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Summary and Reviews of Fire Ice by Clive Cussler

Fire Ice by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos

Fire Ice

by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos
  • Critics' Consensus:
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  • First Published:
  • Jun 1, 2002, 384 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2003, 416 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

In the heart of the old Soviet Union, a mining tycoon has proclaimed himself czar of Russia. U.S. opposition doesn't bother him one bit. A little crisis of their own should distract the Americans for a while, and he knows just the thing. . . .

In Serpent, Clive Cussler introduced a hero for the new millennium in Kurt Austin, the leader of NUMA's Special Assignments Team. In previous encounters, Austin and his colleague Joe Zavala have battled eco-extortionists and mad empire builders--but they have never faced a menace like the one before them now.

In the heart of the old Soviet Union, a mining tycoon has proclaimed himself czar of Russia. Claiming Romanov ancestry and backed by billions of dollars, he is determined to overthrow the already shaky Russian government--and U.S. opposition doesn't bother him one bit. A little crisis of their own should distract the Americans for a while, and he knows just the thing. . . .

Filled with all the hair-raising action and endless imagination that are Cussler's hallmarks, Fire Ice is a dazzling thriller from the grandmaster of adventure fiction.

Chapter 1
Off the Maine Coast, the Present

LEROY JENKINS WAS hauling in a barnacle-encrusted lobster trap aboard his boat, The Kestrel, when he looked up and saw the giant ship on the horizon. He gingerly extracted a fat pair of angry crustaceans from the trap, pegged the claws and tossed the lobsters into a holding tank, then he rebaited the trap with a fish head, pushed the wire cage over the side and went into the pilothouse for his binoculars. He peered through the lenses and silently mouthed the word "Wow!"

The ship was huge. Jenkins examined the vessel from stem to stern with an expert eye. Before retiring to take up lobster-fishing, he had taught oceanography for years at the University of Maine, and he had spent many summer breaks on survey ships--but this vessel was like nothing he had ever seen. He estimated its length at about six hundred feet. Derricks and cranes sprouted from its deck. Jenkins guessed it was some sort of ocean mining or exploration vessel. He ...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Booklist - George Cohen
Like many of Cussler's books, three of them coauthored by Kemprecos, Fire Ice is sure to reach the best-seller list.

Kirkus Reviews
Dirk Pitt, the hero of all previous National Underwater & Marine Agency novels, has been replaced by Kurt Austin and talkative partner Joe Zavala. Fans may miss Dirk Pitt, but the story goes down like a chilled Stolichnaya martini.

Publishers Weekly
Cussler is in top form here, working in a role for Old Ironsides and Czar Nicholas II's crown while throwing in enough derring-do and eco-lore to leave his fans breathless. Coauthor Kemprecos adds his oceanographic expertise to the mix.

Reader Reviews

World Ruler

Outstanding, amazing, stupendious
It was amazing, all these others don't know what they are talking about. Read it, enjoy it, get over it.
Bob K

While I continue to enjoy Clive Cussler's style (I've read them all.), this book seemed much more predictable than most of his others. In addition, the faux-historical subplots weren't as thought-provokingly related to the main plot as I've come to...   Read More
guy

Its a good book, but could use a little bit more action and character development
Carol

FireIce
Good for the beach only.

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Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Fire Ice, try these:

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    Ben and Anna race to uncover the diabolical secrets long hidden behind the code word Sigma, secrets that threaten everything they think they know about themselves, their friends and families, and everything they were ever taught about history itself.

  • Hong Kong jacket

    Hong Kong

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    Hong Kong is a powder keg ready to explode. A political murder and the closure of a foreign bank by the communist government are the sparks that light the fuse . . . and Tiger Cole is right in the middle of the action.

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