Melt Zone

A Robert Spire Thriller, Book 3

By: Simon Rosser

Narrated by: David Loving

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

A mysterious structure is found buried beneath the Antarctic ice. Undiscovered for decades...it should have remained that way.

A team of climatologists are sent on a routine expedition to Antarctica to investigate a rapidly melting glacier, where they make a startling discovery.... In Europe, a secret Nazi document surfaces which points to a historical government secret, and which appears connected to events unfolding in Antarctica. Robert Spire, tasked to hunt for the secret document, soon becomes the hunted, as he is chased across Europe in this fast-paced action thriller. Spire soon discovers that sinister forces are at work. Forces that will do all they can to protect the secret that lies buried beneath the Antarctic ice....

In 1938, the German New Swabia Expedition left Hamburg for Antarctica aboard the MS Schwabenland. The secret expedition arrived at the Princess Martha Coast, in an area which had been claimed by Norway as Dronning Maud Land, and began charting the region...75 years later, satellite photographs discover something very odd occurring in Eastern Antarctica....

Rapid Antarctic ice melt....

Just before Europe's Envisat satellite malfunctions, it photographs a mysterious melt zone during a fly-over of Eastern Antarctica. After analyzing the photographs, the UK's GLENCOM - Global Environmental Command - Unit, sends three of its climatologists to investigate, but as they search the site, a vast crevasse opens in the ice, swallowing them up. They survive the fall, but make a startling and lethal discovery.

A hunt across Europe....

GLENCOM agent and environmental lawyer, Robert Spire, is tasked to investigate a Cologne-based company whose origins appear linked to the events unfolding in Antarctica. As Spire suspects a possible government conspiracy, things take a sinister turn, as clues lead him to the discovery of a 70-year-old Nazi document and an Antarctic mystery that may have lasted for 70 years.

©2015 Simon Rosser (P)2017 David Loving and Simon Rosser

5 star book

Melt Zone by Robert Spire and narrated by David Loving
5 Stars all around for this book. The story line for this book, is one that has been used in the past (Nazis and Antartica) .  After saying that, the way it was presented and narrated, was exceptionally done. The various twists in regards to the use of bionics was interesting in new an innovative way. I would be interested if this was a series and am looking forward to reading the next one.

 

Interesting and Engaging

Melt Zone is an interesting novel that, while it requires some suspension of disbelief, is still quite engaging and interesting. David Loving’s performance paired with Simon Rosser’s manuscript created a story that held my attention, unlike many audiobooks. I did very little rewinding because I’d lost my place, although I did repeat favored portions. I thoroughly enjoyed Melt Zone and recommend it to readers looking for a good action-adventure book.

A Nazi Myth, Antarctic Melting & NonStop Adventure

Si Roser brings us another exciting Robert Spire adventure. With all the elements of a great story, we follow our characters as they seek to discover the cause of a rapid melt and then become involved in a mysterious base carrying on experiments begun in the in the heyday of the Nazi Empire. Research then turns to rescue and stopping cataclysmic events.
This novel has all the right elements to make an exciting adventure story. Non-stop action, super villains, and reluctant heroes and create the excitement. Just remember you are reading an action adventure story not a historical novel, and set aside your thoughts that thirty seconds left really mean thirty seconds and you will enjoy the read/listen.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
Note: When selecting books to read or listen to for reviews I try and select authors and stories that interest me. Sometimes I am fortunate and other times not so fortunate. Either way, I try to review the books with integrity.

A scary thought about arctic melting.

A very good book about something that could happen. The narration is a little monotone, but still good to listen to. I received this audiobook for free and voluntarily reviewed.

Great Escape.

Another good book. A few McGyver moments making for a break for freedom. Enjoyable book, will listen to next one shortly.

Breathless story. Sadly Breathless Reader.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story was entertaining and worthwhile. However, the reader was subpar and detracted from the story.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Fluid action and intensity. Just that reader . . . rrrrrrrrrkk.

Would you be willing to try another one of David Loving’s performances?

yes

Did Melt Zone inspire you to do anything?

Nope. Just be entertained.

Nazi conspiracies + environmental threats = FUN!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The beginning of the book was great! There were some parallel storylines going on for a while to set the mood, and they were exciting - definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. There was a lot going on during the book that kept me entertained.

I had to take a star off because some parts were slow and monotonous. At a point I spent several minutes on useless details that, to ME, registered as "he took the laptop then opened the laptop, then waited for the login screen, then typed his password PERMAFROST, then clicked the e-mail symbol, then read e-mail, then closed the e-mail program, then clicked the button to log off his laptop, then closed the laptop"... you get the gist. I felt a simple "he took his laptop with him to the hotel bed and, after replying to an e-mail, set it aside and got dressed for dinner" would have done the trick. Too many details that amounted to nothing, and started to annoy me.

However, the premise of the book is so interesting and I wanted to know what was going on so much that I bore it through those spots... and felt it was worth it. Will be checking more on this author.

Would you listen to another book narrated by David Loving?

It is not possible to please everyone, and David Loving's voice did not please me on a personal level due to his vocal fry. It sucks, but it happens and life moves on.

The reason I rated narration as "it's ok" and not as "I liked it", of course, was not due to a preference on something as silly as a vocal fry. David Loving doesn't "act", but narrates, and while it is not a problem in itself but merely a narration style, there were moments in conversations I was honestly confused on who was saying what, and where one sentence ended and another began. At times it felt as if a sentence ran into another even if it didn't make sense.

I can't tell if this is an editing issue (there are programs that automatically remove pauses) or a manner of speech one.

I will certainly not avoid any books narrated by David Loving in the future and look forward to listening to one in which he matures and perfects his art. This one was a miss for ME, but guy's got talent.

Keep my interest.. Great Book..

Clear straight forward writing. I like writing that does not stray far from the main plot, without a lot of unnecessary fluff and descriptions. The story kept moving, with interesting twists and turns. It was entertaining and easy reading, allowing me to relax and enjoy the story. I read in short spurts, and I could keep up with the story. .. would recommend to anyone..
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Good read

I enjoyed the further adventures of Robert Spire. The narrator did a nice job. Robert Spire is probably the luckiest guy, as he continues to out smart and out fight the bad guys. Even when the trained career soldiers are taken out like so easily. I look forward to the next chapter in this series.

A 250-Page Chase Scene

Sometimes a book gets you with a good tagline or a great cover and is a total letdown. Melt Zone wasn’t a total let down, but it wasn’t the book that I was expecting it to be. I was expecting it to be a lot more about the base and the myth around it instead of being a 250-page chase scene followed by 50 pages of what I expected the book to be about.

With that said, I didn’t hate the book at all. I ended up enjoying it even though most of it was chase scenes and not secret Nazi bases. I don’t know why (maybe since the tagline talks about Antarctic Ice Melt) I thought it was going to be more about the environment or the reasoning behind the melt –but it was much less science and much more obvious reasoning once the readers find out what is going on beneath the surface.

Rosser is able to write really long and drawn out action scenes without them feeling overdone. As I mentioned before the book is pretty much a chase scene, then a little bit or cool down, and then another chase scene. I felt like the car chase scenes in the Bourne movies for a little longer than we needed.

The main character Robert Spire was an interesting one who reminded me a little of a character that Tom Clancy would come up with. He was smart and able to do more than you expected. Upon finishing this book I’m not sure if I’ll go back and read the other books with him in it, but I won’t write them off.

The science and what I’ll call pseudo-science in the book felt realistic and well researched. A lot of the machinery and the enhancements that Rosser talked about in Melt Zone were things that made sense to me (or could make sense if some of the events in the book transpired the way that they were written).

The narration for Melt Zone was done by David Loving who does a pretty fair job with it. There were times that his voice bothered me slightly, but I feel like I was being picky for this entire book. I’ll have to listen to another book by Loving to know if I do or don’t like him as a narrator. The quality was great and I had no issues around that.