If you are interested in literally chilling novels about mayhem, mystery, and adventure, this novel about an astute and curious Emperor Penguin is it. Auroral, one of the colony's recent fathers, embarks on an unprecedented trek to the far other side of his colony's rookery where he hopes to discover the reason for intermittent crunching sounds and ensuing tremors beneath his colony's rookery. Hea also thinks the combined disturbance might ultimately destroy its foundation. Soon after arriving, he discovers the catalyst––a fast-moving glacier sideswiping the backside of the rookery. Investigating further, he accidentally topples into a fissure and is marooned. Eventually, he's rescued by his partner, Corvus, and their venturesome offspring, Cetus, who secretly followed him. Nearly two weeks later, and once Auroral is saved, the celebrating trio returns to the main staging area. Once there, however, they discover all the adults and seasonal fledglings have already departed for the austral summer feeding season (December). Equally unprecedented, no fledgling stays with its parents beyond the four-month phase of its rearing but Cetus is compelled to remain with his loving parents; at least, for the interim.
The crux of this 635-page (7 x 10) fable written for young adults and adults is not only a plausible scenario for a colony of Emperor Penguins but also a parable and prophesy based on what's happening to Antarctica's vanishing ice. Thus, a canary in the coal mine global warming scenario jeopardizes all terrestrial species in Antarctica. Fortunately, there is a timely surprise and positive ending to this winsome yarn, which includes factual and current scientific research whose consistent data points to a worrisome outcome for all lifeforms in this frigid Southern Hemisphere that is indeed heating up.