Book Review: Icebound by Dean Koontz

Icebound
Dean Koontz
Read by Paul Michael
Random House Audio, 2007
ISBN 0739341413
Unabridged Audio Book

A scientific team in the Arctic icefield is conducting an experiment and has just finished laying sixty explosive charges, scheduled to detonate at midnight, when a completely unexpected tidal wave hits and breaks off a huge piece of ice.  Unfortunately, the scientists are marooned on this newly-birthed iceberg with the explosives counting down and, to make matters worse, an attack on a team member indicates one of them is also an assassin with an agenda of his own.  Rescue from elsewhere is perhaps impossible as a storm is raging, preventing nearby ships from getting there before the detonations, and a Russian submarine commander may be their only hope.  Still, how does a submarine effect a rescue when there is no way to get its divers on a massive—and moving—block of ice with sheer walls?

This book has had multiple incarnations.  Originally published in mass market format in 1976 under the pen name David Axton and with the title Poison Ice, Koontz apparently extensively revised it and brought it out under the Koontz name as Icebound in late 1994, again in mass market.  An abridged audio edition (cassette) came out a few weeks later, read by John Glover, as well as a large print edition.  In 1997, it was re-issued as a trade paperback and then, in 2000, was re-issued once again in mass market and in turtleback (a library hardcover binding for a paperback).  Finally, in 2007, this unabridged audio book was released.  Whew!

I’m a Dean Koontz fan from way back but had never read this one, for some reason.  A major departure from many of his other books is that there are no animals anywhere in the story (!).  Suspense is high and rarely lets up; I did not figure out the identity of the assassin until near the time when the castaways do but that particular mystery—and the why behind the attack—take a distant second seat to the question of potential rescue.  The Russian sub’s commander is an especially interesting character in his background and why he is determined to try to save these people.

Paul Michael is a reader I haven’t tried before and I liked his performance very much.  He has a clear voice and I rarely had any confusion as to who was speaking.  Another positive aspect of this audio book is the short tracks, making it easy to find your place if you have to pull the CD out of your player and then find your place again.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, May 2010.

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May 27, 2010  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Full Reviews, My Reviews

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