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Panic Peak by William A. Liggett
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 254 pages
Genre: Cli-Fi Thriller
Publisher: Consilience Press LLC
Publication Date: February, 2024
Content Rating: PG-13: Very occasional f-word and sh*t in dialog
Book Description:
How can a single glacier grow dramatically while hundreds are shrinking around the world?
This paradox confronts a young glaciologist Kate Landry as she looks down at her research site buried under shocking mounds of new snow. Little does she know that Mount Olympus is in the bulls-eye for a sophisticated geoengineering experiment being conducted by a scientist who has convinced a secretive international oil cartel to fund his dubious climate modification techniques. While Kate struggles to understand why the glacier is growing and begins to unravel the entire nefarious scheme, she also struggles to avoid the unraveling of her developing relationship with social psychologist Grant Poole. The more Kate uncovers on the glacier, the more her own life is at risk. Can she expose the unethical and dangerous geoengineering operation without being caught before she’s stopped? And at what risk to her life?
MY REVIEW
I’ve only read a few cli-fi thrillers and after reading the synopsis I thought this was a good one to try. It didn’t disappoint, in many ways.
A mysterious iceberg that appears to be growing while others disappear. What’s behind that? Natural or man’s interference.
The setting, Mount Olympus. Subzero temperatures and isolated. Where the environment is an adversary. That’s something I really like in a story. A test of human endurance all it’s own.
A hidden agenda, along with the requisite villain. A must for any good thriller book.
And a female protagonist. One who’s double tough, self confident and willing to stick to what she knows is true. But also, flawed. Which makes her believable and makes you rout for her.
I thoroughly enjoyed Pain Peak and now want to see what else the author has to offer.
4 STARS
Guest Interview with William Liggett, Author of Panic Peak
- Your main character is a woman who is passionate about her research and teaching. How did you arrive at that?
I was raised in a family with a strong, well-educated mother and three sisters. I have always thought that women’s contributions should be respected as much as men’s. If we ignore the voices of female scientists, we are losing half of the knowledge we could otherwise gain.
I wanted Kate’s leadership and commitment to scientific knowledge and aspiration to save her glacier to inspire her students and others. Not everyone responds well to her passion for her work, which creates a challenge for my character, but also reflects the tension in our culture.
- What inspired you to write a book about geoengineering?
After publishing my first cli-fi novel, Watermelon Snow, I was visiting with a climate scientist friend, Yaga Richter, who recommended that my next novel deal with geoengineering. She had been studying this controversial subject using computer models, and she described some of the concerns that her fellow scientists had. For example, someone might actually inject chemicals to block solar radiation without authorization. Also, unanticipated side effects such as droughts, floods, and wildfires could result from altering the climate. Since I began writing my novel, articles that describe geoengineering studies and concerns have increased exponentially. It has become a hot topic.
- Based on the scenes you describe it sounds like you’ve spent time on Blue Glacier. Can you say more about that?
Years ago, I lived in the research station on the side of Mount Olympus, Washington, between June and September collecting data as an employee of the University of Washington’s Blue Glacier Project. Our crew was flown to the station one at a time in a single engine ski plane that landed on the snow and took off down the side of the snow-covered mountain. Part of our assignment was to measure the depth and rate of flow of the glacial ice. This required us to carry equipment from the top to the bottom of the glacier while taking care not to fall into the deep crevasses along the way. We learned to appreciate the raw beauty while skirting the many hazards. It was a perfect setting for an adventure (Watermelon Snow) and a thriller (Panic Peak).
- Describe your next book in the Warming World Adventures series.
Panic Peak places Kate at the center of the action with Grant supporting her, often from a distance. It features her passion for her work, but also permits her scientific and mountaineering skills to shine. My next novel will feature Grant’s approach to combating global warming and will reflect his positive worldview. As a social psychologist, he sees ways to overcome the resistance to climate mitigation that others don’t see or agree upon.
Because I believe people are hungry for progress and good news about the climate, I’m thinking of setting my next novel in the future when humanity has gotten the climate under better control. Perhaps Grant is now in his 70’s and his granddaughter is eager to learn what he and others did to bring about the reversal of a climate disaster. I’m thinking of her documenting his story as a tribute to him and her grandmother, Kate.
Meet the Author:
Bill Liggett writes fiction that blends behavioral and earth sciences in the recent cli-fi (climate fiction) literary genre. His goal is to paint a hopeful future based on solutions to global warming.
He holds a BS in geology and an MA in education, both from Stanford University, and a PhD in applied social psychology from New York University. Among the many positions he has held over the years, he taught in high school and college, conducted behavioral science studies for IBM, and consulted with health care and educational organizations.
Wherever he lives, he loves being outdoors. Home for him has included the West Coast, East Coast, Alaska, and now Colorado, the state of his childhood. He and his wife, Cathy, live in Niwot, Colorado.
connect with author: website ~ X/twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
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