My Two Cents (Book Review): FROZEN ECHOES by Ed Downes

In Frozen Echoes, author Ed Downes takes readers to the ends of the earth (literally) with Dr. Flint Hill, a veteran researcher stationed on the ice fields of Antarctica, and Dr. Eva Ward, an anthropologist in the Amazon rainforest. Both have stumbled across some surprising discoveries as the story opens: Flint, an 18th-century wooden sailing ship previously frozen in the ice, and Eva, a peculiar bone flute predating any known indigenous civilizations by thousands -- if not tens of thousands -- of years. These seemingly unrelated discoveries, made by two seemingly unconnected people, will all soon come crashing together in a cosmic twist of fate that blends eco-thriller, body horror, sci-fi, and political espionage.

Downes is a great author, and the first part of the book has the fond and familiar feel of a classic Michael Crichton story, with unlikely but likable academics as our heroes, and a science-fueled mystery at its heart. This was my favorite part of the book and I wish he'd stuck to that tack, to be honest; about midway through, Downes shifts narrative gears into more sci-fi territory, and from there, things get complicated and...well, weird. I don't want to give spoilers, but the book definitely moved in directions I wasn't expecting. It's an entertaining read, but once all the characters, plotlines, and genres collide, the story becomes weighted down by its own cumbersome complexity. Still, it's ultimately well-written, fast-paced, and enjoyable.

Frozen Echoes is available here.