Yeah, I was thinking that the plot sounded interesting and I should look for the book... then he said how it ends. Poop.

Knowing the ending does not ruin the book. Even if you hadn't heard anything about the plot, it becomes clear very quickly how it is going to end. The suspense comes from how it all goes down. Classic Chekhov's gun.

It's an excellent book and I highly recommend it. Very short too, so it's not much of a time commitment.

Agree; actually it even starts after the global freeze.

I thought the whole Ice-Nine thing in Cat's Cradle was pretty famous by this point. It's like Janet Leigh dying in the shower in Psycho — everyone knows about the twist, but they like it anyway.

How many pop culture references to Cat's Cradle have you seen? Even that shower scene - I've seen references, jokes, even the scene but I have not seen the film and don't know who Janet Leigh is. And don't say everyone. There are people who have not even heard of Psycho and there are people who REALLY hate spoilers.

There's a reference (that prompted me to read the book) in a movie by Al Pacino and Colin Farrell (The Recruit.) Not an incredibly good movie (good for a lazy Saturday afternoon.)

At the end, the Titanic sinks.

Difference being that the ending to Titanic was 'spoiled' for me before the screenplay was ever written.

In the book, it didn't really freeze the oceans "in an instant." It took several days.