The story is set in the fjord landscape of East Greenland in 1962, during the Cold War. The narrative follows several groups of people whose fortunes are intertwined. The members of a scientific expedition become the unwitting guinea pigs in a series of grotesque experiments. They suspect that events might be orchestrated from a red mountain called Himmelbjerg, virtually inaccessible and surrounded by peaks and glaciers. But the explorers are too intelligent and too inquisitive for their own good. As the death toll mounts, they uncover a huge conspiracy and realize that an implacable enemy with limitless resources will not allow any of them to survive.
This is a fast-moving novel in the tradition of Dan Brown, Alistair MacLean, Clive Cussler and Hammond Innes, set in a magnificent yet deadly polar environment. It is also an inspiring story of comradeship and survival against overwhelming odds. At another level, it is an allegory, for it deals with the historic power struggle between east and west, and as the story rushes towards its climax we witness the Twilight of the Gods.
What they say
...Brian John weaves his icy web of intrigue set in the vast tundra arctic wastes of Greenland, where the Cold War like permafrost lurks unseen yet ever present; one only has to scrape away the surface and there it is......
...Most enjoyable! Brian John gives a new meaning to Cold War.....
....a brutal, blokeish novel set in the unforgiving frozen expanses of Greenland and the attention to detail is brilliant.......
About the Author
Brian John is an established author with more than 80 books to his name. He has written for many major publishers. This is his tenth novel. The eight-volume Angel Mountain Saga has now sold in excess of 75,000 copies in paperback.
The Background
The ideas underpinning this story date back to 1962, when the author led a university expedition to East Greenland. Some of the events in the narrative are based on real events, and the landscape is real too -- with the exception of some changed place names. This is a truly exotic location for a story. It's not a landscape dominated by snow and ice, but by vibrant colours. What one experiences as a visitor are the sights and sounds of a largely ice-free region referred to as The Arctic Riviera -- with an unexpectedly warm, dry summer climate and abundant wildlife.
Something Spooky
When the author was digging for information needed to give the novel its authenticity, he suddenly came across a faded and declassified US document published by the Environmental Protection Research Division in October 1961. It showed that the East Greenland coast was being taken very seriously by the US military, and that they wanted to know EVERYTHING about it........ And so, presumably, did the Soviet Union. The scenario portrayed in this story is eerily close to the real-life situation of the day.
Fact and Fantasy
Brian John says: Ever since my time in Greenland in 1962, I've been mulling over the theme for this novel. So here it is. Why now? Well, the Cold War was long enough ago to be outside the memory of most young people today. There are still international tensions, and lessons to be learned. And the global conspiracy at the heart of the novel is close enough to the truth to make us all uncomfortable. As for the key characters in the story, they are not based on my colleagues from 1962! Well, maybe just a little bit......
This is not a straight-line narrative with a single hero and a group of bit players. So the story might be more challenging to read than your average thriller. There are several groups of characters, and as the story develops the reader shares in their lives and -- I hope -- appreciates what motivates them. And on looking back at the crafting of the novel, I'm happy with the denouement -- about which I am of course sw
Genre: Thriller
This is a fast-moving novel in the tradition of Dan Brown, Alistair MacLean, Clive Cussler and Hammond Innes, set in a magnificent yet deadly polar environment. It is also an inspiring story of comradeship and survival against overwhelming odds. At another level, it is an allegory, for it deals with the historic power struggle between east and west, and as the story rushes towards its climax we witness the Twilight of the Gods.
What they say
...Brian John weaves his icy web of intrigue set in the vast tundra arctic wastes of Greenland, where the Cold War like permafrost lurks unseen yet ever present; one only has to scrape away the surface and there it is......
...Most enjoyable! Brian John gives a new meaning to Cold War.....
....a brutal, blokeish novel set in the unforgiving frozen expanses of Greenland and the attention to detail is brilliant.......
About the Author
Brian John is an established author with more than 80 books to his name. He has written for many major publishers. This is his tenth novel. The eight-volume Angel Mountain Saga has now sold in excess of 75,000 copies in paperback.
The Background
The ideas underpinning this story date back to 1962, when the author led a university expedition to East Greenland. Some of the events in the narrative are based on real events, and the landscape is real too -- with the exception of some changed place names. This is a truly exotic location for a story. It's not a landscape dominated by snow and ice, but by vibrant colours. What one experiences as a visitor are the sights and sounds of a largely ice-free region referred to as The Arctic Riviera -- with an unexpectedly warm, dry summer climate and abundant wildlife.
Something Spooky
When the author was digging for information needed to give the novel its authenticity, he suddenly came across a faded and declassified US document published by the Environmental Protection Research Division in October 1961. It showed that the East Greenland coast was being taken very seriously by the US military, and that they wanted to know EVERYTHING about it........ And so, presumably, did the Soviet Union. The scenario portrayed in this story is eerily close to the real-life situation of the day.
Fact and Fantasy
Brian John says: Ever since my time in Greenland in 1962, I've been mulling over the theme for this novel. So here it is. Why now? Well, the Cold War was long enough ago to be outside the memory of most young people today. There are still international tensions, and lessons to be learned. And the global conspiracy at the heart of the novel is close enough to the truth to make us all uncomfortable. As for the key characters in the story, they are not based on my colleagues from 1962! Well, maybe just a little bit......
This is not a straight-line narrative with a single hero and a group of bit players. So the story might be more challenging to read than your average thriller. There are several groups of characters, and as the story develops the reader shares in their lives and -- I hope -- appreciates what motivates them. And on looking back at the crafting of the novel, I'm happy with the denouement -- about which I am of course sw
Genre: Thriller
Used availability for Brian John's Acts of God