Audible Book Review: Icequake by Crawford Kilian

This is a story of survival against blizzards and the treacherous conditions of ice flow.
Icequake
By: Crawford Kilian
Narrated by: Tim Campbell
Series: Icequake, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
Release date: 10-30-18
Publisher: Podium Audio
Genre: Climate, Environment, Techno thriller
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
A group of 27 scientists and explorers are stranded in Antarctica.
Residing in a station known as Shackleton, they are studying the seismic activity of the region. An eruption of the nearby volcano, Mount Erebus, soon sends quakes throughout the continent with devastating results.
All radio communication has been disabled by the breakdown of the magnetic field. Evacuation is unlikely. No one knows whether they survived the icequake, and their station is now moving two kilometres north each day with the strong aftershocks. They are on their own, with limited food and resources.
Do they stay put and risk being caught in the next series of icequakes and avalanches? Or do they pack up and trek over dangerous territories to the neighbouring station?
Icequake is a gripping prophetic sci-fi disaster novel, full of excitement and danger in every chapter.
©2017 Crawford Kilian (P)2018 Podium Publishing

Review:
A group of scientists are preparing to leave Antarctica when they are stranded first by a bad storm and then by a major land – or ice – shift. One of the scientists had predicted a very dangerous icequake. He is gratified to be right although he is not thrilled with the timing. The main group is at the Shackleton station but there is another community even closer to the nearby volcano, Mount Erebus. All communication is down and it is too dangerous to travel as the ice continues to move. Fortunately, there is a plane that allows some reconnaissance, but there isn’t enough fuel to travel to the mainland.

The interaction among the men and women is part of the drama in the story. Most of the danger is outside, from the elements, but there are some men who are struggling to remain civil. And romance has a different level when there are scientists who care more about their studies than their partners.

Of course, the scientists suspect that the mainland is suffering too from the rising level of waters, loss of crops and other difficulties. But the scientists won’t know the full extent unless they can get back to the mainland.

I saw this was only available free through 12/20/2022 so I chose to read it sooner rather than later. I found it interesting if not overly exciting. The scientific elements surrounding an icequake and its impact are interesting and are shared well through the story rather than preaching. I recommend this to readers who would find the climate issues interesting with the drama of survival against the elements.

Audio Notes: Tim Campbell does a great job with the narration. He provides distinct voices for the variety of characters. The energy and pacing is good considering the survival plods at times. The narration enhanced the story for me.

Source: 11/5/22 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2022Audiobook goal.

Audible Book Review: The Coming Storm by Michael Lewis

This was a timely, quick listen as Hurricane Dorian took aim toward the US east coast.

The Coming Storm
By: Michael Lewis
Narrated by: Michael Lewis

Length: 2 hrs and 27 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 07-31-18
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Original
Category: Environment, Political/Policies, Science & Technology
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.0.

About This Audible Original
Tornadoes, cyclones, tsunamis…Weather can be deadly—especially when it strikes without warning. Millions of Americans could soon find themselves at the mercy of violent weather if the public data behind lifesaving storm alerts gets privatized for personal gain. In his first Audible Original, New York Times best-selling author and journalist Michael Lewis delivers hard-hitting research on not-so-random weather data—and how Washington plans to release it. He also digs deep into the lives of two scientists who revolutionized climate predictions, bringing warning systems to previously unimaginable levels of accuracy. One is Kathy Sullivan, a gifted scientist among the first women in space; the other, D.J. Patil, is a trickster-turned-mathematician and a political adviser. Most urgently, Lewis’s narrative reveals the potential cost of putting a price tag on information that could save lives. Please note The Fifth Risk includes the entirety of The Coming Storm.
© 2018 Michael Lewis (P) 2018 Audible Originals, LLC

Review:
Author Michael Lewis describes several mostly unknown individuals who found their passions in studying weather – its history, its patterns for forecasting and its impact on environment, economics and the lives of the damaged communities. This makes this short documentary piece personal as well as somewhat informative.
Lewis tells bits of the story of developing weather data that got lost in the halls of government. Lewis may have intended to present a brief discourse blending science and politics. It seemed he left out some of the final connections regarding the data and forecasting accuracies other than to describe an incident of a 15-minute warning of a tornado which may be the best they can get. The work felt more intent on making political arguments particularly raising the (perhaps valid?) question of whether critical weather information should be publicly available rather than controlled and released to limited stations who have paid subscriptions. Apparently, the US Department of Commerce includes oversight of NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) so there are concerns regarding the sourcing of data.

I was quickly engaged by the storytelling technique that made this a more interesting listen. I am glad I listened to this as it brought this concerning issue to my attention. Since I experienced the damage of Hurricane Michael last year and there are millions of people facing weather disasters on a regular basis, this is an important issue to keep an eye on.

Audio Notes: Michael Lewis provides the narration for his own excerpt and it fit the material and tone. I think it is easier for me to listen to this type of work than reading it so I am glad I got this through free Audible Originals.

Source: 9/8/18 Free Audible Originals. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.