After nearly 150 reviews, this is only the second time I've handed out a single star. After considering the many problems and inadequacies of Frozen Fire, the second novel by collaborators Bill Evans and Marianna Jameson, I contemplated the novel's strengths. There's simply no getting around this fact--there are none.

And this comes from a reader highly predisposed to like this novel. I have a thing for "trashy underwater fiction." Can't get enough of it. And Frozen Fire definitely falls into that territory. It's the story of a megalomaniacal island despot who wants to use his immense wealth to mine methane hydrate from the depths of the sea. And it's the story of the sociopathic eco-terrorist who wants to stop the operation and bring as much destruction as possible to the earth in the process.

Wait a minute... An eco-terrorist who wants to destroy an operation which may bring cheap, clean energy to the planet, and instead decides to wreak havoc upon the environment, speeding up global warming exponentially? You may be thinking, That plot makes no sense. Bingo! The plot and the actions of the central characters make no sense at all.

The only thing worse than the plot was the characters. It was like they were all competing to be as unlikable and unbelievable as humanly possible. There wasn't a single character to empathize with or root for. The best thing I can say is that there were a couple that weren't completely detestable. There was absolutely nothing to invest in with this story. For a thriller it plodded. The science was bad. And the use of language was deplorable.

I'm very sorry. I don't make a habit of doing this. If anything, I'm overly positive about books, but this novel has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. ( )