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Erica Daniels, a volcanologist, still holds a grudge against her former lover, David Marsh, now a noted geologist. Years ago, he stole her doctoral thesis and destroyed her life-long dream of going to the moon. When NASA calls on her, she assumes they finally want her for an expedition to colonize the moon. Instead, she's sent to Antartica and learns that it is Marsh who will be a member of the moon expedition's crew.
It is 2015, and scientists have discovered, via satellite, a "hot spot" in the ice of Antarctic. The team sent to investigate disappears after finding frozen bodies in the ice. Now Erica must find out what happened to them, and what is causing the "hot spot." Allan Rocheford, an archaeologist, is assigned to her team. Erica holds him in low regard because he sold the artifacts he discovered in an Egyptian tomb. Their antagonism slowly changes to attraction, and Erica believes she has finally put David Marsh behind her. But has she misjudged the character of her new lover?
Jackson evidently researched this novel extensively—Antarctica, the moon, volcanos, and quantum physics combine for an exciting read. The author's use of tension and conflict kept me interested until the surprising, but satisfying, ending.
A few things were distracting to me: The author used the term "beakers" on the first page, and in a few other places in the book. It took me a while (and some surfing on the Internet) to figure out that "beakers" is Antarctic slang for scientists. And I was amused by the photo of a polar bear on the cover of a book about Antarctica. I assumed the author knew that polar bears are found only in the Arctic circle, and I was right. The cover was chosen by her publisher. She writes about her dismay on her web site, but says, "He [the polar bear] conveyed the chilling suspense of the tale. He has become my own personal joke and my signature."
I highly recommend ICE TOMB to anyone who enjoys science fiction combined with a good mystery.
Reviewed by Marie DisBrow
for The Road to Romance
February 17, 2005
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