''Ice Claw'' is a

children's novel Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

by David Gilman, published in 2008. It is the second book in Gilman's Danger Zone series with its principal character, eco hero teenager Max Gordon. It is preceded by '' The Devil's Breath'' (2007) and followed by ''Blood Sun''.

Plot

Max Gordon is participating in an X-Treme sports challenge, where he witnesses the final moments of a mysterious

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

monk, who screams a cryptic clue before plummeting to his death. The clue is a prophecy that predicts an ecological catastrophe that will kill millions around Europe. When he is blamed for the monk's death, Max and his best friend Sayid follow the clues and discover betrayal and murder around every turn before meeting the man behind it all: the insane billionaire Tishenko.

Main characters

* Max Gordon: The protagonist from the first novel comes back in this second book, and again the story is mainly shown from his point of view. * Sophie Fauvre: An attractive young heroine that Max falls for. She plays more or less exactly the same role as Keelie van Reenen, from the first book. * Tishenko: A billionaire madman with a crazy plot to threaten the environment. He is an outcast with a hideous physical deformity. He plays the same role as Shaka Chang, from the first book.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called ''Ice Claw'' an "action-packed adventure" and found it to be "equally exciting" as its predecessor, ''The Devil's Breath''. They further indicated that it has "lots of relevant references for today’s teens, who will gobble it down". ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' highlighted the "nonstop" pace and plotting that "combin ssports action and combat", as well as "mystical additions" that "never overwhelm the fight scenes". They concluded, "Gilman writes a solid, occasionally thrilling action tale that manages to impart political, scientific, and geographic information without ever feeling like the dreaded 'message' book." ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' also reviewed the novel.

References

2008 British novels British children's novels 2008 children's books Penguin Press books {{2000s-child-novel-stub