Ice Station Zebra

Ice Station Zebra is a classic Cold War technothriller and mystery novel. A British artic ice weather station has sent an SOS that fire had destroyed most of the base and killed several members of the crew, and with winter closing in, the only chance of rescue for the survivors is a cutting edge nuclear submarine, the USS Dolphin. The story is told through the eyes of Dr. Carpenter, a British expert in arctic survival with surprising resources, as he bonds with the suspicious American crew, survives several sabotage attempts that nearly destroy the Dolphin, and reveals a dangerous traitor.

USS Skate surfacing at the North Pole in 1959, an inspiration for the book

What works is the gripping tension of the book, the escalating stakes. Zebra show more is not an innocent weather station, and the men there did not die in some tragic accident, but were deliberately murdered as part of an espionage mission with stakes that could change the course of the Cold War. The enemy is willing to kill again and again, and it takes all of Carpenter's cleverness and personal bravery to figure out who among the crew and survivors can be trusted, and who is his ultimate enemy.

However, Carpenter's hidden knowledge about the true purpose of Zebra, to capture a Soviet reconnaissance satellite film package, and his true identity as a British counter-intelligence agent, is doled out to the reader in dribs and drabs, with an irritating "But I have more secrets" internal monologue, which does drive mystery, but is also an obvious gambit.

Ultimately, MacLean is a master storyteller. My high school library had a well-loved copy of The Guns of Navarone, and while I think WW2 is his native ground, Zebra holds up 60 years later, with the cutting edge technology having worn it's way into a period thriller. show less

This is a thrilling tale of Cold War espionage under the sea. Our protagonist, Dr. Carpenter, is sent to join the crew of the nuclear submarine Dolphin on a rescue mission to the high Arctic. Their destination: the meteorological research facility known as Drift Ice Station Zebra, which has sustained a major fire and is no longer fit for habitation. The sub needs to rescue the scientists stationed there, but somebody seems intent on having the mission fail…

The story is told by Dr. Carpenter in first person, and so we are limited by what he sees or what he chooses to reveal. (Those who get annoyed when Poirot says things like "All will be revealed, Hastings!" may be irritated when Carpenter says he noticed something but doesn't show more elaborate.) The suspense steadily increases, becoming ever more stifling, like stale air in a submarine that is unable to surface, compelling you to read on to find out what happens. Along the way, if you are so inclined, you can pick up a heck of a lot of information on how submarines work. For the most part this information is delivered in a much less obtrusive way than in Athabasca, although there were some places where I wondered "If Dr. Carpenter has a 'working knowledge' of submarines, shouldn't he know that already?"

I would definitely recommend this book if you've read others by MacLean or enjoy tales of the Cold War, submarine warfare or the Arctic. And if you haven't read him before, this would be just as good a place to start as The Guns of Navarone. show less

A slow-starting but very satisfying tale of rescue and espionage in the Arctic. While slightly dated, the Cold War references shouldn't keep the reader from enjoying this adventure.

The highly-advanced atomic submarine Dolphin is dispatched to the Arctic on a rescue mission: a weather station somewhere on the ice pack has lost radio contact after broadcasting an SOS. A civilian, Dr. Carpenter, is sent along to assist the military crew with his expertise. Of course, as these things go, Carpenter turns out to be rather more than a medical doctor (he helped design the weather station, for a start). It won’t come as a surprise, either, that the weather station is really a front for top secret shenanigans.

This was a tight little Cold War thriller that uses its settings to great effect: tense underwater conditions as the submarine dives underneath the arctic sea ice, and high-tech survivalist porn in the scenes set on show more top of the ice. The end drags a little, but at that point the novel has built up enough goodwill. show less

Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean

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, show more 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 machines. 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. show less

The early chapters are interesting as the protagonist deals with arctic conditions and keeping personal and state secrets. It slows down considerably once the submarine goes under the ice on its way back to Scotland. Very slow unfolding of the mystery, drawn out for no apparent reason. The big reveal is a relief to the reader, not a revelation.

Pretty exciting ride here. A little slow to get going....could not figure out what the main character was about.....but i realized eventually that that was the point....neither did the other characters! Much of this takes place on a U.S. military nuclear submarine.....and in the Arctic. I recently had the privilege of touring a U.S. nuclear submarine at a base in Georgia by a 'chief of boat' and it is an experience i am likely never to forget! So this added a whole dimension of familiarity that I would usually be lacking, and i could so very clearly visualize all of this book. Fascinating concept and much of it was rather gripping. Startling displays of courage and much cleverness as the mystery of the weather station fire and its cause show more slowly get solved....at a great expense. Have loved most of MacLean and this is no exception. Just bundle up before reading!!! show less