by Matthew Glass
November 2033, Joe Benton, a three-term democratic senator from Arizona, is the newly elected American president. Just days into his presidency, Benton learns of devastating news: his predecessor has engaged in failed climate change talks with China, and previous estimates regarding the effect of global warming on rising sea levels have been grossly underestimated. Miami will soon be washed away, and thirty million coastal-dwelling citizens in the United States will need to be relocated. For Benton, the only solution is to abandon multilateral negotiations in the impending Kyoto 4 and renew top-secret talks with his country's largest rival and now the world's leading polluter, China, to force it to drastically lower its emission levels before it is, simply, too late.
Ultimatum explores the most pressing issue of the twenty-first centurythe future of our planetand shows the effects that climate change will have on our lives and those of our children. It is a brilliant character study of a U.S. president and his key staff, and an impressively convincing portrayal of the inner workings of the U.S. administration. With tension escalating on almost every page and an astonishing and terrifying ending, Matt Glass's visionary and deeply unsettling thriller steers us into the dark heart of political intrigue and a future that is all too believable.
"Glass's debut, an anxiety-inducing thriller about global warming, effectively taps a hot topic and handles it with flair." - Publishers Weekly.
"Glass's plot is fresh and arresting, but the book lacks distinctive, identifiable characters to drive it." - Kirkus Reviews.
"A rare thriller that terrifies not because it is possible, but because it feels probableif not inevitable. ... 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.
This information about Ultimatum was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

If you liked Ultimatum, try these:
by David Bowles
Published 2023
From Pura Belpré honoree David Bowles comes a young adult epic about one of the greatest minds of the Americas (honored to this day on Mexico's 100-peso bill).
by Conn Iggulden
Published 2019
From New York Times bestselling Conn Iggulden comes a new novel set in the red-blooded days of Anglo-Saxon England. This is the original game for the English throne.
by A.S. Byatt
Published 2013
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.