Amery is the only industrial structure on the continent. Recently the chief engineer, Silong Lim, has noticed a dramatic increase in the temperature of the steam in the wells, a cause for great concern. If the steam temperature goes above 460 degrees Celsius, the gaskets between the wells and the turbine houses will melt, and the joints will fail. The result would be the collapse of the wells and a loss of power as well as the lives of the people working on the towers.

At a nearby location, wildlife research biologist Lois Burnham and her teenage assistant Angie Reed are studying a colony of Emperor Penguins. Of late they have noticed an exodus of birds from the rookery for reasons they cannot explain. They have good data that suggests the birds are migrating into an area known as the Ellis Mountains, a series of glacial ridges. Fearing for the survival of the colony, they plan to move their research operation to the area when they notice a strange pattern of lights at Amery Station.

Unfortunately, the steam temperature continues to increase and the steam wells, one by one, collapse. Experts are consulted. Dr. Panros Corcoros, a geology professor from MIT and a geothermal energy consultant, determines the problem lies in the Warner Basin. He sets off in a snow tractor to examine the area. The tractor skids off the ice and into the water that is, unexpectedly, boiling hot. Corcoros is severely injured, but manages to communicate that the others should call Professor Ferrand at MIT. Ferrand has become famous for his modeling of a hypercane, a giant hurricane that could be spawned if ocean temperatures exceeded 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It appears that just such a situation is developing in Antarctica. Ferrand is elated that his theory could be proven correct yet aghast that if the hypercane is allowed to form, it could, literally, rip the earth apart.

Zero Hour is a science fiction thriller with enough basis on fact to be truly horrifying. The author, who has an undergraduate degree from MIT in earth atmospheric and planetary sciences and a PhD from Clemson, has the academic credentials to know what he is writing about. This is a double-edged sword. Readers who have some knowledge in the field will be delighted with the liberal amount of technical information the author imparts, but because he presupposes familiarity with the field, those unfamiliar with the territory (including this reviewer) may find themselves a bit overwhelmed. Mr. Miller writes well, and doesn’t oversimplify his descriptions, but the non scientist will not get nearly as much out of this tale as an engineer or a meteorologist.

For those readers who roll their eyes when coincidence makes everything in the novel turn out propitiously, Zero Hour is a refreshing change. Author Miller has provided the perfect antidote. Time and again in this tale, scientists and engineers develop schemes to try and avert a catastrophic disaster and are thwarted in their efforts. People die gruesome deaths (those with queasy stomachs are forewarned), and millions of dollars of technical equipment is destroyed in the blink of an eye. Graphic violence is usually associated with man in conflict with his fellow man. In this case, Mother Nature is the enemy.

Zero Hour is a chilling story, both figuratively and literally having been set in the world’s most inhospitable climate. It will cause everyone to sit up and take notice of a situation where the world could actually become uninhabitable in a short period of time. I am not able to comment on the accuracy of the author’s factual information as I do not have enough prior knowledge , but students of the hard sciences will probably be entertained by this book.

--Andy Plonka