Not quite what I expected...

Don't get me wrong, on its own, this would be a decent, if forgettable, novel. Unfortunately, this novel is possibly a conclusion to two separate story lines by these same authors. As such, this novel had a lot to live up to, and seemed to fall short of what I've come to expect. The novel feels unfinished, as if several chapters were left on the editing room floor.

The following will spoil some parts of the book, so read at your own risk...



Works by Preston & Childs often have an emotional man vs self theme woven throughout the novel, nicely paralleling the main plotline and dovetailing with it nicely to affect the climax of the book.

For the first 3/4 of the book, this seems to be set up to occur. Gideon struggles to cope with the death of his lover, Sam arrives to challenge Eli's decisions, and Eli himself acts irrationally, hinting at a buried motivation or possible infection. None of the things affect the ending of the book, and it makes the entire novel feel unfinished.

19 people found this helpful

Beyond My Limit

Butts out boring. Void of creativity; a conglomeration of everything that's been done to death. There was a time I waited for Preston/Child's new books for some easy reading entertainment. Then I found myself waiting hopefully to see if they could recapture the magic. Even the writing in this one seems hurried and amateurish. Zero character development or growth from the original book. A note from the authors follows the ending...saying this was requested by readers of The Ice Limit, the pair stated they hoped those readers found this follow-up book enjoyable. Not I; and I can't recommend this floppy continuation of what was a much better book -- written when the duo seemed truly interested in writing for their audience instead of a pay-check.

28 people found this helpful

A Disapointment

What did you like best about Beyond the Ice Limit? What did you like least?

This will be one of my shorter reviews because I just read through the other Audible reviews and I am in substantial agreement with almost all of them. In short, not bad, but no comparison to the original Ice Limit. Having said that, I also want to point out that the 4.3 average listed is roughly twice the average value of all the Audible reviews that are listed; so I am assuming that this average also draws from other sources----probably Amazon.

Would you ever listen to anything by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child again?

Of course. Especially the Pendergast series. No additional comments

11 people found this helpful

So-so Sequel

This story had a stream of consciousness feel for me. Bits and pieces of good ideas and images that just didn’t come together. The biggest hurdle for me was that there were too many improbabilities. The characters are supposed to be first tier scientists and engineers and just about every decision they make borders on the idiotic. If I can think of five good reasons not to [fill in the blank] surely these people should have. I also didn’t bond with any of the characters. I both read and listened to The Ice Limit but that didn’t really make a difference. I’m not sorry I listened but it could have/should have been much better.

18 people found this helpful

Falls short

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the first book, The Ice Limit, but this sequel falls way short. I wish I had skipped it. However, the reader is very talented and I enjoyed his performance.

5 people found this helpful

Talk about a tough act to follow!

The Ice Limit is one of my very favorite audiobooks, and that is saying something. I just love it and recommend it to everyone I know. This is interesting in itself, as I am not a sci-fi fan. The original book is so masterful that I happily granted it license to violate all kinds of suspensions of disbelief. In the closer the travelers have returned to the South Atlantic to try to kill the monster that they have inadvertently planted at the bottom of the ocean near the Antarctic Ice Limit. One could easily spoil the excellent plots here, but I won't do that. The thing has grown into a plant-like substance with a kind of intelligence that makes it truly frightening. The world is definitely in mortal danger. The crew tries a number of attempts to kill it, with no luck. It is too evolved, too clever. And Palmer Lloyd has now descended into the very pit of hell. He is severely mentally ill and must be constantly restrained. He cannot be trusted not to do himself in. His temper is out of control. His feelings of guilt unman him. He knows that he made the decisions that cost 108 lives (he plus Eli Glinn) and he will never ever forgive himself.
What happens on the ship is extremely harrowing and genuinely scary. It's a little like a million tiny Aliens. (Enough spoilers.) The authorial devices are extremely clever. I am so impressed with Preston and Child. I don't love the other primary character and his strange exploits (somebody help me with his name?) Aloysius Pendergast? For me he stretches credulity far far beyond the place where he loses me completely. I have tried a few of those books and just can't get into them. I do enjoy Gideon Crew, though, and wish that the guys would let up on his death sentence and restore him to ruddy life and health. He is great, a true hero whose exploits are totally enjoyable. Have fun! There is lots of it to be had here.

4 people found this helpful

Not very compelling and a narrator change

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Wasn't nearly as good as The Ice Limit as I just felt that the writing wasn't up to par. Less compelling characters and a so so story. I re-listened to The Ice Limit prior to this book and it was a bit jarring to have a change in narrator. It didn't help with the continuity.

4 people found this helpful

Ghost writers?

This, and the last Gideon crew book suck. It just seems like they were written by someone else. It just doesn't seem to have the style and skill of their other works.

13 people found this helpful

really disappointing

so many holes in the plot. it would have been easy for the authors to have filled them in...

3 people found this helpful

The Ice Limit and Beyond the Ice Limit

The Ice Limit is actually a location in the Antarctic Ocean where ice meets the open sea. Seasonal storms rage, and waves can reach 200 feet. On a remote, Antarctic island off the coast of southern Chile, an interstellar meteor is found - this ruby-colored rock landed 30,000 years ago. Early in book one, you'll learn that this is not your average meteor.

The Ice Limit, book one, tells of a billionaire's obsession to own the rock and the attempt to retrieve it for his museum. Book two, Beyond the Ice Limit, is the sequel that tells us the retrieval attempt had unknown and deadly consequences. Read both in sequence to glean the most from the story. Both stories are riveting page-turners, however two observations. One, Scott Brick is the better narrator. Two, although both stories are Sci-Fi, the second is ... well, it requires stretching your imagination considerably more and rolling of eyes at times.

Both novels are Hachette Audiobooks written Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The Ice Limit is narrated by Scott Brick, close to 17 hours of listening, released in August 2010. Beyond the Ice Limit is narrated by David W. Collins, just over 10 hours of listening, released in May 2016.

Recommended for the Sci-Fi lover.

2 people found this helpful