The Arctic Code by Matthew J. Kirby (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Arctic Code by Matthew J. Kirby April Spisak Kirby, Matthew J. The Arctic Code. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2015 [336p] (Dark Gravity Sequence) Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-222487-3 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-222489-7 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 4-6 The Earth has entered a new ice age in this novel set in the near future, and Eleanor’s mother is a key scientist trying to find ways humans can survive. When Eleanor’s mom goes missing in the Arctic, Eleanor manages to get herself from Arizona all the way to the Arctic, where she flings herself headlong into conspiracies, blizzards, and danger to singlehandedly save her mother. Luckily, she gathers a few allies who spot her determination, and together they face a mega-company with a sneaky CEO, discover a secret Paleolithic civilization, and shut down an ancient extraterrestrial machine that, along with other machines around the world, has been causing the ice age problems. Eleanor is certainly plucky, and her fierce determination to save [End Page 499] her beloved mother will resonate with readers. Unfortunately, her tendency to frequently teeter on the brink of getting killed because she won’t plan sufficiently and the necessity of her then being saved repeatedly wear thin quickly. In addition, the science is so baffling, even before the aliens come along, that readers will likely be pulled out of the story as they try to make sense of it. Even with those concerns, however, there may be enough excitement and quick-paced danger to keep readers intrigued throughout this volume and for subsequent entries in the series. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois