Antarctica's Frozen Chosen

Hazel Edwards (author)

Lothian Books, Australia: 2003; 173pp

ISBN: 0734405197

Genres: adventure

Issues: environment, ecology, community, ethics

Kyle works as a lab assistant to a professor of biology. When a colleague breaks a leg, Kyle is given an unexpected opportunity to make a summer field-trip to Antarctica. Before he has time to blink, he's in the middle of a chilly adventure, heading into the pristine environment of the frozen continent.

His simple goal of monitoring the health and population of elephant seals becomes complicated by illegal fishing of Patagonian Toothfish and a suspected eco-terrorist on board. When it is discovered that a genetic modification may transfer from rats to humans, nobody on Kyle's ship is allowed to land - it seems as if the whole expedition may be called off.

At times confusing, this is a pacy novel dealing with many of the issues facing those who work in and fight to protect Antarctica - one of the world's few remaining pristine ecologies. It also explores the ethics of scientific investigation and relationships in a confined community.