Rory is a young British schoolgirl who flies with her geologist mum Laura to the Arctic, in 2030. Flights are so rare, due to the Climate Laws, that only essential air travel is undertaken. BEYOND THE FROZEN HORIZON, a mining project by a firm called Greenlight needs Laura’s report. As she is a single mother, she brings her daughter.

The journey takes us in stages out of a comfortable suburban zone into somewhere far wilder, more rugged and remote than Rory imagined. Greenlight is keen to undertake mineral extraction in a designated nature reserve, in order to provide Rare Earth Elements to make technology. But the rights of nature must be respected, and the people on the island of Spitzbergen, an afterthought of coal mining days and disasters, are caught in the middle. Young men Jonne and Mikkal, who has a pet Arctic fox, at first tolerate and then befriend Rory. Girls like Nina adhere to the no-mixing with outsiders rule. And Pia, a glaciologist, and other science students, respect nature while co-operating with the extraction firm that provides employment. Altogether it’s an uneasy mixture, so no wonder Rory wakes up at night in the half-abandoned town of Pyramiden, thinking she sees and hears ghosts.

As well as the work of the Arctic Council, Rory learns about the history of whaling and fur trapping, coal mining and the modern Seed Vault. With her mum and new friends, she sees animals of the tundra, sea and ice, learns to stay warm in hides and eider duck down. Dogs are not pets, they are for sledding. And whales – well, they are valuable for carbon capture.  

New words are explained to Rory, or by her, like mushing, and in a lovely touch, she gets to show the islanders photos on her phone of leafy trees, something they have never experienced. Rory is soon caught up in the same dilemma that pervades the island and mineral operation. More than once, she could have died.

Nicola Penfold has previously written two YA environmental books, and this extreme quest story will secure her place on many bookshelves. She tells us in a note at the end about her experiences and researches, describing which parts of her location are invented.  BEYOND THE FROZEN HORIZON is a fantastic read for teens and adventurous adults.

Book Summary