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Atomic Sea
"Brilliant! Every chapter holds a twist you can't see coming. Fast moving and worth the reading ride." JL Whitaker, author of Lost Anchors
Chernobyl, the nuclear power station that contaminated Europe. Fukushima, smashed into radioactive rubble by a tsunami. And now ... Broome?
Worm Turning nuclear waste plant is fast-tracked on sacred ground near Broome, but a certain Great Power says it'll take all responsibility. Sadly it's lying. Life ashore becomes surprisingly threatening for scientist Lena and hacker Jessie, and their only refuge is Simon's old lugger. Sadly he's lying too.
An eerie blue boat turns up with a glowing cargo, the grand opening of Worm Turning is just days away, and a cyclone called Cyril is on the move. And Lena discovers being stuck on a committee isn't her worst nightmare after all.
From the winner of the Mountbatten Maritime Award and the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Non-Fiction.
Chernobyl, the nuclear power station that contaminated Europe. Fukushima, smashed into radioactive rubble by a tsunami. And now ... Broome?
Worm Turning nuclear waste plant is fast-tracked on sacred ground near Broome, but a certain Great Power says it'll take all responsibility. Sadly it's lying. Life ashore becomes surprisingly threatening for scientist Lena and hacker Jessie, and their only refuge is Simon's old lugger. Sadly he's lying too.
An eerie blue boat turns up with a glowing cargo, the grand opening of Worm Turning is just days away, and a cyclone called Cyril is on the move. And Lena discovers being stuck on a committee isn't her worst nightmare after all.
From the winner of the Mountbatten Maritime Award and the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Non-Fiction.
280 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2020
About the author
C.M. Lance
2 books4 followersI grew up near Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia. As Kate Lance, my history of the charmed life of an old pearling lugger, Redbill: From Pearls to Peace, won the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for Non-Fiction 2004, and in 2009 Alan Villiers: Voyager of the Winds won the Mountbatten Maritime Award. The WWII novel, The Turning Tide, was published in 2014, and the thriller Atomic Sea in 2016. Recent books (as Kate Lance) include Silver Highways, Testing the Limits (Tempo 1), and Embers at Midnight (Tempo 2). I live in green South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
This author is the same as Kate Lance
This author is the same as Kate Lance
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 9, 2022
Medical nuclear physicist Lena Whalen of Sydney arrives in tropical Broome for a conference ahead of the grand opening of Worm Turning, a state-of-the-art mining and nuclear reprocessing/waste disposal operation. Not everyone is happy about the new complex, which was approved with indecent haste over the protests of the land's traditional owners and environmental groups. There is a heavy and threatening U.S. military presence working with the WA government to keep dissenters out.
Why is the U.S. so interested in this remote corner of Australia? What do they really want?
Lena and her techie sister Jessie join an after-conference cruise on an old Broome lugger which is run by their new friends Matthew, Aidan and skipper Simon. Sighting a small blue boat adrift, Simon and Lena go aboard to make a horrifying discovery: two rotting corpses and open cylinders of deadly radioactive powder.
They report their findings to authorities but someone is determined to keep the blue boat a secret. Lena and her family are swept up in a desperate struggle to survive as they unravel the plans of a power that will stop at nothing to achieve its savage aims.
This is a real page-turner and I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters are genuine and engaging. Lena must make a personal journey, learning to trust others after past bitter disappointments. A trained scientist, she must set aside assumptions and open her mind to a deeply spiritual connection with country to find inner peace. I especially liked Jessie, beautiful and brilliant, who uses her technical know-how to outwit their pursuers again and again.
And throughout the novel the seas and country of northwestern Australia are lyrically described -- the blues and greens of pristine waters and the red red earth -- adding to a sense of unease at the fragile beauty of nature threatened by the evil of madmen.
Treat yourself to an immersive read. Atomic Sea is a fast-moving thriller, a heart-warming romance, and I highly recommend it.
Why is the U.S. so interested in this remote corner of Australia? What do they really want?
Lena and her techie sister Jessie join an after-conference cruise on an old Broome lugger which is run by their new friends Matthew, Aidan and skipper Simon. Sighting a small blue boat adrift, Simon and Lena go aboard to make a horrifying discovery: two rotting corpses and open cylinders of deadly radioactive powder.
They report their findings to authorities but someone is determined to keep the blue boat a secret. Lena and her family are swept up in a desperate struggle to survive as they unravel the plans of a power that will stop at nothing to achieve its savage aims.
This is a real page-turner and I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters are genuine and engaging. Lena must make a personal journey, learning to trust others after past bitter disappointments. A trained scientist, she must set aside assumptions and open her mind to a deeply spiritual connection with country to find inner peace. I especially liked Jessie, beautiful and brilliant, who uses her technical know-how to outwit their pursuers again and again.
And throughout the novel the seas and country of northwestern Australia are lyrically described -- the blues and greens of pristine waters and the red red earth -- adding to a sense of unease at the fragile beauty of nature threatened by the evil of madmen.
Treat yourself to an immersive read. Atomic Sea is a fast-moving thriller, a heart-warming romance, and I highly recommend it.
January 20, 2022
Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish
A surprisingly action-packed and thought provoking look into the near future, Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish. An absolute page turner, CM Lance expertly contrasts the beauty of Broome and its locals with the cold, uncaring ugliness of those that would harm it. With so many twists and turns one could be fooled into thinking this is a straight up action thriller (and it certainly feels like it is in some parts - in a great way), but what sets Atomic Sea apart from others is the wonderful beating heart of its delightful, intelligent cast of characters who must face very relate-able and human challenges amidst all the carnage around them. From letting go, learning to trust and overcoming old wounds amid the terrifying shadow of a radioactive disaster that feels much more tangible and dangerous in our post-Fukushima world, it is impossible not to be swept up alongside our cast as they struggle to save not only themselves and those around them, but also the beautiful countryside itself.
Smart, thrilling and romantic, I devoured this epic a single and very enjoyable day. Highly recommended.
A surprisingly action-packed and thought provoking look into the near future, Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish. An absolute page turner, CM Lance expertly contrasts the beauty of Broome and its locals with the cold, uncaring ugliness of those that would harm it. With so many twists and turns one could be fooled into thinking this is a straight up action thriller (and it certainly feels like it is in some parts - in a great way), but what sets Atomic Sea apart from others is the wonderful beating heart of its delightful, intelligent cast of characters who must face very relate-able and human challenges amidst all the carnage around them. From letting go, learning to trust and overcoming old wounds amid the terrifying shadow of a radioactive disaster that feels much more tangible and dangerous in our post-Fukushima world, it is impossible not to be swept up alongside our cast as they struggle to save not only themselves and those around them, but also the beautiful countryside itself.
Smart, thrilling and romantic, I devoured this epic a single and very enjoyable day. Highly recommended.
January 22, 2022
Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish
A surprisingly action-packed and thought provoking look into the near future, Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish. An absolute page turner, CM Lance expertly contrasts the beauty of Broome and its locals with the cold, uncaring ugliness of those that would harm it. With so many twists and turns one could be fooled into thinking this is a straight up action thriller (and it certainly feels like it is in some parts - in a great way), but what sets Atomic Sea apart from others is the wonderful beating heart of its delightful, intelligent cast of characters who must face very relate-able and human challenges amidst all the carnage around them. From letting go, learning to trust and overcoming old wounds amid the terrifying shadow of a radioactive disaster that feels much more tangible and dangerous in our post-Fukushima world, it is impossible not to be swept up alongside our cast as they struggle to save not only themselves and those around them, but also the beautiful countryside itself.
Smart, thrilling and romantic, I devoured this epic a single and very enjoyable day. Highly recommended.
A surprisingly action-packed and thought provoking look into the near future, Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish. An absolute page turner, CM Lance expertly contrasts the beauty of Broome and its locals with the cold, uncaring ugliness of those that would harm it. With so many twists and turns one could be fooled into thinking this is a straight up action thriller (and it certainly feels like it is in some parts - in a great way), but what sets Atomic Sea apart from others is the wonderful beating heart of its delightful, intelligent cast of characters who must face very relate-able and human challenges amidst all the carnage around them. From letting go, learning to trust and overcoming old wounds amid the terrifying shadow of a radioactive disaster that feels much more tangible and dangerous in our post-Fukushima world, it is impossible not to be swept up alongside our cast as they struggle to save not only themselves and those around them, but also the beautiful countryside itself.
Smart, thrilling and romantic, I devoured this epic a single and very enjoyable day. Highly recommended.
January 24, 2022
Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish
A surprisingly action-packed and thought provoking look into the near future, Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish. An absolute page turner, CM Lance expertly contrasts the beauty of Broome and its locals with the cold, uncaring ugliness of those that would harm it. With so many twists and turns one could be fooled into thinking this is a straight up action thriller (and it certainly feels like it is in some parts - in a great way), but what sets Atomic Sea apart from others is the wonderful beating heart of its delightful, intelligent cast of characters who must face very relate-able and human challenges amidst all the carnage around them. From letting go, learning to trust and overcoming old wounds amid the terrifying shadow of a radioactive disaster that feels much more tangible and dangerous in our post-Fukushima world, it is impossible not to be swept up alongside our cast as they struggle to save not only themselves and those around them, but also the beautiful countryside itself.
Smart, thrilling and romantic, I devoured this epic a single and very enjoyable day. Highly recommended.
A surprisingly action-packed and thought provoking look into the near future, Atomic Sea is a novel I loved from start to finish. An absolute page turner, CM Lance expertly contrasts the beauty of Broome and its locals with the cold, uncaring ugliness of those that would harm it. With so many twists and turns one could be fooled into thinking this is a straight up action thriller (and it certainly feels like it is in some parts - in a great way), but what sets Atomic Sea apart from others is the wonderful beating heart of its delightful, intelligent cast of characters who must face very relate-able and human challenges amidst all the carnage around them. From letting go, learning to trust and overcoming old wounds amid the terrifying shadow of a radioactive disaster that feels much more tangible and dangerous in our post-Fukushima world, it is impossible not to be swept up alongside our cast as they struggle to save not only themselves and those around them, but also the beautiful countryside itself.
Smart, thrilling and romantic, I devoured this epic a single and very enjoyable day. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews