A Book A Week

Cold weather and ice made their way to South Texas this past weekend, making for the perfect excuse to curl up by the fireplace and read a book. I've opted for a title that takes place in about the most wintry setting I could imagine, the Canadian Arctic. I won a copy of Alice Henderson's A Blizzard of Polar Bears from a Goodreads giveaway late last year. The rush of the holidays and a few publisher-provided books kept me away from the title for a bit. Then early this year, Henderson's work was put on my radar again, this time via a recommendation from Chris with Book Cougars. She included the title as one of her favorites of 2021, so I knew I was in for a treat. 

Biologist Alex Carter is no stranger to working with wildlife in rugged terrain. She was stationed in Montana when she received a call requesting her help in a different kind of place. Alex quickly accepted the opportunity to study polar bears in the arctic climate, a place that has seen the effects of rising global temperatures that threaten the future of vulnerable species. From the start, she realized that the harsh cold weather would be the least of her worries. Obstacle after obstacle arose all coming to a head when her team's helicopter caught fire and forced a landing in the unformidable wilderness. 

Not one to panic, even in the most insurmountable of circumstances, Alex set to navigating the vast sheet of ice. Her years studying wildlife in the field make her uniquely qualified for this kind of survivalist situation. Nothing in her past, however, could prepare her for what comes next. The team is being hunted. It isn't wild animals or subzero temperatures that threaten their life. No, this time they are being chased by armed assailants riding aboard snowmobiles. Alex will have to turn to her instincts and improvise a way to not only complete her mission but simply to stay alive. 

I wasn't sure what to expect from A Blizzard of Polar Bears, especially because I hadn't read Henderson's first novel to feature her hero Alex (A Solitude of Wolverines). Despite my lack of familiarity with the character and her previous adventure, I had no trouble following along with this novel. Henderson sets a pace that matches the primal setting she writes about. She peppers in commentary about climate change and the impact it has on the natural world, but never in a way that detracts from the survival story at the center of the novel. A Blizzard of Polar Bears is a breakneck thriller that perfectly balances character beats with pulse-pounding action. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and plan to backtrack to the first book soon. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2022, 6)