Ultimatum
November 2032, Joe Benton has just been elected the 48th president of the United States. Only days after winning, Benton learns from his predecessor that previous estimates regarding the effect of global warming on rising sea levels have been grossly underestimated. With the world frighteningly close to catastrophe, Benton must save the United States from environmental devastation. He resumes secret bilateral negotiations with the Chinese--the world's worst polluter--and as the two superpowers lock horns, the ensuing battle of wits becomes a race against time. With tension escalating on almost every page and building to an astonishing climax, Matthew Glass's visionary and deeply unsettling thriller steers us into the dark heart of political intrigue and a future that is all too believable.


"A rare thriller that terrifies not because it is possible, but because it feels probable--if not inevitable. Sharp as a well-honed scalpel, Ultimatum is a masterful novel with deftly drawn characters, real settings, and a dark, dark, understanding of geopolitical reality. The ending will leave you gasping."--Douglas Preston, author of The Monster of Florence

"Prophetic. I hope to God this isn't the future--but Matthew Glass makes it all so believable that I fear for our planet."--Lincoln Child, author of Deep Storm
1100260164
Ultimatum
November 2032, Joe Benton has just been elected the 48th president of the United States. Only days after winning, Benton learns from his predecessor that previous estimates regarding the effect of global warming on rising sea levels have been grossly underestimated. With the world frighteningly close to catastrophe, Benton must save the United States from environmental devastation. He resumes secret bilateral negotiations with the Chinese--the world's worst polluter--and as the two superpowers lock horns, the ensuing battle of wits becomes a race against time. With tension escalating on almost every page and building to an astonishing climax, Matthew Glass's visionary and deeply unsettling thriller steers us into the dark heart of political intrigue and a future that is all too believable.


"A rare thriller that terrifies not because it is possible, but because it feels probable--if not inevitable. Sharp as a well-honed scalpel, Ultimatum is a masterful novel with deftly drawn characters, real settings, and a dark, dark, understanding of geopolitical reality. The ending will leave you gasping."--Douglas Preston, author of The Monster of Florence

"Prophetic. I hope to God this isn't the future--but Matthew Glass makes it all so believable that I fear for our planet."--Lincoln Child, author of Deep Storm
14.99 In Stock
Ultimatum

Ultimatum

by Matthew Glass

Narrated by Phil Gigante

Unabridged — 14 hours, 22 minutes

Ultimatum

Ultimatum

by Matthew Glass

Narrated by Phil Gigante

Unabridged — 14 hours, 22 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$14.99
FREE With a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
$0.00

Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime

START FREE TRIAL

Already Subscribed? 

Sign in to Your BN.com Account


Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Related collections and offers

FREE

with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription

Or Pay $14.99

Overview

November 2032, Joe Benton has just been elected the 48th president of the United States. Only days after winning, Benton learns from his predecessor that previous estimates regarding the effect of global warming on rising sea levels have been grossly underestimated. With the world frighteningly close to catastrophe, Benton must save the United States from environmental devastation. He resumes secret bilateral negotiations with the Chinese--the world's worst polluter--and as the two superpowers lock horns, the ensuing battle of wits becomes a race against time. With tension escalating on almost every page and building to an astonishing climax, Matthew Glass's visionary and deeply unsettling thriller steers us into the dark heart of political intrigue and a future that is all too believable.


"A rare thriller that terrifies not because it is possible, but because it feels probable--if not inevitable. Sharp as a well-honed scalpel, Ultimatum is a masterful novel with deftly drawn characters, real settings, and a dark, dark, understanding of geopolitical reality. The ending will leave you gasping."--Douglas Preston, author of The Monster of Florence

"Prophetic. I hope to God this isn't the future--but Matthew Glass makes it all so believable that I fear for our planet."--Lincoln Child, author of Deep Storm

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Glass's debut, an anxiety-inducing thriller about global warming, effectively taps a hot topic and handles it with flair. In 2032, vast regions of America's coast-Florida, Texas, California-are underwater. Catastrophic hurricanes regularly sweep through the South. Much of the West has been without rainfall for years, as wildfires rage. More than 25 million people face relocation to higher ground, where new cities must be created. The newly elected U.S. president, Joe Benton, frustrated with the failed Kyoto Treaty process, proposes radical solutions worldwide, with devastating economic consequences. When the earth's greatest polluter, China, won't go along with the deal and escalates the argument to the nuclear level, the narrative shifts into overdrive. A contrived conclusion and passages belaboring the machinations of government and its various bureaucrats are the only weaknesses in what is otherwise a compelling tale of environmental doom. (Apr.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Reviews

Global warming presents a U.S. president with a doomsday scenario as he takes office. Newly elected President Joe Benton is eager to launch his "New Foundation" programs and clean up the mess left behind by his arrogant, foul-mouthed predecessor. Benton, observes one character, "has a mandate for change." This setup may suggest 2009, but it's actually 2033 and, just as he prepares to take the oath of office, Benton, No. 48, learns from No. 47 that global warming is progressing at an alarming, unanticipated pace. Massive relocations of entire sections of the country will soon be imperative as cloudless skies parch farmlands and oceans drown Miami. This premise could well serve as the basis for an action-laden, "special effects" thriller written in shorthand. To his credit, British author Glass makes what promises to be a refreshing choice by following the intricate political strategies and machinations that ensue in pursuit of Kyoto 4, an international treaty controlling emissions. China remains, at best, uncommitted as a signatory, and Benton's staff devotes seemingly innumerable sessions to scope out what China's leaders may be up to. Intent as a stenographer on capturing every codicil, subclause and qualification coming out of the deliberations, Glass comes up with a narrative that soon loses drive, focus and tension. Among the scores of characters he brings onto the scene, few are drawn well enough to fascinate, other than Secretary of State Larry Olsen, whose unilateral moves occasionally ramp up subtle suspense. At the center of what becomes a long holding pattern, Benton remains an unknown protagonist, bereft of traits and ticks. When problems close in, does he nibble jellybeans,shoot hoops? How does he feel as the United States faces a penultimate crisis? The lack of character detail and insight, which extends as well to a first family that is merely sketched in, robs the tragic denouement of emotional resonance. Glass's plot is fresh and arresting, but the book lacks distinctive, identifiable characters to drive it. Agent: Ben Evans/Oyster Bridge Literary Agency

Product Details

BN ID: 2940173571762
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publication date: 11/15/2019
Edition description: Unabridged
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews