Beyond the Ice Limit

A Gideon Crew Novel

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: David W. Collins

That thing is growing again. We must destroy it. The time to act is now....

With these words begins Gideon Crew's latest, most dangerous, most high-stakes assignment yet. Failure will mean nothing short of the end of humankind on Earth.

Five years ago, the mysterious and inscrutable head of Effective Engineering Solutions, Eli Glinn, led a mission to recover a gigantic meteorite - the largest ever discovered - from a remote island off the coast of South America. The mission ended in disaster when their ship, the Rolvaag, foundered in a vicious storm in the Antarctic waters and broke apart, sinking - along with its unique cargo - to the ocean floor. One hundred and eight crew members perished, and Eli Glinn was left paralyzed.

But this was not all. The tragedy revealed something truly terrifying: the meteorite they tried to retrieve was not, in fact, simply a rock. Instead it was a complex organism from the deep reaches of space.

Now that organism has implanted itself in the seabed two miles below the surface - and it is growing. If it is not destroyed, the planet will be doomed. There is only one hope: for Glinn and his team to annihilate it, a task that requires Gideon's expertise with nuclear weapons. But as Gideon and his colleagues soon discover, the "meteorite" has a mind of its own - and it has no intention of going quietly....

©2016 Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"[Narrator David W.] Collins voices the story dramatically.... Listeners will feel like they're there, drawn into the intriguing plot." (AudioFile)

where is your brain?

I am excited to listen to the conclusion of a previous book. These guys tag teem a wonderful book every time. Liked the conception of the creature, and whale speak. Great narration as well.

A Very Entertaining Story

I enjoyed this story more than I expected. It's a wonderful follow-up; the characters were perfectly cast and David Collins did a superb narration.

Closure on the Ice Limit

Caveat: I only give a 5 to LOTR, or Tolstoy level work. That said this was a good, entertaining story well told. There were elements that I didn’t like— 1. predictable in some ways, 2. the premise of the monster was not convincing. Still, it was very entertaining and, overall, well done.

Almost as good as "Relic"

If you could sum up Beyond the Ice Limit in three words, what would they be?

Kept my interest

What did you like best about this story?

An unusual enemy

Which scene was your favorite?

There were a bunch of good scenes so it is hard to pick. Certainly when they were searching the ship for the "invader" it was very tense and I couldn't guess what would happen next.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I liked savoring it over a couple of days because it reminded me of Preston/ Child's early books, like "Relic" with a creepy antagonist and tension building, slowly, to a great climax.

Any additional comments?

I'm not sure if it was the narrator or just an awkward start, but the character of Gideon Crew, in the beginning of the book, sounds like a whiney, gonad crazed teenager. It almost made me quit the book and return it, but I hung in there and was glad I did. He returns to his usual sarcastic but brilliant, character as the story unfolds, though, and I was relieved. I like the complex characters of Garza and Glinn and they don't disappoint in this book. A great sequel to the "Ice Limit" which is one of my favorite non-Pendergast - Preston and Child books. I really enjoyed the story and liked that I couldn't guess the ending or how it would resolve. It certainly kept me on the "edge of my seat" as they were trying to find solutions and a way to save themselves and the world. Delightfully creepy antagonist! My criteria for a good audiobook is whether I will listen again at another time. This one is a keeper!

Finally

Would you consider the audio edition of Beyond the Ice Limit to be better than the print version?

Absolutely! The narrator's ability to add accents and inflection adds so much to the performance.

What other book might you compare Beyond the Ice Limit to and why?

Preston & Childs novels follow a tried and true formula. A mystery with all sorts of twists and turns, and a hero that is both brave and has acute powers of deduction.

Which character – as performed by David W. Collins – was your favorite?

Eli Glinn of course!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, I did laugh or cry, but I was sorry when it ended.

loved that it closed the loop

it was a page turner where I was trying to figure how it could possible end without ending the stories of these characters. once again makes you wonder what is possible or probable. #thriller #mystery #suspense #tagsgiving #sweepstakes #series #engaging

Gideon Crew Rules!

I just listened to this production for the second time. It was as enjoyable as the first.

The concept of the 25,000 ton meteorite being a vehicle for panspermia was great and the development of the idea was very well done, including the tip of the hat to chance that foiled the meteorite’s mission by its happening to hit an island rather than the ocean water that would activate it and then getting activated by the actions of the same group of people that would then destroy it.

And I sincerely hope that Gideon Crew is not killed off by his medical condition (or by the authors) after The Pharaoh’s Key and that the neurosurgeon he visited at the beginning of the book had been turned by Eli Glenn to give Gideon the wrong diagnosis to keep him on the Eli Glenn hook. Why? Two reasons: 1) The authors have kept Pendergast going for SO many books; 5 is too short a life for Gideon 2) Gideon Crew is a much more likable character than Pendergast and it seems they have only just begun to tap his potential.

Beyond the Ice Limit

These guys do not disappoint. Normally, sequels are not quite as good as the original story. In this case, "Beyond" bounds past the original story like a greyhound on track for the rabbit. Unbelievably good guys, thank you.

Wow!

This is a Great GREAT book. I couldn't put it down!!!!!

FANTASTIC doesn't come close to describing it!

Good

good but not as good as the first. Some of it seemed a little far fetched.