Icequake (Icequake #1)

This was written as a companion story to Tsunami and out of the two Killians environmentally apocalyptic tales this one stands taller. The name tells you pretty much all you need to know, the personae dramatis first pages set you up for a multiplayer situation. Reading this in the wake of the most brutal wintery weekend in recent past (with masochistically too much of outside time) was perfectly apt. Because you knowAntarctica. And so timely in a way too, Ive read Tsunami after reading a nonfiction book about how the water will eventually take over and the world will Atlantis itself and now this one shortly after reading a book about magnetism. The premise here is that Earths magnetism has reversed and the world haswell, quaked. While I found Tsunami to be not particularly exciting and overpowered by dated references and attitudes, this one actually was an improvement on both levels. The descriptions were exceptionally vivid, horrifyingly so. Nature here really is a very formidable foe in its all its stunning magnificence and pitiless indifference. Of course, climate driven apocalypses has never been more timely, while this may be a work of fiction, global warming isnt, its just inexplicably, sadly and frighteningly treated as one by the powers that be. So this is just an entertaining survival story. Just a story. Just a story.

First of all, this book was first published in 1998 and then the copy I read was re-published in 2017. It was written a few years before it was first published. So at first I had a problem with the book feeling dated. In fact I wasn’t a big fan for about the first half of the book. I read a lot of fiction and non-fiction about Antarctica and, for one, I prefer stories actually based on real research stations. This story was centered around a fictional mostly underground station called New Shackleton. Not picky maybe but I’ve read some great fictional stories based on actual places and I prefer them.

The premises is that there have been massive solar storms, Earth’s magnetic poles have reversed, and massive earthquakes (icequakes) are happening under Antarctica causing all types of dangerous changes.

The second half of the book ramped up for me and I enjoyed the SHTF thriller. I enjoyed the cast of characters as the book went on and enjoyed reading about the worldwide disasters and unrest.

This wasn’t the best book I’ve read on Antarctica but I truly enjoyed the second half of the story.

Crawford Kilian is a new author I hadn’t run across yet, but am glad I finally did. He calls this book a ‘prophetic survival thriller’. I would agree with the first two thirds of that description, but found ‘Icequake’ more of an adventure story; and the prophetic survival part is uncomfortable close to what could very well happen within our lifetimes. This really was a heck of a good story; conditions in Antarctica are not known to be pleasant, but when the entire ice shelf collapses, things go from bad to unbelievable worse. Kilian does an amazing job with all of his characters which is a huge plus for a story like this. He is definitely an accomplished writer, more for the better. So if you’re looking for a very intense, sitting on the edge of your seat kind of story that could easily come true tomorrow, this one is for you. Highly recommend it.

This is a realistic, believable and fast-paced novel. No meaningless deaths, no crazy killers, no unstoppable monsters, no alien spacecraft embedded in ice, no conspiracy theories. Not even any long lectures on the price we might pay for global warming, although it is called “a prophetic survival thriller.” The author writes with a sense of authority, as if he has been to Antarctica and knows the continent. You can feel the cold, the fear, and the frustration of being cut off and not knowing what’s happening in the rest of the world. The only thing that kept me from giving Icequake five stars is that it is jarringly dated in some spots and would benefit from an update.

Wow what an adventure. The author made it feel like you were in the action. This may be SCI-fi, but it could happen. An icequake at the south pole causes a lot of damage world wide. I read it in one sitting. Very good.

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