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Summary: Environmental thriller
Review: Sea Change is a remarkable first book for Mr. Powlik. His characterizations and descriptions keep you interested and his hypotheses are very plausible. As an environmentalist, I found his book to be both a good read and a good warning for his audience. Hope he comes up with another "best seller" soon.
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Summary: I'm Afraid to Go Near the Water!
Review: This novel could have the same effect on beach-going as "Jaws" did years ago! Reading the preceding reviews, I am amazed that SEA CHANGE is Powlick's debut; rarely have I seen a first novel that was so concise and well-developed from a literary perspective and so suspenseful and challenging as entertainment. Powlick made difficult oceanographic and biological concepts easy to digest and enjoyable to ponder, in terms of their dangerous implications. The romance was anticipated but not unwelcome, as I cared about the characters, and those I didn't care for (the media-hound) got just deserves. Don't be afraid of this thriller!
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Summary: Intelligent and fast-paced thriller.
Review: James Powlik has pulled off a remarkable feat. He has written a book with a great deal of complicated and technical scientific language, yet he makes the narrative exciting. "Sea Change" deals with an environmental threat that poses a tremendous danger to warm-blooded mammals in an area near Washington State and Vancouver, British Columbia. Powlik has a background in biology and oceanography, and although the book is fiction, there is a factual basis in what he writes. "Sea Change" is frightening in its implications and the action sweeps the reader along until the end. A word of warning--this book is not for the sqeamish. The characters and the dialogue are, for the most part, believable. Readers who love scientific mysteries will find "Sea Change" enthralling and thought-provoking.
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Summary: A great and enlightening read!
Review: I met Mr. Powlik at a book signing last weekend in Salisbury Maryland and bought his book. I've already finished it and had to write to say how much I enjoyed it. There are a lot of interesting science and ecological issues woven into the plot. Because I live near the Chesapeake Bay, I am especially interested in the subject of Pfiesteria and its threat to our environment. Thank you Mr. Powlik for helping to raise awareness about these issues. But back to the story...it's gripping and moves at a great pace. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I have several friends who would love it. Looks like some of my Christmas shopping is done.
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Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: I LOVED THIS BOOK. I am an Oceanographer and really appreciated how the author remained true to the science while maintaining a suspensful, and intricate plot. I thought this book a million times better than other recent additions to the genre, namely Sphere... Hoping and can't wait for the next one! Thanks Dr. Powlik
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Summary: This book is exciting and intelligently written.
Review: Powlik has impressive credentials as a biological oceanographer. He has written a book that is not "dumbed down". In fact, it is so full of scientic jargon that there is a glossary in the back. I like the sophisticated scientific plot line. It reminds me a bit of my favorite science fiction book of all time, Crichton's "The Andromeda Strain". The plot is scary and gory. It deals with a deadly organism in the ocean near Vancouver and Washington state that threatens warm blooded mammals, including humans, and that is almost impossible to kill. The plot moves along with a frenetic pace, and the bodies pile up quickly. If gore bothers you, stay away from this one. A romance is thrown in that adds nothing to the story, but the action is tense and hair-raising until the very end. Will the intrepid scientists be able to stop this deadly scourge before it threatens Seattle? Science can be thrilling!
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Summary: Very high-tech thriller with some melodrama thrown in.
Review: James Powlik, who holds a Doctorate in biological oceanography, does not "write down" to his audience in "Sea Change". In fact, this book has so much complex scientific jargon that there is a glossary in the back. This is pretty rare in a novel. I love scientific thrillers, my favorite of all time being "The Andromeda Strain". "Sea Change" is not in that league. However, it is terrifying in its implications that our environment, in this case the ocean, could harbor organisms so malevolent that they could kill people instantly and, under the right conditions, even threaten people on land. In this case, the villain is a floating organism that is partially man-made and had been lying dormant, waiting to be activated under the right conditions. When this organism comes to life, the bodies start piling up with warp speed. The book is marred by a few romantic cliches and the body count is a little too high. However, in spite of the melodramatic touches, Powlik has written an exciting and frightening thriller that could give a reader nightmares.
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Summary: This one has it all
Review: Oceanographer James Powlik strikes an excellent balance of science, action, and humanity (yes, that is still possible in a technothriller -- take note Crichton and Clancy). The menace du jour in protagonist Brock Garner's life is a toxic algae bloom that reads as believably as the latest headlines in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd. Surrounding a core of credible science is a cast of believable, well-developed characters that lure the reader compulsively into page after page as the action mounts and the danger reaches strangulation levels. As Powlik himself asserts, we are not the commanders of Mother Nature as much as we'd like to think.
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Summary: GO JIM, GO JIM
Review: i am currently reading this book, and i think its awesome! i can't put it down! i can't wait til you write another one, Jim (and lookin at all the other reviews, they can't either!) congrats on your success!when you write another book, please tell me. i know it'll be just as good as this (and hi lindsay and ms. e!) until you write another best-seller, you're fan, j.y.
Rating:
Summary: GO JIM, GO JIM
Review: i am currently reading this book, and i think its awesome! i can't wait til you write another one, jim (and lookin at all the other reviews, they can't either!) congrats on your success! when you write another book, please tell me. i know it'll be just as good as this (and hi lindsay and ms. e!) until you write another best-seller, you're fan, j.y.
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