COLD SEA RISING

Three people--American Admiral Waldo Rankin, Soviet polar authority Anya Cherepin, and journalist Joshua McCoy--stand between humankind and disaster when an enormous volcano threatens to melt the Antarctic ice sheet, causing cataclysmic flooding

This first novel recalls one of those disaster movies in which famous stars huff and puff in order to save the world from calamity. The book's main problem is plausibility. Maybe a volcano could cause the Ross Ice Shelf to split off from the rest of Antarctica and drift north, threatening to raise sea levels by 20 feet. But despite Moran's best efforts to provide scientific credibility, this scenario is not convincing. Set in 1990, the narrative moves from its frosty premise into the level of superpower conflict as the Russians try to turn the floating ice into armed platforms that would bob around off the U.S. coast. Attempting to forestall the progress of the ice and a probable World War III, are a New York Times reporter with unusual clout and his father-in-law, Admiral Waldo Rankin, the foremost authority on Antarctica. Wooden characters and a lack of palpable excitement will leave readers cold. 40,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; paperback rights to Berkley.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Moran has pulled together earth science, politics, romance, and stock characters for a fast-paced disaster story. In glacial Antarctica, the earth's frozen crust is breached by a spewing volcanic plume. The fissure grows until the Ross Ice Shelf floats free and drifts toward the warm Pacific; soon the melting glacier will flood every island and port. Predictably, the villainous Soviets launch a plot to carve out smaller icebergs and turn them into floating ports for world takeover. Waldo Rankin, ace Antarctic scientist, recruits son-in-law Josh to sound the alarm via his New York Times network. Daughter Melissa and her counterpart glaciologist Anna in the USSR work separately to provide convincing data to show the potential catastrophe. Anyone who relishes tales of collapsing buildings, colliding meteors, and vehicles gone berserk will enjoy this latest version of the ultimate cataclysm. Barbara Conaty, Medical Coll. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.