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Frozen Fire
Bill Evans and Marianna Jameson first teamed up to write Category 7 , vividly portraying the devastating impact of a powerful hurricane on New York City. Now Evans and Jameson return with Frozen Fire , another edge-of-the-seat thriller that mixes atmospheric science with cutting-edge technology.
Eager to exploit a potentially lucrative energy source, billionaire Dennis Cavendish has begun to tap the crystalline methane under the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Eco-terrorism kills his science team and releases gigatons of poisonous methane into the water and atmosphere, causing untold deaths. If the release isn’t stopped, all life on Earth will soon disappear.
Suspected of the sabotage and marooned far from home, Cavendish’s beautiful and brainy security chief, Victoria Clark, along with methane expert Dr. Sam Briscoe and the US government, must find a way to seal the break in the ocean floor and nullify the methane that is already poisoning the planet.
Eager to exploit a potentially lucrative energy source, billionaire Dennis Cavendish has begun to tap the crystalline methane under the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Eco-terrorism kills his science team and releases gigatons of poisonous methane into the water and atmosphere, causing untold deaths. If the release isn’t stopped, all life on Earth will soon disappear.
Suspected of the sabotage and marooned far from home, Cavendish’s beautiful and brainy security chief, Victoria Clark, along with methane expert Dr. Sam Briscoe and the US government, must find a way to seal the break in the ocean floor and nullify the methane that is already poisoning the planet.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Bill H. Evans
7 books16 followersBill Evans is a multiple Emmy Award-winning, nationally-renowned senior meteorologist. He has appeared on Good Morning America and Live! with Regis and Kelly. Evans has received the Outstanding Meteorologist Award from the National Weather Service and has hosted the National Hurricane Conference. Bill Evans and his family live in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 24, 2009
Frozen Fire claims to be a "disaster thriller", and I picked it because I have a great love of cheesy disaster movies. I like action but dislike violence, and most disaster stories offer lots of the first without the second. Besides, it's fun to set my usual expectations of good science aside and enjoy watching oilmen save the Earth from an approaching asteroid or a ragtag group of heroes tunnel to the center of the planet to get its core spinning again!
So, here's the first problem I had with Frozen Fire: it's not a disaster thriller. The basic conflict is very clearly "man v. man," not "man v. nature." The back-and-forth among the featured island nation, the ecoterrorists, and the US government continues straight through the end of the book, with very little of the human compassion that typifies the disaster genre. Another hallmark of disaster stories is the intellectual conflict between a smart hero who sees trouble approaching, and a conservative-minded establishment honcho who resists quick action. That's completely missing here, too. So, if you're looking for a fun disaster story, pass Frozen Fire by in favor of something else.
There are other issues with the book's promotional material that interfered with my enjoyment of this story, too. For example, the back cover says that "Victoria Clark, along with methane expert Dr. Sam Briscoe" must work together to save the world. A cover blurb is usually a teaser, and I don't like it when it spells out the book's whole plot ... but Victoria and Sam don't even meet--or really know about one another--until p. 274 of the 367-page book. Basically, the blurb summarizes the whole book, rather than giving an appetite-whetting intro to the first few scenes.
That said, though, there are plenty of great books out there that aren't disaster novels, and poor billing on the front cover and publisher blurbs isn't enough to keep me from enjoying a good story. So what do I like in a "good story" that's not a disaster flick in print?
I like interesting, well-developed characters. I like vivid settings. I like believable plots that aren't too easy to predict. I like plausible explanations for any element that asks me to suspend disbelief.
The characters in Frozen Fire, unfortunately, are pretty flat. Each has a specific role and doesn't deviate from it much. None of them show any particular growth. Human relationships that offer the possibility for interesting interaction and character development are mentioned, then ignored. Sam's engaged to a woman who doesn't really return his love for her, but once that's set up, it's more or less ignored. Victoria is betrayed by the people to whom she's devoted her life, but we see this play out in far more limited ways than we might otherwise. The ecoterrorist bad guy is so cartoonish in his pure villainy that I wouldn't have been surprised to see the authors put an evil "Muahahaha" in a set of his quotes, although that bit didn't actually appear. (If you're going to go for campy, go ahead and do campy--I even like some of that stuff! But don't get there accidentally through poor writing.)
The settings are vivid enough, and the plot is believable in its context. The science was fairly well-researched, although this work isn't going to find its way into any college geology reading lists. But, neither of these was strong enough to overcome the book's other flaws, and I was left rather disappointed with the story as a whole. I almost gave it two stars anyway, as about the best I can say about this is that it's not the worst book I've ever finished, but its limited entertainment value didn't really quite earn even that. It's not so bad that I set it aside unfinished and unrated, but that's only enough to get it on the list with a single lonely star. Oh, well.
So, here's the first problem I had with Frozen Fire: it's not a disaster thriller. The basic conflict is very clearly "man v. man," not "man v. nature." The back-and-forth among the featured island nation, the ecoterrorists, and the US government continues straight through the end of the book, with very little of the human compassion that typifies the disaster genre. Another hallmark of disaster stories is the intellectual conflict between a smart hero who sees trouble approaching, and a conservative-minded establishment honcho who resists quick action. That's completely missing here, too. So, if you're looking for a fun disaster story, pass Frozen Fire by in favor of something else.
There are other issues with the book's promotional material that interfered with my enjoyment of this story, too. For example, the back cover says that "Victoria Clark, along with methane expert Dr. Sam Briscoe" must work together to save the world. A cover blurb is usually a teaser, and I don't like it when it spells out the book's whole plot ... but Victoria and Sam don't even meet--or really know about one another--until p. 274 of the 367-page book. Basically, the blurb summarizes the whole book, rather than giving an appetite-whetting intro to the first few scenes.
That said, though, there are plenty of great books out there that aren't disaster novels, and poor billing on the front cover and publisher blurbs isn't enough to keep me from enjoying a good story. So what do I like in a "good story" that's not a disaster flick in print?
I like interesting, well-developed characters. I like vivid settings. I like believable plots that aren't too easy to predict. I like plausible explanations for any element that asks me to suspend disbelief.
The characters in Frozen Fire, unfortunately, are pretty flat. Each has a specific role and doesn't deviate from it much. None of them show any particular growth. Human relationships that offer the possibility for interesting interaction and character development are mentioned, then ignored. Sam's engaged to a woman who doesn't really return his love for her, but once that's set up, it's more or less ignored. Victoria is betrayed by the people to whom she's devoted her life, but we see this play out in far more limited ways than we might otherwise. The ecoterrorist bad guy is so cartoonish in his pure villainy that I wouldn't have been surprised to see the authors put an evil "Muahahaha" in a set of his quotes, although that bit didn't actually appear. (If you're going to go for campy, go ahead and do campy--I even like some of that stuff! But don't get there accidentally through poor writing.)
The settings are vivid enough, and the plot is believable in its context. The science was fairly well-researched, although this work isn't going to find its way into any college geology reading lists. But, neither of these was strong enough to overcome the book's other flaws, and I was left rather disappointed with the story as a whole. I almost gave it two stars anyway, as about the best I can say about this is that it's not the worst book I've ever finished, but its limited entertainment value didn't really quite earn even that. It's not so bad that I set it aside unfinished and unrated, but that's only enough to get it on the list with a single lonely star. Oh, well.
July 18, 2012
surprisingly good, kept me very interested, and wanting to know what was gonna happen next. Enjoyed it
May 25, 2014
I liked the thought that went into the impact of drilling for methane and living under the sea. I liked the characters. I could have done without the introducing characters that would only live 10 seconds after their introduction, but I understand why that was necessary. It was interesting that we were exposed to who the terrorists were and got to watch the characters figure it out.
I didn't like that the terrorists want to destroy the world including themselves. It's not that they want to limit human activity; it's that they want to get rid of all humans. How do you fight that?
The ending felt a little bit like magic. Or maybe it was that it ended so quickly. "We saved the day; the end".
I didn't like that the terrorists want to destroy the world including themselves. It's not that they want to limit human activity; it's that they want to get rid of all humans. How do you fight that?
The ending felt a little bit like magic. Or maybe it was that it ended so quickly. "We saved the day; the end".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2025
For a book about methane and ecoterrorism, this is actually a rather simple book. The characters are one-dimensional, and we don't really get to understand anyone's deeper motivations. It is fiction so there are some implausible moments, but there were more than I'd like for the sake of plot convenience.
It almost felt like reading a movie or screenplay. The usual in depth components of emotion and character that make up a good book weren't quite there. It felt one dimensional, but as a quick, turn off your brain read, it was fine.
It almost felt like reading a movie or screenplay. The usual in depth components of emotion and character that make up a good book weren't quite there. It felt one dimensional, but as a quick, turn off your brain read, it was fine.
October 29, 2018
Surprisingly something that could actually happen. Took a while to get into it but once I did it was great, and chilling to think a version could really take place.
May 27, 2019
I couldn't finish this book. Very slow start.
December 14, 2021
Excellent climate/spy/ intrigue thriller. So enjoying reading these authors.
June 26, 2024
thought it would be better i do like evans but not so much this one, too boring in some places
December 21, 2012
Billionaire Dennis Cavendish not only purchased his own island, he declared it his own country—the Paradise of Taino—with himself its president. He has his own security force, run by emotionally stunted Victoria Clark, a stickler for details known for her caution bordering on paranoia. Victoria’s second in command is Micki Crenshaw, who is unfortunately a mole for ecoterrorist organization GAIA, run by sociopathic Garner Blaylock. While Cavendish has built an undersea habitat in 4,000 feet of water at the base of the continental shelf, Blaylock has been watching his every move. When Cavendish prepares to start mining the methane hydrate beneath the seabed, Blaylock makes his move, setting all of his agents to destructive action. Suddenly, Dennis Cavendish’s technological wonder and the future of clean fuels becomes a site of tragedy and disaster, and the world is headed for imminent destruction if the methane leak cannot be stopped.
The premise of this book is actually fairly decent, but its execution needed some help. First, if a book is going to take so long supposedly building tension before the action occurs, it really needs to keep some element of suspense. Instead, from the very beginning, we know who all the bad guys are and exactly what they’re up to, but still have to wait 200 pages for anything interesting to happen. Dennis’ whole dilemma over who the mole might be lost all impact since we had known who it was from almost the first page. Had the slightest bit of suspense been put into play, the first half of the book would have been compelling rather than tedious. Also, all the women in the book were either overly controlled and cold, or they were smoldering sexpots. The whole character of Cyn seemed utterly pointless, and her relationship with Sam was unrealistic. Who but a complete loser would propose to such baggage? Micki was also a study in contrasts, a woman who looked and behaved like a bimbo yet held a trusted and powerful position—her whole character was like an episode of VIP. Once the book got done dragging out the foreshadowing and the action began, it was then often bogged down by personalized disaster scenes where all-American families are overcome by poison clouds and die horribly. One such scene would have sufficed; four was excessive.
Despite all my complaints, the book was compelling and held my interest as I read. Its issues were nothing a more ruthless editor couldn’t fix, there may be some readers who enjoy having every character’s first scene open with them crawling out of bed after a sex marathon, and there may even be some women who are not offended by the blatant stereotypes. I didn’t hate it, but the destructive powers of methane hydrate and the phenomenon of ships instantly sinking in masses of bubbles have been done before, so neither concept was shocking or new. As it is, the writers crafted a somewhat interesting story that could have been a real page turner if they had cleaned it up a bit.
The premise of this book is actually fairly decent, but its execution needed some help. First, if a book is going to take so long supposedly building tension before the action occurs, it really needs to keep some element of suspense. Instead, from the very beginning, we know who all the bad guys are and exactly what they’re up to, but still have to wait 200 pages for anything interesting to happen. Dennis’ whole dilemma over who the mole might be lost all impact since we had known who it was from almost the first page. Had the slightest bit of suspense been put into play, the first half of the book would have been compelling rather than tedious. Also, all the women in the book were either overly controlled and cold, or they were smoldering sexpots. The whole character of Cyn seemed utterly pointless, and her relationship with Sam was unrealistic. Who but a complete loser would propose to such baggage? Micki was also a study in contrasts, a woman who looked and behaved like a bimbo yet held a trusted and powerful position—her whole character was like an episode of VIP. Once the book got done dragging out the foreshadowing and the action began, it was then often bogged down by personalized disaster scenes where all-American families are overcome by poison clouds and die horribly. One such scene would have sufficed; four was excessive.
Despite all my complaints, the book was compelling and held my interest as I read. Its issues were nothing a more ruthless editor couldn’t fix, there may be some readers who enjoy having every character’s first scene open with them crawling out of bed after a sex marathon, and there may even be some women who are not offended by the blatant stereotypes. I didn’t hate it, but the destructive powers of methane hydrate and the phenomenon of ships instantly sinking in masses of bubbles have been done before, so neither concept was shocking or new. As it is, the writers crafted a somewhat interesting story that could have been a real page turner if they had cleaned it up a bit.
December 4, 2011
The plot idea is good but I had problems with the execution. Many times the descriptive narrative was overly done. Too many adverbs and adjectives. There were scenes of people dying that were simply overwritten. Once I'd read through what the people experienced breathing in the poisonous gas, I didn't need to read it 3 or 4 more times. Not only did these scenes not add to the story, they slowed it to a drag. I ended up fast-forwarding through those. And honestly, I had no vested interest in these dying people as we'd never met them before they had a gruesome death.
The characters were very flat...As a reader, I felt no connection to them. And the antagonist? So over the top as to be almost cartoonish. And come on...the female pilot is sleeping with him in some dive and yet she sees no problem putting him on a private luxury jet to Africa?
Overall, the story was much too long with scenes that could have been deleted without adversely affecting the story and the characters so one-dimensional that I didn't recommend this book to my husband.
The characters were very flat...As a reader, I felt no connection to them. And the antagonist? So over the top as to be almost cartoonish. And come on...the female pilot is sleeping with him in some dive and yet she sees no problem putting him on a private luxury jet to Africa?
Overall, the story was much too long with scenes that could have been deleted without adversely affecting the story and the characters so one-dimensional that I didn't recommend this book to my husband.
June 5, 2013
I really enjoyed the science in this book. I'm such a sucker for scientific disaster/adventure tales, and this one filled the bill. However, poor character developed and loosed ends kept me from giving it a higher rating. Sam, then Texan, was too over the top. His girlfriend, Cyn, was too self-centered and obnoxious. Blaylock, the bad guy was too evil, and I never could get a read on Dennis. He started out feeling like a good guy, but his descent in sefl-serving madness, just didn't fit.
I'll ask readers to excuse poor spellings of names. I did an audio version of this book, so I never saw the names in print. To be perfectly honest, the reader of the book may have contributed to my dissatisfaction with the characters. Maybe it was the reader who was over the top, and not the characters as written.
Oh well, not worth a read through of the written word, so you'll have to judge by other reviews.
I'll ask readers to excuse poor spellings of names. I did an audio version of this book, so I never saw the names in print. To be perfectly honest, the reader of the book may have contributed to my dissatisfaction with the characters. Maybe it was the reader who was over the top, and not the characters as written.
Oh well, not worth a read through of the written word, so you'll have to judge by other reviews.
April 10, 2013
Advanced technologies on a remote Island on a continental shelf are used to discover and mine an alternative, yet very dangerous energy source. The “secure” Island team had been infiltrated by a terrorist group and leads to the ultimate destruction of the mining operation, all human and animal life on the island and ultimately endangers the Florida Keys and the rest of the world. Many parts of the story held my attention. However, the extra stories about people on the Keys were not needed and just made the story wordy. The end of the novel is tied up with a clean “we saved the world” with a hard to believe no repercussions to the methane release, methane burn, atmospheric explosions and release of biomolecules.
Read
August 15, 2009To be honest, I barely got past chapter five. I picked up this book and put it right down. I didn't come back to it for several weeks and but than I tried to read it again but had no interest to do so. While I am sure this book may be good, it moved too slowly for me and there was too much description going on. I just wanted to get on to the exciting part. Maybe some day when I have time, I might pick this book up again.
October 26, 2009
I liked the science quite a bit but it was really odd that I read two books IN A ROW that mentioned the dangers of drilling for methane and I most certainly don't seek out eco-terrorist books! I really liked some of the characters; the main 3 were really well done but everyone else was terrifyingly cookie cutter. It actually threw me off while reading. I think I may have given this a 2.5 if that were available.
March 22, 2010
i was fortunate enough to win a prerelease copy of this book, many thanks to the people at goodreads for the opportunity :)
the plot here was relavent to today's current events and interesting enough to keep me reading without too many breaks. i did feel the ending was a bit hurried though. i thought it was pretty good though and would reccomend it to anyone interested in enviromental spy kinda stuff,
the plot here was relavent to today's current events and interesting enough to keep me reading without too many breaks. i did feel the ending was a bit hurried though. i thought it was pretty good though and would reccomend it to anyone interested in enviromental spy kinda stuff,
Read
July 16, 2010For my first taste of these authors, I found this to be very entertaining. The plot, inspired by a Clive Cussler story, is not only feasible but developed so that it becomes a page turner that is near impossible to put down.
May 21, 2014
The descend after the climax was so abrupt it was like yay we solved the problem the end. It's very predictable and a bit melodramatic at times. Character development is adequate but not as deep. Not as much showing as telling. Plot idea: excellent. Made me believe the science part as well.
September 9, 2015
Another great entry in this series
I gave this book five stars because it was well written, suspenseful, and unpredictable. The characters are interesting and nuanced, making it fun to see where the plot was going. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.
I gave this book five stars because it was well written, suspenseful, and unpredictable. The characters are interesting and nuanced, making it fun to see where the plot was going. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.
August 21, 2016
A good story but I disliked most of the characters in the book. Cyn was horrible, Micki was nuts and I wanted to punch the president and most of his staff as they were idiots. It was a bit of a shame as I have read two others from the same author which I really liked.
October 18, 2009
A decent technological thriller.
December 16, 2011
It was ok
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews