Not Just Another Climate Change Lecture! (Big Ice - Christopher Bonn Jonnes)

Member Name: chrisandmark

Product:	Big Ice - Christopher Bonn Jonnes
Date:	07/02/07 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A topical read, interesting snippets of climate change information slipped into the book

Disadvantages: Slight continuity oddness regarding the main characters illness, a very expensive paperback

I approached Big Ice by Christopher Bonn Jones with some trepidation; I’d recently read a rather dire novel based on the effect climate change is having on the Polar ice caps and, coupled with the dullness of Al Gore’s An Inconceivable Truth, I wasn’t much looking forward to reading yet more facts and figures of what life is going to be like when the Earth heats up even more.

I’m so glad I didn’t *ahem* judge this book by its cover. This novel is so much more than a disaster story; in fact it’s not a disaster story at all despite what the words ‘melting Polar ice caps’ means to you.

Seth Peterson is a brilliant analyst working at Americas National Ice Center (N.I.C.) and he’s spent a good portion of his adult life working on a theory which could possibly help to predict which Polar areas are most in danger of melting and when. This would, of course, make life much easier for governments around the world as a) they’d know which areas are likely to need evacuating in the event of a mass meltdown of the poles and b) they could accurately estimate the likely times of risk.

Seth’s research could change the way we think about climate change and, on a personal level, would propel him to Newton-style acclaim. The only problem is… well... Seth. He has a horrific case of shyness. Don’t laugh, he really is so shy that he can’t even speak to friends (not that he has many) let alone give an in-depth presentation on his research to a conference room packed with his fellow professionals, and the world’s media.

Seth’s immediate boss, Bern Harris, recommends he see a counsellor, which Seth reluctantly agrees to in the hope of being able to keep his job. This is, however, the least of Seth’s troubles. A rogue Environmental Terrorist group has gotten wind of his research and will stop at nothing to discredit Seth so that his work never sees the light of day.

Big Ice is a wonderfully absorbing read. I have very little interest in climate change, although I know I should have, but Christopher Bonn Jones has made a very dull subject extremely interesting. Despite the fact that much of this book is set inside a government research agency, he’s ‘dumbed down’ the facts and figures so that reading Big Ice isn’t like thumbing through a copy of someone’s dissertation. There’s still lots of useful and accurate information in here, it’s just that I didn’t feel I needed a degree in environmental catastrophes to get through the book!

It took me a while to warm to Seth because he came across as unapproachable and cold; this was probably some clever writing to make his characters illness more believable, but considering he is the only main character this makes for some very frustrating reading. One criticism I’d have of Seth’s character is the way he was able to turn on and off his shyness. In one chapter he’s having trouble even talking to a couple of his colleagues and actually faints when asked to stand up in a departmental meeting, but twenty-ish pages along he’s found the courage to wise crack a couple of police officers. I know that the book wouldn’t be very interesting if Seth was struck mute with shyness every time he encountered another person, but extreme cases of shyness like this can’t be overcome overnight – on just day three of his medication he’s able to leave it at home and function as normally as you or I! Artistic licence gone mad!

The Environmental Terrorism aspect of the book really interested me as I’ve never heard of this kind of group before. They’re a scary bunch and will, it seems, stop at nothing to disrupt Seth’s life so he simply can’t carry on with getting his research published and funded. They murder and maim their way through the majority of the book until we finally find out exactly who they are and what they stand for.

Big Ice is extremely well written. The author obviously has a deep interest in climate change and is passing on some knowledge by way of this book. He tackles the (usually dull) subject in an upbeat manner and with such enthusiasm that he makes me feel interested enough to carry on reading. He steers clear of using too many specialised words which is great because I can, with no climate change interest… erm… I mean training, understand completely what he’s talking about and put it into context with the current global situation.

Dialogue in the book is quite limited, which I put down to Seth’s illness, and this means that much of the text is descriptive. Bonn Jones is an absolute master of description and it’s hard to believe this is only his second novel. By the fourth or fifth chapter I had a picture of Seth, his office and even his apartment in my head and during a particularly graphic murder scene I could literally ‘see’ the body as though it were in front of me.

All in all, this is a top novel. It’s managed to get me (slightly) interested in a subject which doesn’t usually float my boat, and was a fast paced and exciting read. If you decide to read it, the first few pages aren’t the most interesting words in print but bear with it and you’ll soon find the story will fit nicely together.

If you fancy reading Big Ice you can buy a paperback copy from Amazon for the rather bizarre price of £12.50. £12.50! Blimey. Still, it’s a good read although for that price you’d probably be better off trying to get a copy from the library!

Originally published on Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com

Summary: If you're interested in climate change (or even if you're not!) this is the book for you.