This book has sat inconspicuously next to my computer desk on it's shelf for two years and I don't know what exactly propelled me to pick it up but I'm glad I finally did! I tend to collect adventure stories that reach all corners of the Earth, even go between the layers and I especially love all the ice stories such as this one. The good news is that this book is fantastic, it reads like a movie and sometimes goes in opposite direction of reality and belief but it makes for a heck of a read. The bad news, it's long, well only 505 pages but Rollins could use a good editor and chop off about a hundred because he loves to write about ever single step everyone takes, especially when it comes to fighting and explaining how to maneuver submarines, helicopters and all sorts of vehicles. Maybe it's a dude thing, maybe if I was a guy I'd love it little more, not sure, but I am patient and still enjoyed the book because the main idea was excellent.

Most of the story revolves around an ice island that has frozen over and over in the Earth's polar ice cap, sharing waters with Alaska, Russia, Finland, Canada and Greenland. Scientists and naval powers haven't seen it in decades but life is being brought back to the island, all because a shape that has moved and caught on the submarine's sonar, all within the abandoned ice station inside, named Ice Station Grendel. Those who read enough and watch fantasy movies will be familiar with the name, but the author has planned more than a cool name for a station, it's not as much of a moniker as a foreshadowing what caused its demise and what will bring terror back into the icy waters. The station looks like an upside down cone, spiraling levels with labs, a cave and even a submarine gate, all encased in clear blue ice, with people running though it once again. I loved reading how the tunnels in an ice island felt like, the eerie cold and quiet one felt when alone, probably the loneliest place to be, deep under water, but not really alone, there's something else down there...

There are good guys, bad guys, and those who simply cannot make their minds up as the reader is catapulted into a journey of fighting governments, secret project cover ups and tons of action. My head was spinning from the armaments and mental battles going on and I felt like I was reading a movie, it was an amazing experience, but like I said little lengthy. After reading Ice Hunt I'm ready to tackle more of Rollins, but after my toes unfreeze, I feel as if I have been dipping them in ice water the whole time, because that's all there is.

Great ending, lots of twists and turns and some nasty surprises crawling throng those quiet tunnels. Those who love action, science and adventure with a little mystery threw in will enjoy this tremendously. What starts of as a scientific mission turns into a tale that takes a bite out of the reader, a rather good bite too, so enjoy and watch that water...it only appears safe.

- Kasia S.

If you like books that start with excitement then you will like this book several times over; An Eskimo Village Vanishes -- A submerged and abandoned Ice base discovered at the polar ice cap with scores of dead bodies -- A game warden pulled a survivor out of a crashed plane and then they were the targets of multiple groups of assassins -- A sub sails from Russia with a secret and deadly mission.

Ice Hunt had a lot of interesting history mixed in with some science fiction that together created a story that was non-stop with surprise after surprise. Characters changed from hero to villain and vis-versa as the plot unwound. Definitely another thriller by Rollins.

I love fiction, and love to immerse myself in the plot; as a result, I find it easy to suspend disbelief and enjoy the story -- I am not one to notice minor plot holes. Ice Hunt reads quickly enough to allow readers like me to lose themselves in the plot. Although there are several arcs to the main story, they fit well and are easy enough to keep together without becoming confused.
My main complaints:
1) Details that don't NEED to be fictionalized are missed. For example, a Navy captain's rank insignia is referred to as "captain's bars." That is a huge mistake that could be spotted by anyone who knows anything about the Navy or the military in general (even people who have only watched JAG or Top Gun). In this example and others, blatantly missed facts make it harder to suspend the disbelief that is so important to enjoying the story being told. How can you believe the author's description of a submarine, for example, if he just said that it is being skippered by a captain who wears lieutenant's bars. I am not usually a nit-picker, but mistakes this blatant in non-fictional details hurt the credibility (or believability) of the fiction.
2) There are a bit too many "near escapes" from dire circumstances; not to give anything away as bad things do happen, but one or two "dead" people miraculously returning from the brink of certain death is about the limit. When it happens over and over again, even an immersive reader like me is thrown out of the plot.
Luckily, the story was good enough and fast-paced enough that each time I was snapped back to reality by one of the aforementioned problems, I was able to lose myself in the plot again in a relatively short timespan. For that reason, I am giving the overall experience three stars.
I would NOT recommend this book for those who have trouble suspending disbelief - particularly in the face of numerous factual errors; if more than a few "eye-rolling" experiences will turn you off of a story, you may want to move on. I would, though, recommend this book for those looking to lose themselves in a fast-paced story bordering on science fiction, and for those readily able to suspend disbelief and forgive the majority of factual errors and plot contrivances employed. You never quite know if the story is predictable or not, and the lines between "good guy" and "bad guy" are interestingly blurred.
One last thing: if you know absolutely nothing about the military in general and special forces in particular, then the read will likely be a lot easier.

This book was a roller coaster of action. It takes right off from the first minute and doesn't let up until the end. The twists were great. I always have wanted to live in all the places he explores in the book. The main character was likeable and you rooted for him to get together with the girl. He also made the "grendel" characters believable and scary. To have all the main characters confronting multiple threats was very well done.

One problem I had was (Spoilers) that all of the good guys survived. The author let you believe that people died and then one by one it was revealed that they didn't.

The item that kept this book from being 5 stars was perhaps just a personal preference. If you wanted the bad guy to be an evil Russian, I don't have a problem with that. However, the bad guy was all of the Russians...which is also fine. So I knew that somewhere in the book, it would be "revealed" that the United States was also the enemy. I thought it was ridiculous to have the Delta Force team become evil, and then citing all of those evil things that the US has done. When the Deltas decided to kill everyone at Omega Station, I began to lose interest and respect. I know it's just my personal preference, but I get tired of reading books and watching movies in which the US is so evil. I know our country is not perfect, but we are the best thing out there.

Overall a great, action packed book.

This is definately one of my favourite novels by James!
Strange creatures, submarines, firefights on land in the air and the sea, who could ask for more? Continuous danger and excitement just the way I like it! Throw in a government conspiracy and you have yet again an amazing story!
I could not put it down and finished it in 2 days!