Freezing Point by Karen Dionne

When environmental activist Ben Maki makes a discovery that could supply clean drinking water for millions of people, he is unaware of the danger hidden deep within the ice that could bring about the apocalypse. Original. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly The battle for control of Antarctica's ice quickly turns into a fight for survival in this uneven debut thriller. Idealistic and controversial (but corporate) environmentalist Ben Maki wants to bring fresh water to millions by melting the Antarctic icebergs. As Maki's trial run progresses, a group of scientists studying the icebergs begin falling prey to a deadly illness and to packs of vicious Antarctic rats. Maki and his colleagues must abandon their efforts, hoping only to get out of Antarctica alive. While the scientific and ethical themes are fascinating and timely and the remoteness of the Antarctic makes an ideal thriller setting, readers will find it difficult to suspend their disbelief long enough to find the rats scary rather than silly. Dionne would have done better to stick to the human capacity for monstrosity--something she touches on, but never fully explores--and the surprisingly complex and overlapping motivations of the characters. (Oct.) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review Dionne is going to be an author to be reckoned with if her debut novel is any indication. A fascinating blend of science fiction and fact, it weaves a great deal of information into a complex story of environmentalism, greed and potential Armageddon. Its ingenious plot, genuine characters, superlative writing and nail-biting suspense will change the way you look at a bottle of water. Summary: Environmentalist and engineer Ben Maki sees the possibilities for Earth's future in a mountain-sized iceberg. If the Soldyne Corporation can tap into the ice, it can provide clean drinking water for millions, and if the company's vision isn't all philanthropic, well, there are always trade-offs. But environmental terrorist Rebecca Sweet lives for her cause -- free, fresh water for everyone -- and she will do anything to stop Soldyne. As their private battle escalates, a group of researchers on a frozen tundra are drawn into that private war. As the body count rises, the terror escalates and, ultimately, it's up to Maki and two brilliant and plucky scientists to put the clues together to prevent worldwide disaster. --Pat Cooper --Romantic Times Book Review, October 2008 Top Pick Review It's rare to find a book that truly lives up to any from the first page... hype, but Karen Dionne's new scientific thriller FREEZING POINT opens with a physical tension that, trumping cliche, never lets up. . . . Never pedantic, often fascinating, and always compulsively readable, Dionne's narrative voice is a uniquely compelling entertainment. Review It's rare to find a book that truly lives up to any from the first page... hype, but Karen Dionne's new scientific thriller FREEZING POINT opens with a physical tension that, trumping cliche, never lets up. . . . Never pedantic, often fascinating, and always compulsively readable, Dionne's narrative voice is a uniquely compelling entertainment. Review When David Morrell lends a blurb to a new writer, it's a rare event and also a sign he read the book. When he calls her the New Michael Crichton, a reader takes notice. Fresh off the high from the arctic horrors of Dan Simmons' The Terror, Freezing Point heads off to the southern pole of chilly Antarctica. The premise? A company seeks icebergs to melt into drinkable water for an overpopulated planet. An eco-terrorist seeks to stop them at all costs. All the typical Crichton-esque elements are here but Dionne is no clone. From the opening The Perfect Storm meets Ice Age(2?) chapter which introduces the complex protagonist to the high tech science which seems all too plausible, Dionne paints a grim picture of the near future despite the simplicity the company believes replenishing the world's water supply can be. The science team which studies the fracturing ice shelves scrambles to find a cure for a mysterious illness that sweeps through their ranks, bringing to mind a non-supernatural The Thing scenario. Yet what might halt the mission is completely different than what one might think, a fly in the ointment which, and all who are involved before the first bottle is delivered to the supermarket. Something that at first seems as scary as in Tim Lebbon's White or Simmons' creation but turns out to be very terrestrial and very normal (but still creepy). The cause of the terror is both claustrophobic and global, eventually, something simple yet still render the reader to be more vigilant outdoors. To give more detail about the cause of the virus would spoil the book and while at first it seemed petty, within a few pages it crept under the skin. Anyone near New York can definitely sympathize! (read the book to find out why it's so damned creepy!) This is a competent first novel for anyone looking in a Crichton, Clancy, or other techno-thrillers. The technology is top notch yet explained in laymen's terms and none too timely, as the science is just about here. Yet even though this story has the big corporation and bigwig who will continue at any cost and some Native American lore, it doesn't allow itself to be bogged down in clichés and typical thriller plot holes that seem to abound these days. Dionne draws some quality protagonists who become real while the line of who the true antagonists really are only adds to the tension. David Morrell should recommend more books - he seems to have a keen eye on what makes a thriller rock the reader's world (or ice, in this case). -- Dave Simms Review Idealistic and controversial (but corporate) environmentalist Ben Maki wants to bring fresh water to millions by melting the Antarctic icebergs. As Maki's trial run progresses, a group of scientists studying the icebergs begin falling prey to a deadly illness and to packs of vicious Antarctic rats. Maki and his colleagues must abandon their efforts, hoping only to get out of Antarctica alive. . . . the scientific and ethical themes are fascinating and timely and the remoteness of the Antarctic makes an ideal thriller setting. Review Idealistic and controversial (but corporate) environmentalist Ben Maki wants to bring fresh water to millions by melting the Antarctic icebergs. As Maki's trial run progresses, a group of scientists studying the icebergs begin falling prey to a deadly illness and to packs of vicious Antarctic rats. Maki and his colleagues must abandon their efforts, hoping only to get out of Antarctica alive. . . . the scientific and ethical themes are fascinating and timely and the remoteness of the Antarctic makes an ideal thriller setting. Book Description Who owns Antarctica's ice: big business, environmentalists or Mother Nature? In this timely, terrifying thriller, green-minded Ben Maki's mission is to melt the polar ice caps to create fresh drinking water for millions of people. Instead, he inadvertently unleashes a horrifying apocalypse as project scientists fall prey to both vicious Antarctic rats and an encroaching deadly illness that threatens all of mankind. Filled with fascinating science and thorny ethical questions, Freezing Point takes horror to a chilling new degree. About the Author Detroit native Karen Dionne dropped out of the University of Michigan in the 1970s and moved to Michigan's Upper Peninsula wilderness with her husband and infant daughter as part of the back-to-the-land movement. During the next thirty winters, her indoor pursuits included stained glass, weaving, and constructing N-scale model train layouts. Eventually, her creative interests turned to writing. Karen's short stories have appeared in Bathtub Gin, The Adirondack Review, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine and Thought Magazine. She worked as Senior Fiction Editor for NFG, a print literary journal out of Toronto, Canada, before founding Backspace, an Internet-based writers organization with over 850 members in a dozen countries. Karen is a member of Sisters in Crime, the Mystery Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers, where she serves as Debut Authors Committee Chair. She and her husband live in Detroit's northern suburbs. Freezing Point is her first novel.