The Ice Soldier: A Novel

The theme of personal redemption through a dangerous and possibly foolhardy physical task was what drew me in in the firs book I read by Paul Watkins, In the Blue Light of African Dreams. It is back here, with mountain climbing replacing flying but both in the very early versions and both very hazardous indeed, I did find the lead up to the ascent of Carton's Rock a bit long and possibly full of extra details but once the mountain climbing started, it really got into full swing. Watkins is a fantastic writer, there are moments of prose that are just luminous but the narrative structure creaked and showed the strain at times. Still, well worth the read. And now I have read al of his published work. I might have to read them all again.

William Bromley is a World War II veteran living in 1950's London. In the war, he led a mountaineering expedition that ended disastrously. He has never moved past this and started living again. He's just existing--teaching school, admiring the secretary from a distance, spending Friday evenings with his one friend, and visiting his father on school breaks. There's nothing exciting in his life and that's the way he likes it. Notably, he has also completely given up mountain climbing. Then something changes and he is left wondering if his life is really enough and does he have the courage to start truly living his life again?

I enjoyed this. The story itself was very well-written and easy to read. The pacing was good and the way that show more things were slowly explained really worked. Probably the best part was that within this very straightforward story, the author manages to explore big themes like man vs. nature, the nature of friendship among men, and what war can still do to those lucky enough to survive. In other words, it works on many levels. If you want a simple adventure story, that's in here. If you want something to chew over and think about for a while, that's in here too. show less

This is an odd book for me...I thought it would be so much more, and then it lets me down in places.

And yet, I keep thinking about it and have gone back to re-read it. The confrontations between some of the characters aren't believable, but the description of climbing and the scenes on the glacier, along with some quieter scenes of the academic life of a teacher, stay with me. Watkins can write some really good scenes, and others disappoint. Uneven, but worth a read.

COMBINE the literary genius of Evelyn Waugh, the story-telling skills of Alistair MacLean, the experience of Sir Edmund Hillary, and the verve and tenacity of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and the result would be something like The Ice Soldier.

It is described as an “action-packed adventure story", but also a “commitment to ideas"; it’s a “superior page-turner", but also has “excellent research, solid plotting and some very good writing"; and it also has a “tingling crescendo of physical ordeal, clawing suspense and plummeting reversal", but with “visceral power … plus ideas".

Low-brows and high-brows alike will approach The Ice Soldier with some trepidation based on the above seemingly contradictory opinions, but I can assure show more everyone this is a book worth reading — worth owning, in fact.

Set in the 1950s, the book’s heroes, William Bromley and Stanley Carton, are men in their physical prime although no longer young, both having graduated from Oxford before the outbreak of the Second World War.

They were part of a group of six undergraduates, united by their love of climbing, who saved every penny they could beg, borrow or earn to travel to the Alps every holiday. They conquered almost all the Alpine Peaks — with the exception of Carton's Rock.

Carton's Rock was well-nigh impregnable and had been climbed only once, many years previous, by Carton's uncle Henry, after whom it had been named.

ALTHOUGH Bromley and Carton no longer climb, they get together every Friday at the Montague Club, where they chat and drink too much wine during what they privately refer to as “The Weekly Meeting of Former Mountaineers”. They discuss the affairs of the world: the progress of the Korean War, the expedition to the mountains of Patagonia, Carton’s dissatisfaction with working for the London Climbers Club — owned by his uncle Henry — and his love for renowned female mountaineer Helen Paradise.

But this is merely the preamble to the meat of the book: Uncle Henry commits suicide and the will requests his body be taken to the summit of Carton Rock by Bromley and Carton. Both are unwilling, but their pride forces them to agree.

The argument for climbing mountains “just because they're there” has never cut much ice with the reasonable man in the street so, like many readers, I plead ignorance of the technicalities and accept Watkins' attention to detail and 1950s climbing verisimilitude in good faith.

The surprise twist near the end is something most readers have suspected since page 21, but that in no way detracts from the nail-biting story of the ascent as the two friends lug the heavy coffin up an impossible mountain.

Arresting and sophisticated, The Ice Soldier avoids the trap of romance into which too many adventure writers have fallen. The single element that most often ruins the integrity of a good adventure story is the irritating and wilful “damsel in distress” who is forever doing something stupid. The women in this book know their place — to inspire shame and encourage their men into greatness, and then leave them to get on with it without any interference.

Gentle, thrilling, satisfying, discomforting, thought-provoking, page-turning, predictable, romantic, masculine — descriptions seem contradictory so read the book for yourself and decide. show less

Not one of Watlins' best but still worth the read. This book started very slow but definitely grew on me. A very interesting tale of a survivors struggle with the demons of his past.

This is the story of a man who used to climb mountains. He stopped climbing after he leads a doomed mission up a mountain during world war II. When he stops climbing he also stops living. Through a series of events he must return to the same mountain and face the memories he is avoiding. I really liked this book.

Avery good story as always from an excellent author.