Imagine a mix of Jaws and Godzilla with a touch of Titanic thrown in, and you'll have some idea of the scope and ambition of this debut techno-thriller from Canadian oceanographer James Powlik.

Like in Jaws, something weird is killing people along a coast--in this case, the Pacific Northwest. Like in Godzilla, something we've done to the environment has caused simple creatures--in this case, tiny marine protozoa--to go crazy and mutate into a new killer entity. The Titanic touch comes when billions of these nasty creatures gather together to form a huge floating blob the size of an iceberg, which gives off a noxious gas that not only dissolves human tissue but also stops boat and plane engines dead.

By the time marine microbiologist Brock Garner and his ex-wife, whale sonar expert Carol Harmon, figure out just what the murderous agent is, the mucky mountain is caught up in a terrific storm that is pushing it toward Seattle. And the government isn't doing a lot to stop it, because they know who's behind the monstrous mutation--a former Defense Department consultant who happens to be Carol's father.

Powlik keeps this all from falling into the dangerous waters of "high camp" by making sure his characters are as reality-based and accessible as his scientific expertise. --Dick Adler


From Library Journal
A life-threatening plankton bloom (a fast-growing colony of microorganisms that eats every living thing in its path) is gathering strength off the coast of Washington State. Meanwhile, marine microbiologist Brock Garner and his ex-wife, Carol, who are investigating the mysterious death of Carol's brother, slowly realize that Mark is not the only fatality and that whatever is causing mass destruction among the marine population is a serious threat to all life in the area. Mobilizing what resources they can, the Garners and a small group of like-minded individuals set out to stop the colony from moving into Puget Sound. Biologist and oceanographer Powlik brings a great deal of real-life knowledge to this fantastical story of microorganisms running rampant. The possibility that such an event could actually happen helps make this a suspenseful and gripping tale. A good summer read; suitable for most fiction collections.AJo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
Oceanographer Powlik debuts with a bio-technothriller so awash in technology that some likable characters barely get their heads above water. Beware the dreaded pfiesteria, its a killer. It has ``up to 24 distinct life stages and produces at least two toxins that act offensively''which is to say murderouslyand it's on the loose in the Pacific. Or perhaps that's an inexact phrase for something that adheres like jelly, looks like a green slick eight square miles wide, and is moving inexorably on a line that threatens to wipe out the populations of Seattle or Vancouver or both. A natural disaster? Hardly. Pfiesteria is the result of an experiment gone wrong: one of those occasional misadventures perpetrated by a military-industrial complex panicky and anxious about parity in bio-chemical warfare. The thin line of defense against the giant, waterborne bug is composed of crack oceanographer Brock Garner and his small but dedicated band of scientists. Pitted against themwith a secret agenda as self-serving as it is nefariousis the conniving archcapitalist Bob Nolan, who never saw the buck he wouldn't stoop to stuff in his coffers. There's the internecine warfare between the scientists; a pleasant, understated love story between Garner and a beautiful lady doc (a romance that could have used more room to bloom), and some horrifically vivid descriptions of pfiesteria-caused deaths. Finally, Nolan gets his just deserts, Garner gets the girl, and the noxious peril is coped with. Though the author hints at more undersea menace in the future, greenish pfiesteria with pinkish wisteria is allowed to become no more than quiet fare for a couplet. Blended cleverly, science and suspense are of course compatible. Next time out, the talented Powlik may well get the mix just right. ($250,000 ad/promo) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Real-life oceanographer and debut novelist James Powlik delivers Sea Change, an intense bio-technothriller equipped with Crichton-esque scientific speculation and the breakneck, no-holds-barred pace of a Clive Cussler or Robin Cook.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest, two fishermen are the first to feel the heat. Then a young girl, playing innocently by the seashore - before dying an agonizing death. Now the media have a story. Reporters, scientists, and government officials are descending on the coastline, searching for a killer in the water. And renegade oceanographer Brock Garner is at the center of the storm. He wants to know why he's finding dead zones in the Pacific and why his best friend's heart stopped after he examined ravaged sea lions on a beach. Dr. Ellie Bridges, on duty when the little girl died, has questions of her own. Thrown together in the chaos, Brock and Ellie are about to discover some disturbing truths, about a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions that is growing. Gathering strength. And moving - unless they can stop it - south toward a new victim, Seattle.. "In this novel real-life oceanographer James Powlik creates a chilling scenario that isn't just plausible it already exists. Because between nature's wrath and man's worst secrets, a deadly terror has been born at sea. And now the sea will bring it home.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In a season where deadly biological epidemics seem to be the thriller topic of choice (see Gerritsen's Gravity, above), Powlik's exciting debut speculates on a pandemic with a humble origin: microscopic marine protozoa--only these minute creatures have transformed into a cataclysmically dangerous organism. Horrific deaths that liquefy the brains and flesh of victims baffle Canadian and American researchers in remote fishing hamlets of the Pacific Northwest until marine microbiologist William Brock Garner; his ex-wife, whale sonar expert Carol Harmon; and physician Ellie Bridges get on the case. Facing stiff resistance from Carol's father, Charles, a former Defense Department consultant, the trio challenge the conflicting agendas of environmentalists, scientists, the government and tourist industries to identify and stop the deadly phenomenon. A swimming microbial fish pathogen has mutated to link billions of madly reproducing cells into one huge, floating colony that pumps out lethal, airborne poisons that can stall engines as well as dissolve living tissue. Brock locates the colony--now heading toward Seattle--with a gale approaching and no way to stop it until Carol's new husband, a self-promoting eco-warrior, throws money, press clout and equipment into the battle, discreetly backed by U.S. agents who know the sinister truth connected to Carol's father. At heart this is an expert riff on the classic monster-horror novel, unoriginal in structure but as swiftly moving as a tsunami. Canadian oceanographer Powlik invests his adventure with echoes of terror tales past, fiction and nonfiction, from The Blob to The Hot Zone, as well as with authentic science, an affecting romance and a knockout climax. As sure as shark jaws, this thriller will keep readers out of the water and on the beach, reading their eyes out. $250,000 ad/promo; BDD audio; author tour. (Aug.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A life-threatening plankton bloom (a fast-growing colony of microorganisms that eats every living thing in its path) is gathering strength off the coast of Washington State. Meanwhile, marine microbiologist Brock Garner and his ex-wife, Carol, who are investigating the mysterious death of Carol's brother, slowly realize that Mark is not the only fatality and that whatever is causing mass destruction among the marine population is a serious threat to all life in the area. Mobilizing what resources they can, the Garners and a small group of like-minded individuals set out to stop the colony from moving into Puget Sound. Biologist and oceanographer Powlik brings a great deal of real-life knowledge to this fantastical story of microorganisms running rampant. The possibility that such an event could actually happen helps make this a suspenseful and gripping tale. A good summer read; suitable for most fiction collections.--Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Oceanographer Powlik debuts with a bio-technothriller so awash in technology that some likable characters barely get their heads above water. Beware the dreaded pfiesteria, it's a killer. It has "up to 24 distinct life stages and produces at least two toxins that act offensively"—which is to say murderously—and it's on the loose in the Pacific. Or perhaps that's an inexact phrase for something that adheres like jelly, looks like a green slick eight square miles wide, and is moving inexorably on a line that threatens to wipe out the populations of Seattle or Vancouver or both. A natural disaster? Hardly. Pfiesteria is the result of an experiment gone wrong: one of those occasional misadventures perpetrated by a military-industrial complex panicky and anxious about parity in bio-chemical warfare. The thin line of defense against the giant, waterborne bug is composed of crack oceanographer Brock Garner and his small but dedicated band of scientists. Pitted against them—with a secret agenda as self-serving as it is nefarious—is the conniving archcapitalist Bob Nolan, who never saw the buck he wouldn't stoop to stuff in his coffers. There's the internecine warfare between the scientists; a pleasant, understated love story between Garner and a beautiful lady doc (a romance that could have used more room to bloom), and some horrifically vivid descriptions of pfiesteria-caused deaths. Finally, Nolan gets his just deserts, Garner gets the girl, and the noxious peril is coped with. Though the author hints at more undersea menace in the future, greenish pfiesteria with pinkish wisteria is allowed to become no more than quiet fare for a couplet. Blended cleverly, scienceand suspense are of course compatible. Next time out, the talented Powlik may well get the mix just right. ($250,000 ad/promo)