Ice Station Zebra

by Alistair MacLean

Under the Polar Ice-Cap...

The atomic submarine 'Dolphin' has impossible orders: to sail beneath the ice-floes of the Arctic Ocean to locate and rescue the men of weather-station Zebra, gutted by fire and drifting with the ice-pack somewhere north of the Arctic Circle.

But the orders do not say what the 'Dolphin' will find if she succeeds – that the fire at Ice Station Zebra was sabotage, and that one of the survivors is a killer…

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Mystery, Espionage, Action, Audiobook

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1963

About the author

Alistair Stuart MacLean (Scottish Gaelic: Alasdair MacGill-Eain), the son of a Scots Minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941, at the age of eighteen, he joined the Royal Navy; two and a half years spent aboard a cruiser were to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his first novel, the outstanding documentary novel on the war at sea. After the war he gained an English Honours degree at Glasgow University, and became a schoolmaster. In 1983, he was awarded a D. Litt. from the same university.

Maclean is the author of twenty-nine world bestsellers and recognised as an outstanding writer in his own genre. Many of his titles have been adapted for film - The Guns of the Navarone, The Satan Bug, Force Ten from Navarone, Where Eagles Dare and Bear Island are among the most famous.

Reviews

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★

Alistair MacLean was one of my late Dad's favourite authors & I read many of MacLean's books when I was young. My favourite was Where Eagles Dare. I'm fairly sure I haven't read this title before. I think I would remember the plot idea, as for me it was a very original one.

A nuclear submarine, the Dolphin, answers a distress signal to investigate what has happened at a weather monitoring station. Aboard the Dolphin is the mysterious Dr Carpenter, & it soon turns out he has a very close connection to the Drift Ice Station Zebra...

This book was an uneven read for me - slow moving in parts, with a lot of Dialogue as an Explanation and a large caste of characters who often had similar speaking styles. I had a lot of trouble telling them apart & in the end I gave up. The peacock-like mutual admiration that some of them feel for each other was a turn off, & the book shows it's age being that there isn't a single female character.

But the parts of the books that worked really worked & had a lot of action & excitement.

No longer my genre & while I would like to read Where Eagles Dare again, I can't imagine that I will read any of MacLean's other books.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alistair MacLean never fails to deliver with his novels.

I initially picked out this book because I like reading about polar expeditions, both real and imagined. And I have had other MacLean books sitting under my bed waiting to be read.

This story didn’t disappoint. It was non stop action all the way through. And part of me kept thinking about the Jules Verne book I had recently read.

Even though this story was written in the 1960’s, it is not dated at all. Much of the technology in this book is still used, just in a more updated form.

So give this one ago and enjoy the ride.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nuclear submarine heads for the Arctic circle to answer a distress call from a manned weather-monitoring station, then all hell breaks loose! MacLean delivers a very readable Cold War-era action thriller with locked-room mystery elements but you'll need to set your Suspension of Disbelief to maximum levels. As usual in this type of book, don't expect fancy prose or navel-contemplation. One could imagine a young Tom Clancy reading this book and musing about writing his own Cold War submarine tale.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall 4.5 - very neat example of an action/thriller/mystery novel with kind of old school bulletproof plot and somewhat boomer-ish sense of humour.

Would definitely recommend.

[Άννα Morta ⛧⛧⛧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, suspenseful spy thriller, ice-cold arctic setting, submarine claustrophobia, and devious murder.

[Bob Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the classic thrillers. Made into a decent movie.

Back in the good old days when the Soviets were the bad guys the Cold War was cold. Really cold in this case. MacLean was a master story-teller with fast paced plots. The race to Ice Station Zebra is classic; one thing this book taught me as a writer is that you can push the limits to develop characters. While some thing might seem amazing coincidences-- why not?

I commanded an A-Team in 10th Special Forces so we did Winter Warfare every year. I can empathize with trying to conduct operations in the cold. And, unfortunately, we got the added specialty of maritime operations after graduating the Royal Danish Navy's Fromandkorpset combat swim course-- being in the North Sea in November wasn't fun-- but locking out of a sub really sucked. I don't know how those guys do it on those submarines.

If you're looking for a fast, fun read, I recommend this book.

[John Paxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite and one of the very best from Alastair MacLean. Check it out & do yourself a favour.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easygoing thriller that could have been better!

Ice Station Zebra, an arctic meteorological station, located on the ever drifting pack ice of the high Arctic, has been destroyed by an equipment fire. The Dolphin, an American nuclear submarine, is about to set sail on a dangerous high speed mission under the polar ice cap to rescue the badly injured team. But, just as one would suspect from a cold war thriller, all is not as it seems. Ice Station Zebra is a good deal more than just a scientific meteorological station. The scientific team is not just a collection of scientists. One of them is a ruthless killer for which the achievement of his mysterious secret mission against the Americans and the Brits may even require the cold-blooded execution of the entire crew of the Dolphin. Nor is Doctor Carpenter, a British volunteer member of the Dolphin's crew ostensibly along to seek out his brother who was part of Ice Station Zebra's stricken team, precisely what he shows to the world.

As thrillers go, ICE STATION ZEBRA is certainly enjoyable but it's a long, long way from what most readers would label a compelling page turner. It's got all the requisite ingredients to be sure - murder, sabotage, hidden identities, spies, accidents, cliff-hangers - but I think it could have been so much more. The parts of the story that took place inside the submarine were interesting and, at times, even exciting. But the action never reached the breathless urgent pace that was more recently achieved in other submarine thrillers such as HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER or Larry Bond's DANGEROUS GROUND. The Arctic itself as an environment which can be stunning in its breathtaking beauty and is always fraught with danger and the potential for deadly accidents was never truly exploited as a part of the story to anywhere near the extent that it might have been.

ICE STATION ZEBRA is an enjoyable change of pace and nice easy brain candy reading that won't tax the little grey cells. It just won't make anyone's top ten list of the best all-time spy vs spy thrillers!

Recommended.

Paul Weiss

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not perfect, but has aged much better than Ian Fleming's novels about James Bond and stands heads and shoulders above most modern spy thriller novels I have read. (Tom Clancy and his ilk) The characters are pretty well-defined with distinctive personalities even though not many words are spent on their characterisation, the plot actually takes its time to build up from its internal logical and the prose can get quite beautiful when describing the Arctic landscapes.

Which reminds me: "Ice Station Zebra" is also at least as much a wilderness survival story as a spy novel, and I didn't mind that. The Arctic almost comes alive and becomes a character in the book, being a more memorable antagonist than the Soviet spies. The overall atmosphere is not that different from John Carpenter's "The Thing" just with humans antagonists instead of extraterrestrial shapeshifters.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best of Alastair MacLean. Also, Fear is the Key (my fav) and Night without End.

I must say there were some pretty awful movies made from his films, especially Ice Station Zebra. I remember seeing it in the cinema and quietly gagging the whole time.

I read all his books when I was a teen, and then up to Breakheart Pass, which did not impress me.

[Don Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I read a spy story today, I inevitably compare it to those who I consider to be masters of the genre. Alistair MacLean is one of those authors, and “Ice Station Zebra” is a great example of his work.

This book is a gripping suspense tale, with all the excitement one could ask for. No, there are no car chases and no amazing shootouts, but somehow Mr. MacLean can easily keep a reader captivated for hours on end. What he does offer is good storytelling, mixing the spy genre with the whodunit feel of a great detective novel.

In fact, the killer is revealed during the course of the book, as the author does drop a clue that would reveal the guilty party. The clue, however, was so subtle that I missed it, and I believe most folks would miss it also. To me, this is the beauty of a successful plotline, when the author can leave a clue in plain sight and have readers overlook it.

Exciting story, engaging characters, unexpected twists. You can’t go wrong with this one. Five stars.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

One part Agatha Christie, one part Hunt for Red October, this ended up being better than I thought it would be, because I had some real doubts over the first 75 or so pages. It really plods along over those early few chapters, taking a while to set up the story, show each of the main characters, show you the ship in what feels like more detail than needed, although you’re aware that a lot of it will come into play later, and it does. Once the ship is finally underway, however, the adventure picks up. It is one of those thriller/mysteries where there’s one mishap or problem after another that requires creative, quick thinking and plenty of physical and mental resolve. The pacing is much better in the latter 75% and keeps a steady gait throughout, never slowing too much before something else happens, especially once the crew knows there’s a killer in their midst. I enjoyed how the narrator/POV character didn’t reveal his own secrets with the reader either, not until later, only giving hints, and how many of his actions are esoteric and mysterious, making you wonder if you’re following a reliable narrator at all. One point that irked me a little is that the author is clearly British, and as such many of the Americans sometimes speak exactly how the British think Americans might speak, not all "Howdy" cowboy-like, but in that the American characters sometimes use terms and phrases and mannerisms that remind me of British officers rather than Americans. Maybe it's just me, but it felt like a rather clear limitation of the author. My other beef is with the ending: if this M.I.6 agent is so clever, wouldn’t he have put the gun back without the firing pin, or somehow disabling the weapon so there was no fear of being shot during the big reveal? Just a thought. Otherwise, a fine book once it actually gets underway. I haven’t seen the film, but I knew Ernest Borgnine was in it and I imagined him as the captain in the book, but I guess he wasn’t in the film. Alas.

[Dom Carvelho · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best thrillers I ever read - MacLean was a master spy novelist and one of the best 20th century thriller writers.

[Joni Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ice Station Zebra is Not Responding

Drift Ice Station Zebra is not answering. In fact, after reporting a catastrophic fire which killed a few of its men, the remote British arctic monitoring station went off grid. Since it’s a drifting station, due to the north pole’s circular motion, nobody can actually pin point where it is. The West’s recon planes are getting nothing and even the surprising assistant from the Russians who sent an “Ice Breaker” class ship, came up with nothing.
American naval officer and submarine skipper, Commander Swanson, takes the USS Dolphin, which is docking in Scotland, on a rescue mission. The Dolphin is a state of the art Nuclear sub, second to none in the US Navy and the entire world.
Just before they embark, the narrator, Dr Carpenter, requests permission to board the rescue mission. A strange directive from Washington affirms the Doctor’s unique status. Swanson doesn’t trust him, nor do his men, who are as good they come. Things get even trickier when Carpenter shares Ice Station Zebra’s real purpose and the fact that he suspects foul play.
Before getting to the novel itself I feel compelled to explain what drove me to grab an “old” Alistair MacLean classic.
First, by reviewing a classic thriller from 1963, I hope to expose some of you younger readers to a masterpiece, which is high up there among the mystery titans as Christie and Simenon. Second, as a thriller novelist myself I have been looking up to the old masters for inspiration, having read a few Poirot books recently. I exclaim that Ice Station Zebra has provided much.
Alistair MacLean does extremely well to draw the reader without the need of using any “fireworks and pyrotechnics”. The scenery is dreary at best. There aren’t many tools one can use when describing the inside of a Nuclear sub, or the wide desolate plains of the arctic. Nonetheless these are the perfect sceneries to pose as a fertile ground for mystery and eeriness.
I immediately identified with both Dr Carpenter, and the honest Commander Swanson. While Carpenter tells the story first hand, it is clear that he has something to hide. This is even more contrast vis a vis his admiring descriptions of Swanson’s infallible, placating and impeccable character.
The plot has twists and turns, no stone is left untouched and no one is beyond suspicion. Carpenter does well to expose us readers to more information bits by bits, on a need to know basis. The readers are left aching for information, much like Commander Swanson at times.
It is only at the ultimate ending when Carpenter rounds up the lot, and like a skilful cold-war era Hercule Poirot delivers the conclusion.
Throughout the novel we learn that the fire which erupted on Drift Ice Station Zebra was no accident at all; It turns out that Drift Ice Station Zebra was far more than a meteorologist station; And we will soon learn that not Carpenter nor the survivors are what they seem, and nothing should be taken at Face Value.
Whoever met me personally, knows that I’m extremely busy during the day at work, and tremendously busy at evenings (with full-of-energy toddlers). However, I breezed through this novel in less than a week, as it seemed to stick to my fingers. A rave 5 star review (6 if there was such a mark).

Originally posten on Brittany's Pages

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

For something different I decided try one of the classics of the suspense thriller genre to see how it held up. Obviously a product of its time - there wasn't a single female character if I recall correctly - its the way it was on a nuclear submarine in the early 60s. Apart from the submarine setting, which reads as very authentic, there is action on the Arctic (the eponymous Ice Station Zebra) and international intrigue afoot that is best read fresh.

The story, even after over half a century, is still very suspenseful and thrilling. To quote a contemporary Maclean's writing style was "hit 'em with everything but the kitchen sink, then give 'em the sink, and when they raise their heads, drop the plumber on 'em" ... and it works. There are plenty of memorable characters to empathise with as they are thrown into intolerable situations that somehow keep getting worse.

Apart from the strongly drawn characters and tight plot, the other highlight is the mystery element at the end that doesn't feel tacked on as, from the outset, the narrator declares himself unreliable which gives the whole story an element of mystery. All in all a great read and the first of many Macleans to come for me.

(Audiobook)

[Larry Loftis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from a master.

As I mentioned in earlier reviews, MacLean is intoxicated with adverbs, particularly attribution adverbs. One can only read "he said savagely," "he said gently," "he said admiringly," and so on in every paragraph before it gets annoying. But in MacLean's defense, many in his day considered this habit an attribute of quality writing. And besides, MacLean's stories are so good that we can overlook this small demerit.

Like MacLean's "Where Eagles Dare," "Ice Station Zebra" is a plotting masterpiece. Imagine a merger of a Tom Clancy novel (with exceptional military detail) with a mystery whodunit like Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." There's so much detail on the workings of a submarine, in fact, that it might deter many from reading on. But stay the course. MacLean will reward you in the end, I promise.

And fear not, there's plenty of pace and cliffhangers along the way.

So if you're looking for a pace-driven military whodunit, I'd say, "And Then There Was One."

Ice Station Zebra.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic adventure tale, although the narrator kept a lot of screts from everyone including the reader.

Intending this book to fulfil the Seasonal Reading Challenge WINTER CHALLENGE 2017
25.4 - Nick KY’s Task: White Winter, Yellow Moon, book 1,option B. The book is on page one of the list Ice and Snow.

[Clint Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever seen a 1950's action/thriller movie? Black and white melodramatic characters who talk mostly with their hands, and dip into a lengthy monologue to explain to the viewer what they missed? Do you love that as much as I do? Then you will enjoy this book!

It's a submarine story about a rescue mission to the Arctic at the height of the Cold War. The main character is a little shifty, not quite what he seems, but won't let the reader--or other characters--in on the secret. A modern reader might guess at a few revelations here or there, but the ride to the climax is a smooth one. The tension in some of the scenes seems to last forever, making you frantically turn pages with white knuckles.

I was reminded of two authors when I read this book. . . . If Tom Clancy wrote an Agatha Christie pastiche, it might play out quite like Ice Station Zebra. Highly recommended, but for a certain crowd.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of MacLean's most famous, and still stands up well today as a "historical spy novel." Turned into a pretty decent film, too (at least for its day), with Rock Hudson and a wonderful Patrick McGoohan.

[Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ice Station Zebra is a classic suspense/thriller during the height of the cold war. It is somewhat dated now, but it has some great elements of epionage, murder, plot twists, and heroics. It is a light, yet entertaining read.

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up watching Ice Station Zebra on TBS, and generally anything else that station aired. When I found out that old movie was based on a novel, I had to read it. It turns out the movie was a pretty loose adaptation of the book - they even changed the names of the characters and the rescue vessel, which seems weird.

During the Cold War, a US nuclear submarine is dispatched on a rescue mission to an Arctic weather station. A distress call indicates a catastrophic fire destroyed the station, and they must rescue possible survivors before they die from exposure. Before the USS Dolphin ships out, a mysterious Englishman named Dr. Carpenter is placed aboard on direct orders from the Chief of Naval Operations.

What ensues is a mixture of submarine adventures (getting trapped beneath the thick arctic ice; danger of implosion when the vessel sinks to untested depths) and spy adventures (a race across the ice to locate the submarine; the discovery there's a saboteur among the survivors.)

I did enjoy this, but it's mostly because of nostalgia. Alistair MacLean's style is more tell than show, which undoes a lot of the tension and excitement. For example, when disaster strikes the Dolphin's engine room, Captain Swanson and Dr. Carpenter stay on the bridge, discussing the situation and passing down the occasional order over the intercom. *yawn* I get it - this was the style of the period, but I would rather read about the derring-do happening instead of a cold, remote analysis of the problem.

All in all, I did like the book. Once the Zebra survivors are recovered the plot becomes a pretty straight-forward whodunit. Even though I picked out the spy pretty early on, I didn't see the accomplice coming. That's always a good thing to me in a mystery.

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a first-rate Cold War thriller that stacks up well against the Tom Clancys of the world.

The book is also completely different from the famous Rock Hudson film.

MacLean's novel is a finely-crafted whodunit set in the frigid High Arctic.

Why did a fire break out on the British Arctic research station Zebra? And why is a U.S. nuclear submarime obliged to rescue, taking along a mysterious British physician with carte blanche from the Pentagon?

Toss in subterfuge, Soviets and constant jeopardy and you have a sensational reading recipe.

Highly recommended.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this a long time ago. I saw someone had posted they had read it and it triggered my memory so I'm adding it to my "have read this" list.

[Maćkowy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Klasyk Alistair’a MacLean’a nie dość, że w wydaniu audio, to jeszcze w formie superprodukcji. Powieść chwilami uroczo niedzisiejsza (ach, te nowinki technologiczne z lat ‘60), ale zaskakująco dziarska, jak na piędziesięioośmiolatkę, bo poza trącącymi myszką technikaliami tak forma jak treść jest świeża i jak najbardziej strawna dla dzisiejszego czytelnika i jest świetnym dowodem na to, że na objętości niecałych trzystu stron można napisać pełnokrwisty miks thrillera, kryminału i książki przygodowej.
Jedynym, ale znaczącym minusem produkcji (nie treści) jest dla mnie to, że przy superprodukcjach narracja pierwszoosobowa średnio sprawdza się, bo wprowadza spory zamęt.

[Conrad Kinch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always had a fondness for Alistair MacLean. My father would return home from work in Dublin City centre and leave his wool coat steaming in the hall. There was a second hand bookshop near the train station and he would stop off on Fridays and special occasions and buy a handful of paperbacks. The rules of the game were as follows, if I'd been good, I would be directed after dinner that "You might find something interesting, if you look in my coat."

If reports were bad, these might mysteriously disappear. A little personal reconnaissance before the appointed hour was acceptable, but woe betide the Kinch minor that tried to snaffle one before his time. MacLean, Captain W.E. Johns, Richard Jeffries, Rosemary Sutcliff and a variety of boy detectives features a great deal. Henty was bigger and only came solo, as there was a limit to what Dad's pockets would hold. Curiously enough, I don't recall ever getting Ice Station Zebra.

The tale on the face of it is simple enough, there has been an accident at a British Antarctic Base and a US Navy Nuclear Submarine is dispatched to help. On board is Dr Carpenter, a mysterious Englishman, who is tasked with discovering what exactly occurred at the station.

As is traditional in an Alistair MacLean nothing is quite as it seems. Dr Carpenter, who is also a narrator, is revealed as steely eyed secret agent demonstrates the typical MacLean virtues of immense physical endurance, dogged determination and deeply cynical humour. There is no sex or romance in the story and comparatively little violence as the most brutal struggles of the book are pit man against the landscape. The nuclear submarine USS Dolphin is a prominent character in the action, this is not a techno-thriller in the Clancy mould. MacLean is far more interested in men than machine. This is a relatively short book, I read it over a day. It is also an old fashioned story in that it is one where things happen. There is precious little time for reflection or character development, not when there are Reds to outwit and icy tundras to cross.

In a strange way Ice Station Zebra has more in common with classic Christie mysteries like "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Ten Little Indians" then the bullet laced thrillers of our own day. The hero must solve a puzzle against the clock while trapped with his array of suspects. Ultimately despite his brute strength, weapons and the exotic locale, Dr Carpenter must resolve things the old fashioned way, by thinking.

And for those of you who like that sort of thing, this is exactly the sort of thing that you like.

[Dalton Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ice Station Zebra was pretty good - once you got halfway or more into it. Before that time, it felt quite plodding ... far from engaging. This is the reason I knocked off one star from the review. It also didn't help that the narrator was a bit on the dull side. Otherwise, I'd have given it four stars because when everything came together it was fairly solid.

However, I also have to add that when the bad guy was 'revealed' at the end, it wasn't surprising, as I'd already pegged who the villain was - not necessarily because of anything particular I picked up on, but merely because I think I've seen enough movies, and read enough whodunit books, to be able to figure out with a fair amount of consistency who the bad guy is. This was one of those times.

IMO, this story would be more entertaining as a movie - and because there is a movie based on the book I plan to see it, even though I've heard that the book is far better. At any rate, after having read this (which was my first Alistair MacLean book), I'm definitely interested in picking some of his other writings

[Ann aka Iftcan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I enjoyed the book but frankly the movie SUCKED big time. Even Ernest Borgnine (who is a great character actor, btw) couldn't save this one. His character didn't even appear in the book, the whole ending was messed up and. . .

Oh wait, I'm supposed to be reviewing the BOOK. :o)

The book is a great read, but then I haven't found a single one of Maclean's books that I didn't enjoy.

I like the interplay between the characters in this one and the descriptions of the ice pack actually made me feel COLD they were so good.

Not having ever made it onto a nuclear sub, I have no idea if the descriptions were acurate or not. But the way that sailors relate was real--I grew up Navy and watched even non-nukes react to each other this way. When you are out at sea and your life depends on the guys around you, you quickly develop a family type relationship.

All in all, a nice taunt thriller.

[Arunimaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down one of the most intense thrillers I have ever come across. Then again, I'll admit I haven't read a whole lot of thrillers in the first place.

Ongoing Cold War. A British Meteorological drift station set up in the Arctic- Ice Station Zebra, has gone completely off the grids. No one can locate it anymore as it is drifting away across the North Pole. What's worse, is that the last communication that was established with the station was of an SOS singnal being sent from there, for there had been a huge, savage fire in an accident which had ended up claiming several (currently number unknown) lives.

After mainy failed attempts by the Britain, the US and surprisingly even Russia, to locate the station, finally a special crew aboard a very special vessel, submarine USS Dolphin, is commissioned. Dolphin happens to be by far the best submarine available that had any chance, albeit negligible, to find the lost station.

However, something strange happens the day Dolphin is set to depart. A stranger, some Dr Carpenter, comes knocking at the Captain - Commander Swanson's door claiming to have the permission from the highest authority to be given passage on the Dolphin. No one knows anything about Carpenter. But he has the permission so after verifications, he is reluctantly welcomed aboard. And so, the Dolphin departs on her voyage. And that's when slowly and steadily, all hell begins to break loose and it comes to light that the accident at the station might not have been an accident afterall.

First of all, I'd like to just talk about what an absolutely bloody remarkable a writer Alistair McLean is. You can just tell how much he knows about what he's writing. Mind you, there is a tonne of technical, scientific, submarine related jargons that I had a bit of a tough time following. Especially when in one of those extremely intense scenes where something huge is happening but there is still a lot of technical stuff going on with the submarine or some of its parts, I would never want to be caught dead with someone actually ever knowing the pathetic imagery my brain would conjure up. But I have zero knowledge about this stuff and while I did by best to follow, there some things that were just hard for me to visualise.

However, none of these things actually ever made it difficult for me to enjoy the book. And i think that's where McLean's impeccable writing skills coming in. He has woven science, a whole lot of it, and a bit more, history, geography, propaganda with fiction into such a rivetting whodunnit murder story that it makes it so hard for you to put it down. And mind you, it's a fast paced book. So , the plot keeps thickening and more and more drama continues to unfold very quickly.

After the halfway mark, it's like one bomb getting dropped on you after another. It's just a series of revelations and I personally, couldn't prediction any of them. And the best part I believe is our narrator. From the synopsis, we know that this stranger, Dr Carpenter is a very suspicious and mysterious man. What I didn't know is that he is going to be the one narrating the story. Now imagine having a narrator, an excellent one, no doubt, narrating away while at the same time hiding so much from everyone else, including his readers. Dr Carpenter fooled me so many times. And I absolutely loved it.

Some other things I enjoyed about this book was it's humour. Top class. Humour even in the face of travesty. And good humour at that too. And secondly, the loyalty and comradrie among the crew members aboard the ship. It was extremely satisfying that despite insulting one another, constant bantering, everyone has each other's back and towards the end, the way the story unraveled, was the product of brilliant teamwork.

[Dhiraj Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with HMS Ulysse, Golden Rendzevous and San Andreas this is one of the best MacLean Novels.
A USN Nuclear Submarine dashes to the Arctic to rescue a British meteorological team trapped on the polar ice cap. However except the protagonist nobody knows that the rescue attempt is really a cover-up for one of the most desperate espionage missions of the Cold War.
MacLean is at his favourite territory here i.e the Sea. The climax is the proverbial "tables were turned".
Believe me nobody writes like Maclean and Ice Station Zebra will keep you biting at your nails till the last page.

[Soňa · Rating 3 out of 5]

V rámci knižného klubu bola téma na mrazivú literatúru, tak mi prischla táto kniha. A je rozhodne dobrá voľba, keďže sa jedná o detektívny triller s dávkou špionáže a pribúdajúcich mŕtvol.

Dej sa zbytočne nezadrháva, ale postupuje v pred a nikto vlastne nevie, kto je podzrivý a kto nie, až do momentu, keď všetci preživší sú upodozrievaní a smrť si vyberá svoju daň i na ponorke....
Dobré čítanie i napriek tomu, že tento román má svoj vek a udalosti sú stale s malými obmenami použiteľné aj dnes.