Review : Ice Station by Matthew Reilly

Title : Ice Station Author : Matthew Reilly Reading Dates : 14 Oct - 19 Oct 2012 Total Pages : 690
Shane Schofield Ice Station Area 7 Scarecrow Hell Island Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves Scarecrow Returns
From Amazon : Anarctica is the last unconquered continent, a murderous expanse of howling winds, blinding whiteouts and deadly crevasses. On one edge of Antarctica is Wilkes Station. Beneath Wilkes Station is the gate to hell itself... A team of U.S. divers, exploring three thousand feet beneath the ice shelf has vanished. Sending out an SOS, Wilkes draws a rapid deployment team of Marines-and someone else... First comes a horrific firefight. Then comes a plunge into a drowning pool filled with killer whales. Next comes the hard part, as a handful of survivors begin an electrifying, red-hot, non-stop battle of survival across the continent and against wave after wave of elite military assassins-who've all come for one thing: a secret buried deep beneath the ice...

Book Review of Ice Station.

Ice Station would have been a better read with more distance and time from Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves.

About a quarter through through Ice Station, I realized that the plot and a number of the character were nearly identical to those in Army of Thieves. I had expected the fast paced and improbable action sequences appearing in Army of Thieves but not for some of the plotline to be almost a duplicate of the book.

In Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves, we had Bertie the robot supplying the mandatory cuteness factor as well as some much needed assistance. Here, we have the duo of Kirsty and her pet seal, Wendy. Unfortunately, they’re not as cute nor as reliable as Bertie. Kirsty is more annoying than cute while Wendy isn’t as helpful in fighting off predators of the human variety.

Then, there’s the obligatory traitor within their ranks. A theme similarly recurring in Army of Thieves. If their own leaders are involved , I don’t see that ending happening. Its too pat and I would have expected further damage.

No, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves was a better rendition of Schane Schofield’s story.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ? No.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series ? Only because I already have it.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? No.
• Who would I recommend this too? Not really.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow it.

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