Book Review: Ice Station

Book: Ice Station, Matthew Reilly

Summary: When a something is found buried beneath the ice of the remote Wilkes Ice Station, and a subsequent distress signal is sent by the scientists inhabiting it, the USMC sends Captain Shane Schofield, code name Scarecrow (get ready to swoon), and his team to investigate. Upon arriving, they are immediately assaulted by French assassins, insider US forces trying to destroy evidence, a murder on base, AND mutated giant elephant seals.

If that sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is. Ice Station follows Scarecrow and his team through a maze of conspiracy theories and a barrage of action hitting you at every turn.

Why I read: This is actually a reread right now. It is what I like to call a summer “boat

book.” You see, I have this fiancé that LOVES to boat. And I love to boat too, but prefer a quiet relaxing trip on the bay with my book in hand and the sun beating down on me. He loves the concept, but really enjoys talking and playing Despacito real loud (he’s not a belieber, but very much into Reggaeton.. don’t get me started). I can’t very well read a new book with that kind of distraction around me, so I pick an old favorite and reread it on the water.

Now that you have the entire backstory of why I am CURRENTLY reading Ice Station, let me tell you why I picked it up originally. Matthew Reilly is one of those quirky things I tell people when they want a fun fact. Papa Dubs (as I lovingly call my Father) first discovered the author while traveling in Canada. He brought me back Ice Station because of whatever reason, really he’s just as nerdy as me so he probably thought the cover looked cool and I’d like it, and 10 years later I am obsessed with the guy. I’ve met him twice (phenomenal speaker and uber nerd), and have my coworker in Australia hunt down his AU releases early and ship them to me so I don’t have to wait the 6 additional months it takes to release in the US – I cannot be expected to wait that long. Long story short, I’m hooked on Reilly – and Ice Station is the first in a long list of epic reads.

Why I Recommend: let’s go down the list here, because this is arguably my favorite book of all time …

Action, Action, Action – this book does not quit. Think Fast and Furious, but in book form. There are very few breaks in the drama, but rather than feeling exhausted, Reilly leaves you invigorated and wanting more after each chapter.

Cool factor – if you look Ice Station up on Wikipedia, it defines it as a techno thriller. Translation: it is super cool. The plot gets deep into military conspiracy theories, and I swear you’ll walk away thinking you just took a crash course in the CIA. You’ll want to start using words like “recon,” “maghook,”and “assault position,” in daily life (maybe don’t though because only the adult white men at your office who watched M*A*S*H as kids will know what you are talking about *cough, Papa Dubs again, cough*).

Surprisingly loveable, yet badass characters – At first, Scarecrow and his team of brutes seem like your typical high school football jocks that were good enough with a weapon to get themselves into the military; but, the more you read the more you’ll see the complex personalities of each and swoon-worthiness of our main man. Throw in some bad ass mother’s (seriously one of the women’s call name is Mother..), a quirky young kid and her pet seal, and a tiny lil’ love story and you’ll be hooked.

IT’S A SERIES – if you’ve been keeping up with me, you know that I love a good series, and the Scarecrow books are as refreshingly low maintenance as they come. They are all connected, but have their own storylines and don’t necessarily need to be read in order. So, you can start this bad boy up, maybe read another or two, but you won’t lose anything by taking a break or even skipping around. Count me in.