Promo Bits: Arctic Rising by Tobias S. Buckell

Buckell has hit the Internet with news about his latest book, Arctic Rising.  Set to hit shelves in Feb. 2012, it’s certainly one of the few books I am eagerly anticipating.  I suspect I’ll be in line (in costume) when my local B&N or indie store gets it in stock.

In any case, here’s some cool stuff about the book.  First, the back cover blurb:

Global warming has transformed the Earth, and it’s about to get even hotter. The Arctic ice cap has all but melted, and the international community is racing desperately to claim the
massive amounts of oil beneath the newly accessible ocean.

Enter the Gaia Corporation. Its two founders have come up with a plan to roll back global warming. They plan to terraform Earth to save it from itself—but in doing so, they have created a superweapon the likes of which the world has never seen.

Anika Duncan is an airship pilot for the underfunded United Nations Polar Guard. She’s intent on capturing a smuggled nuclear weapon that has made it into the Polar Circle and bringing the smugglers to justice.

Anika finds herself caught up in a plot by a cabal of military agencies and corporations who want Gaia Corporation stopped. But when Gaia loses control of their superweapon, it will be Anika who has to decide the future of the world.

And the cover image:

The cover is certainly not typical of Buckell’s work, but they may be trying to market his novel to a broader SF audience (i.e., all those folks that read SF novels and don’t know it because they are marketed as thrillers or what have you).  I have no problem with this.  If it makes Buckell as filthy rich as J. K. Rowling (or at least half as rich), then it’s a win-win.  I get more books to read and he gets to spend every day of the rest of his life doing the one thing he loves:  writing fiction.  (Assuming that’s his primary passion, of course).

What do you all think about the book?