The Ice Limit (original 2000; edition 2001)

In the 19th century, many wealthy individuals collected and displayed natural oddities in cabinets of curiosities. Billionaire Palmer Lloyd wants to accomplish a similar activity except he wants to display these oddities in a museum that he is building. Lloyd is combing the world for the unique and largest specimens. A potential rumored find may be largest meteorite ever discovered buried on the tip of Chile. Since this may be heaviest object to be moved by man, the relocation of this object to New York will require a skilled and professional team. Sam McFarlane, geologist and noted meteorite scientist, has been hired to locate the meteorite. Eli Glinn, president of an engineering company and reputed to accomplish engineering feats, has been employed to excavate and load the heavy object onto a redesigned modern supertanker, which will be piloted by the recovering alcoholic Captain Sally Britton. Optimistic, Glinn has planned for all contingencies for disguising the true purpose for their business in Chile and for moving an object which is heavier than a Saturn V rocket. Or has he?

Unfortunately, I read a blurb regarding the second book in the series which referenced the ending of this book so I spent much of this book waiting for the setup of the climax. I would recommend not making the same mistake I did. I did enjoy the story which was well crafted by Preston and Child; however, I did get a bit tired of life on the raging sea at the Strait of Magellan. I felt windswepted and salt-sprayed by the time I finished the book. ( )

A great thriller. ( )

I don’t want to say too much about The Ice Limit plot-wise because it would spoil a really great novel.

I will say that Ice Limit and Beyond the Ice Limit are parts one and two of the story and you really have to read them in that order. I know that Beyond the Ice Limit is billed as a stand alone, but the first part is so different and sets up the second so well that you will feel you have to drop everything and read part 2.

Conversely, Beyond the Ice Limit has so many spoilers for part one that if you read it first you probably shouldn’t bother with reading The Ice Limit—at the very least you won’t enjoy it nearly as much because the suspense and the shock ending will be gone.

This pair of novels, taken collectively, is a great thriller by two writers at the top of their game.
( )

hb ( )

My precioussssss... on ice. (3.5 stars) ( )