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Loading... A Fortress of Grey Ice (2002)by J. V. Jones
None.  queencersei | Jul 23, 2010 |  a definite improvement over book 1 (  ) jokester | Oct 13, 2009 | It's rare that I think the second novel in a series is better than the first, but this is an exception. The first novel seemed out of balance in character development and meandering in plot. This novel flows much better and since you already know most of the characters, less time is spent on mundane interaction and "Clanworld 101", which felt heavy in the first novel. In addition, more colorful characters are introduced (like the Maimed Men) and the ambiguity of character "likability" is pushed further. The interweaving plot threads (which are becoming almost cliche these days in epic fantasy) are frustrating but leave you wanting more. The only really discouraging thing for me was that I thought the Raif's climax was anticlimactic and poorly written. This book isn't one of the greats, but it is clearly above the bar in the genre. ( ) RRLevering | Jan 31, 2009 | Second in a series by J. V. Jones, A Fortress of Grey Ice continues the story begun in A Cavern of Black Ice with her usual skill. As with the first, the high-level plot is pretty standard fantasy stuff. Evil that has been locked away is breaking out and the first shadow creature has led the way with an unlikely hero led to kill it to save the world. What keeps this well above the level of standard fantasy is the depth of the world Jones creates and the tangled plot with many story threads that she weaves so deftly. The escaping evil isn't just some monster that needs to be killed. The world itself is changing and becoming more chaotic, even the geology. The clans have begun warring and armies from the cities are invading. Everything is changing, and not for the better. In this mess, Jones also continues the story of Raif and Ash, who must seal all this evil back into the shadow world. Like the previous book at more than 800 pages, this one's long, coming at 670 pages. The pace of the story and the action flow are better than the first volume, though, so it seems to go quickly. In fact, it's hard for me to see how, given the depth of the plot, how it could have been any shorter. Good read, but start with the first volume. (  ) drneutron | Dec 20, 2008 | no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0765345498, Mass Market Paperback)"Wonderful . . . J.V. Jones is a striking writer." So says Robert Jordan, the author of The Wheel of Time epic fantasy series. And Jones lives up to that praise in the highly charged epic adventure of Ash March and Raif Sevrance, two outcasts whose fates are entwined by fate and by need, in the cold, dark world that threatens to be torn asunder by a war to end all wars. They are but two of many who fight the dreaded Endlords, but both Ash and Raif are special in unique ways that isolate them, yet which also enable them to perform heroic acts that might save their world. Raif, wrongly accused and cut off from his clan by the treachery of their new headsman, has a talent for killing that is part of his curse and his burden. But he bears another burden of greater weight. Ash is a sacred warrior to the Sull, an ancient race whose numbers have declined.Raised as a foundling, she never knew her true heritage, she must learn to accept the terrible gifts of her heritage. But as Ash learns more of her greater fate, Raif's task looms dark and desperate, for he must journey through the nightmare realm of the Want, a place where even the Sull now fear to tread. For deep within the Want is the Fortress of Grey Ice, and there he must heal the breach in the Blindwall that already threatens the world. Should he fail, not even Ash's powers can save them... (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:35:27 -0500) No library descriptions found. |
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The overall story seems to move only a little bit in this book. What saves the story are the various characters, especially the secondary ones such as Bram from clan Doohne and Effie Severance. There is a lot of setting up that occures in this novel for the great battle to come. One hopes that the payoff is worth it to the reader. (