At the top of the world, life in the Arctic operates under a different set of rules. In Lincoln Child’s TERMINAL FREEZE, this becomes painfully clear to a group of scientists stationed at the aptly named Fear Base, there to study the effects of global warming. But then they make an astonishing discovery in a cave within a glacier: a 1,000-pound prehistoric creature, frozen in the ice.
Almost immediately, a Native American shaman shows up, warning paleoecologist Evan Marshall and his team to vamoose. And shortly thereafter, an entire documentary crew for a Discovery Channel-esque network flies in, ready to exploit the thawing of what they believe to be a saber-toothed tiger for a live television audience. Marshall protests, but the station underwrote the project, so it’s showtime.
Problem is, once the block is cut from the rest of the ice and moved to the five-level Fear Base, the damn thing disappears. And that’s when people start to die, being ripped to shreds by God-knows-what; the TERMINAL of the title isn’t there for nothing. A storm keeps the base’s collective crew of 40 from fleeing with ease. Hey, it worked for THE THING.
The situation grows more enigmatic with the arrival of a medieval historian, crowing about a recently declassified account of a 1958 snafu at Fear Base that also resulted in a slew of messy deaths. As if that suspense weren’t enough, Child also throws in a perilous journey via ice-road trucker.
There’s only one thing I disliked about TERMINAL FREEZE, and it’s a petty one: Child’s naming of certain characters. For example, you know with a name like Emilio Conti, the documentary director is going to be a megalomaniacal thorn in Marshall’s side, and he is. For another, you know with a name with Sgt. Fluke, the hastily introduced soul isn’t going to last past a chapter or two, and he doesn’t.
But that’s it. This type of creature feature is Child’s forte, and he again delivers. Even more, he surprises; I had a theory about the monster I was sure he was going to pull at the end, but he didn’t. Skilled, assured plotting like that is another reason that makes TERMINAL FREEZE a deeply satisfying, self-propelled, science-based thriller with a murder mystery frozen into its midsection. Enjoy it as an afternoon snack next weekend. —Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• THE BOOK OF THE DEAD by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• DANCE OF DEATH by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• DEEP STORM by Lincoln Child
• THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Related posts:
- Deep Storm
- Forecast: DEEP STORM moving in for Child
- The Wheel of Darkness
- Tor offers TYRANNOSAUR CANYON rebate
- Terminal
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I didn’t understand the ending at all. What’s the loss of an Irish Setter have to do with anything. Anybody?
If you had asked me this right after I had read it, I could help. But after reading dozens and dozens of books since, plot points have fallen by the wayside. Sorry!
The reason I am on this website is because I had the same question as you. Unfortunately I cannot find the answer anywhere! It’s terrible, and now I’m upset I read the whole book.