Dr. Ellen Hopper has taken as assignment on a defunct oil rig to
study ocean currents. The world order has been disrupted by a solar
catastrophe that first slowed the planet’s rotation then brought it
to a stop. Most of the world is left either in shadow where it’s
cold or in sun where it’s too warm. Only Great Britain has an ideal
climate. Britain has one half of the island and America has the
other. It’s a standoff relationship because American has nuclear
armaments and Britain doesn’t, and Britain would like to rule the
whole island.
Ellen wants only to
be left in peace, but when government operatives come to the rig to
tell her that her mentor at university, Edward Thorne, is dying and
wants to see her, she forces herself to go. What Thorne tells her
sets her searching for the information he has been hiding. From there
on, it’s a chase between Ellen and the British government
operatives who also want the information.
The concept for this
book is interesting. Could the planet stop spinning? How would that
affect people left alive? I wish the author had been more specific
about the science underlying the idea. You have to take the basic
premise almost on faith. Still, it makes a good background for the
story.
The plot moves
slowly. We spend a lot of time on the rig with Ellen and with her
decision of whether to pursue looking for the material Thorne tells
her about. She is a difficult character to like. She dithers in
whether to meet Thorne and then takes time deciding whether to pursue
his clues.
In some ways the
plot was too pat. When Ellen needed to get information or help from
someone, they appeared without a great deal of buildup.
If you enjoy science
fiction with an element of mystery, you may enjoy this book.
I received this book
from Penguin Random House for this review.
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