FIFTY DEGREES BELOW

Global warming threatens Washington D.C. in the second installment of Robinson’s eco-thriller trilogy.

After suffering through a monumental flood in Forty Signs of Rain (2004), Washington is still recovering, but the damage done clearly illustrates the very real danger of global warming to the general public. National Science Foundation researcher Frank Vanderwal hopes that new protocols may help bring the world back from the edge of ecological disaster. But the world is in for a deep freeze, and Frank has other problems besides. Not only is he effectively homeless, but he also discovers that his work at NSF has him under surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies, providing most of the action. Though it is fast-paced and exciting, it does occasionally strain believability. Where the author succeeds is in his fascinating speculation about our ecological future, and the steps we could be taking to repair the world for future generations.

First-rate ecological speculation, but a second-rate thriller.