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.Praise"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 StormFrom Publishers WeeklyGlass'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. From BooklistIn this near-future thriller, Joe Benton, the newly elected president of the U.S., is shocked to learn that his predecessor’s administration has been knowingly underreporting the catastrophic effects of global warming. In truth, the world is dangerously close to disaster, forcing Benton to find a way to broker an accord between the world’s worst polluter, China, and the U.S. But can the new president forge a path to peace with the U.S.’s old enemy? Fans of political thrillers will flock to this one, which combines realistic characters with shrewd political and environmental commentary. Some readers might quibble that the world of 2032 is a bit vaguely formed (with small changes, the novel could as easily have been set next year), but that’s a fairly minor quibble. The novel is propelled by character and dialogue, but it’s solidly plotted, too, and given the current public interest in global warming, it may spark some interesting debate on the subject. --David Pitt

Glass, Matthew

Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated

Atlantic Books Ltd

Grove Atlantic

Grove Press

Place of publication not identified, 2010

United States, United States of America

New York, NY, 2009

librusecid_487996

The author of Trigger Point delivers "an anxiety-inducing thriller about global warming [that] effectively taps a hot topic and handles it with flair" ( Publishers Weekly ).
November, 2032 . Joe Benton has just been elected the forty-eighth president of the United States. Only days after winning, his predecessor reveals that estimates regarding the effect of global warming have been grossly underestimated. For the United States, a leading carbon emitter for decades, the prospects are devastating. Miami will be washed into the ocean and southern California will waste away to desert; the relocation of thirty million citizens will cost trillions of dollars. With the world on the verge of catastrophe, Benton abandons the Kyoto 4 summit and resumes secret negotiations with China—the world's worst polluter. As the two superpowers lock horns, the ensuing battle of wits becomes a race against time.
Ultimatum is a prophetic thriller that explores the most pressing issue of the twenty-first century. In a convincing and compelling narrative, it moves from top secret Oval Office meetings to clandestine talks in Norway and tense negotiations in Beijing. Ultimatum is an unsettling thriller that steers us into the dark heart of political intrigue and a future that is all too believable.
"Fans of political thrillers will flock to this one, which combines realistic characters with shrewd political commentary." —Booklist

November 2032. Joe Benton has just been elected the forty-eighth 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

Joe Benton has been elected the forty-eighth president of the United States. Only days after the election results, 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 terrifyingly close to catastrophe, Benton must save the United States from environmental devastation. He resumes secret bilateral negotiations with the Chinese - now the world's worst polluter - and as the two superpowers lock horns, the ensuing battle of wits becomes a race against time. With tension escalatin

In 2032, newly elected president Joe Benton realizes that the effects of global warming have been greatly underestimated and must scramble to negotiate with other countries to come up with a plan to stop the crisis

2015-12-26