on and on. They don't necessarily beat you upside the head with it. But they do prove that they're two smart guys. Bravo! --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Chiller of the Year

"The Ice Limit" is an astounding book, one that leaves you haunted and mesmerized. The team of Preston and Child have written some great stories, and ironically, this one is the most "different" of their tales. The concept is typical Child/Preston: give us a huge cast of characters; a seemingly impossible challenge; a truly nasty villain; and some breathtaking moments of action and suspense. The story is fairly simple: a huge meteorite has been discovered on the Isla' Delacion, near the end of the world (Antarctica). Fanatical billionaire/trillionaire Palmer Lloyd wants the meteorite in his own private museum, and so hires a remarkable team of specialists to transport the humongous meteorite back to New York City. Wow, what a challenge! The pacing of this book is much more deliberate and methodical than previous Child/Preston books; and that's not negative in the least. We're given some complex characters, human and imperfect. The scenes in the little village of Puerto William are awesome in their descriptive power. Never has a book so enthralled me with its ability to transport me into a world I will probably never see, but find fascinating and spellbinding. The scenes depicted on the stormy and icy seas are truly nervewrecking and draining. What makes the book work, however, is its characters. First and foremost is the fascinating Eli Glinn; not a villaint/not a hero, just a perfectionist whose brilliance is unmatched. It is his inability to accept failure that makes him such a tragic character; Rachel is a beautifully drawn female character, with definite hangups and frailties, but she's marvelous; Sally Britton, the indomitable captain with her own history of failure, is likewise remarkably drawn. The Chilean Villain (nice rhyme?) is despicable and you can't wait for him to meet his just desserts. His manic drive to revenge the death of his first mate, so to speak (no plot giveaways here), is frustrating and unnerving, because you can't believe how close he comes to his goal. In reading the book, it was amazing. I wanted the team to succeed; sure we have our typical crazy wealthy man sacrificing human life for his own needs, but the characters are so committed to making it work, that I felt like I was right there with them. It's amazing: Preston/Child give away the novel's "secret ending" early on in the book, but you don't know it until you reach the end. And, oh what an ending. I should have known----it needs a sequel! They can't just leave us hanging, can they? Let's hope not."The Ice Limit" is unique in its exploration of human drive, determination, and refusal to give up. Although tragedy certainly results and some memorable people are gone, the spirit of success and adventure far outweigh the greed and manipulation. Read this for an interesting change of pace.

The Plot Is Thicker Than Ice

I am 12 years old. I just finished one of the greatest books of all time! The Ice Limit is worth reading for the last four pages. It really gets good when Palmer Lloyd wants the largest metorite in the world in his grand new museum. He fuels the money for a expedition that consists of Eli Glinn, a brilliant engineer, and Sam McFarlane, the metorite hunter. They go to the end of the world to retreive the heaviest object known to man. It well keep you spellbound all the way to the shocking end. Interesting enough to keep even a twelve year old reading. A beautifully written book that is Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child at their very best.