1st Publication hardback date 27th April 1978 United Kingdom Weidenfeld
Hardback ISBN not known.
Paperback 1st Publication 1989 Mandarin ISBN 0749301104 496pp 178 x 111mm
Large print edition 1st publication 1994 Library Magna Books ISBN 0750506067 350pp 220 x 140mm
From book cover.
The story of a rogue Antarctic iceberg -- a giant tabular berg the size of Belgium -- that becomes a major world menace.
or
For nine months an indestructible iceberg move unseen and undetected beneath
the desolate wastes of the South Atlantic. Responsible for the lives of 10 million
people, the mayor of New York is forced to give the order to evacuate the city.
Or
The top brass of Western Intelligence are badly rattled when transatlantic cables
are inexplicably and provocatively cut, and Russian and American relations reach
freezing-point. Only Glyn Sherwood and Julia Hammond, two scientists working
in the Antarctic, can guess the identity of the enemy. It is a gargantuan slice
of the glacial continent bearing millions of tons of rock on its grasp, which
triggers a series of disasters as it drifts inexorably north.
Or
Beneath the desolate wastes of the South Atlantic lurks a malign force of unimaginable
power. The top brass of Western Intelligence are badly rattled when transatlantic
cables are inexplicably and provocatively cut, and Russian and American relations
reach freezing-point when a luxury ocean liner and a Soviet supersub go down
in a sea like honey. Only Glyn Sherwood and Julia Hammond, two scientists working
on the Antarctic can dare guess the identity of an enemy well outside the diplomatic
compass. It is a gargantuan slice of the glacial continent bearing millions
of tons of rock in its grasp. Swathed in its own fog, the frozen colossus triggers
a series of disasters as it drifts inexorably north. On collision course with
New York and impervious even to nuclear blast it has the seismic force to cause
Manhattan to shake like a dog.
With Ice James Follett has conceived the teeth chattering possibility of how
Nature can punish those who foolishly believe they have mastered her.
This is a book that I have liked a lot as it is in my top five Follett's in at number 4.
The idea behind the book is one of those that make you wonder if anyone else has written something along similar lines. Could the Ice be made more sinister so that it takes longer for the cause of all the problems to be found? or is the pacing just right, I have reread the book and I have to admit that I think the pacing is just about right. Should one of the main characters be killed off ?, this could be changed in a 2nd edition of the book if one ever appears. This is a book that would make a good film if the humour and the tension could be maintained as well as it is done in the book. This is a Novel that should have a rewrite or update that could improve a good book even more. ( See James Follett's comments below about a new book based on Ice) David Williams
Author James Follett comments
" Ice is the only book in which I knew what the first and last sentences would be before I started work.
Curiously, about five years ago a monster iceberg broke out of the Weddell Sea, just as I predicted in the novel. People thought I was very clever. Not really -- it's just that I'd talked to the right marine geologists when researching the novel: a major iceberg event had been on the cards for some years. Tracking the geologists down wasn't too difficult either because The Institute of Oceanographic Sciences near Godalming, Surrey, is about a mile from my home!
Oh yes -- the first and last sentences were the same: `The ice moved...' I've now completely rewritten the book in the light of new research into the stability of the Antarctic icecap.
Second Atlantis was published by Severn House in the summer of 1998"
James Follett
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