[.ca] Ice limit la barriere de glace (ISBN 2841873900)

From Amazon.com:
Billionaire Palmer Lloyd is accustomed to getting what he wants--and what he wants for his new museum is the largest meteorite on earth. Unfortunately for Lloyd, it's buried on an inhospitable Chilean island just north of the Ice Limit in the most brutal, unforgiving seas in the world. Fortunately for Lloyd, he knows people--people like Eli Glinn, the hyper-focused president of Effective Engineering Solutions, Inc.; Glinn's nonconformist, genius of a mathematician, Rachel Amira; and the uncannily able construction engineer, Manuel Garza. Lloyd's also tapped the brilliant but disgraced meteorite hunter, Sam McFarlane, and the exceptional supertanker captain, Sally Britton, whose career was unshipped by intemperance and a reef. Of course, such a team has a hefty price tag: Lloyd's broad features narrowed. "And that is... " "One hundred and fifty million dollars. Including chartering the transport vessel. FOB the Lloyd Museum." Lloyd's face went pale. "My God. One hundred and fifty million... " His chin sank onto his hands. "For a ten-thousand-ton rock. That's... " "Seven dollars and fifty cents a pound," said Glinn. EES's plan is to obtain mining rights to the island, secure the allegiance of various Chilean functionaries via blinding sums of money, disguise a state-of- the-art supertanker as a decrepit ore rig, mine the rock, slip it into the ship, and zip back to New York to thunderous notoriety. Unforeseen, however, are a rogue Chilean naval captain, seas to make Sebastian Junger boot, and a blood-red meteorite of undetermined pedigree and a habit of discharging billions of volts of electricity for no apparent reason. Like Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's earlier collaborations (Relic, Thunderhead, and others), The Ice Limit tools along swiftly, blending nicely drawn characters (excepting, regrettably, the book's true protagonist, the meteorite), a reasonably exciting narrative, and enough graspable science and plausible-seeming theories to bring readers happily up to speed and keep them climax-bound. Not the authors' best effort, certainly, but a fine diversion nonetheless. --Michael Hudson

Couldn't Put It Down:
The Ice Limit is on my ten best list. I was reading this book late into the night knowing I'd struggle to get up the next morning. I would say, "Okay, one more chapter." But, before I knew it, it was three more. I've read a handful of books by Preston and Child. Although I like them all, The Ice Limit is my favorite. It's packed with adventure, and I mean packed. The characters are great. The authors' description of the characters made me grow attached to them. And for as many characters as were in the book, this was quite a feat. The premise itself was fascinating. I'm a sucker for plots dealing with the unknown. In this case, the unknown is a meteor. The bulk of the book involves the efforts to extract the meteor from the ice and return it to Palmer Lloyd's museum. Needless to say, this is not a simple process. Beyond the environmental issues, the characters had to deal with sabotage, a mad Chilean (?) navy captain, and the meteor's strange properties. The climax of the novel left me breathless, and the ending left me wanting more. The last final twist got me; I did not foresee it. If you're looking for a fast read with lots of adventure and an intelligent plot, pick up The Ice Limit and settle in for a wild ride.

The duo's best:
Preston and Child are very interesting writers, but typically they dwell more towards the supernatural side. Not ghosts exactly, but stories that need scientific disbelief greatly suspended. That isn't nearly as true with this book. It's more primal. Rather than man vs some form of strange beast, it's simply man vs the elements (and, of course, man vs man). It makes for a more exciting read. Nothing feels terribly contrived (though, of course, some twists are), and there's an interest in the process througout. It's a story about greed and engineering, and that melds together quite well. Highly recommended for someone interested in a whimsical novel of this kind.

Similar yet different:
This book is very similar to his other books yet different. To completely understand this you will have to read it. I found the book very entertaining...I know I use the word entertaining a lot, but thats what I look for in a book. Lots of action, with some character development thrown in. Alone, this would have to be Douglas Preston's best book. There is something missing and that would be Lincoln Child. They both work so wonderously together and lack something when alone. That being said, I did really enjoy this book and recommend to all fans of Preston, Child or both together.

It's a roller coaster of a read.:
Preston and Child do a spectacular job with this one. Nothing's as simple as it seems. Remember that. It applies so aptly to the book. It's exciting to recommend this book. My only critique of the book is the character of the "renegade" Argentinian(?) captain. I thought he was too formulaic for a Preston and Child book. Overall though, it's great, great, great. I love the ending.

Good for a Long Flight:
"The Ice Limit" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Warner Books, 2000. In the first few pages of the book, Nestor Masangkay is zapped when he touches a meteor that he has found on an isolated island off the southern most tip of Chile. Then, for the next 180 pages or so, you are waiting in suspense for the entire expedition (set up by an American billionaire) to be zapped as they are digging up the bright red meteor. Of course, you know that the entire crew can not be killed, as you have another 250 or pages to read, BUT!, the suspense is there as you turn page after page. Being chased by a destroyer of the Navy of Chile has to be better justified , in my opinion. The chase chapter, however, a cat and mouse game, (and on storm-tossed seas), keeps you reading. Towards the end you just know that the meteor will go to the bottom, but again, the book leaves you wondering as to what will happen next. This is a fine book to keep you entertained as you travel on a long flight cross country or across the Atlantic.