- ISBN13: 9780765345493
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
“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…
April 10th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Love the series and have even re-read the first 2 books while waiting for the sequel… Waiting 2 years now! I would highly recommend Sword of Shadows to pretty much anyone looking for depth of character, great story lines and some of the best descriptive writing around. I would highly recommend you find another few writers too if you want to pass the time waiting for the sequel. Sword from Red Ice has been advertised for like 3 years and you still can’t get it…. a word to the publisher, you aren’t the only game in town. If you want loyalty, don’t make us wait a decade….
Rating: 5 / 5
April 10th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Even better then the first book!
J.V Jones’ 2nd book in the ‘Sword of Shadows’ series is simply a great fantasy/adventure read.
The story continues where book I left off and follows sequentially Raif, Ash and Effie; their stories take some interesting twists and turns throughout the course of this book. The terrain is the same basic bleak winter tundra (although spring appears to be coming) of the first book.
One of the many strong points of this novel is the deliberate pacing of this story and its telling. Then add to this a great basic story, plus an author’s with the ability to weave a good tale, and you end up with a memorable fantasy work. And although different in various ways, this work, at times, conjures up memories of the writing quality and techniques found in George R.R. Martin’s ‘Iced and Fire’ series and Joe Abercrombie’s ‘The First Law’ trilogy. (see P.S. below)
The only niggling complaint would be that the map (and in fairness, the one provided is fairly good) could have provided a little more detail; details that give some names or markings as to where our protagonist were located during some of their journeys. I realize this is probably a ‘personal’ concern, but I’ve always liked to have a sense of position and of distance/proximity to other geographic locales when reading fantasy/adventure; it just makes the prolonged treks easier to visualize in my mind.
Conclusion:
A 2nd book in this series that is of the highest order; a great story, superbly told. 5 Stars.
Ray Nicholson
P.S.
I defy anyone not be moved to the point of being emotionally distraught by chapter 5 in this book. A subjective opinion…certainly; but read this one chapter and see how it affects you.
Rating: 5 / 5
April 10th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
After reading Jone’s first book I couldn’t wait for the second to come out, and I wasn’t dissapointed. Jones retains all the mystery and sensetivity in her characters that she showed us in her first book. Even with several characters her story flows together well.
Jones spins the story of the clans going to war and now Raif is abandoned by Ash and travels in search of acceptance from a people he has been cast out by. Ash is being led to the Sull’s mysterious land and has been invited to become Sull. Between these two characters alone I was so enthralled that I wouldn’t put the book down until I had finished it.
Her book is at a perfect pace, not too slow or too fast, but a pace that lets you think about whats going on and at the same time throwing in some interesting action scenes.
Along with all of her other characters, Jones has definetly written a winner that is on par or even better than her first in this series.
Rating: 5 / 5
April 10th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
J.V. Jones delivers another amazing manuscript with A Fortress of Grey Ice. I have been a fan since her first book, The Baker’s Boy came out 8 years ago, and she has only continued to improve with astonishing ease. With her new novel she advances the overall story of the series in some surprising, but delightful ways. The only real problem was that for the last hundred pages I had to force myself to read, not because it was terrible, but because it was so good, and I knew once I finished I would be overcome with depression at the thought that I would most likely have to wait another three years for the next book!
Rating: 5 / 5
April 10th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
It’s almost impossible for the second book in any series to live up to the expectations created by such an excellent beginning, and Fortress of Grey Ice is no exception to the rule. However, that needn’t condemn what is still a very good book. Considered on its own merits, this is still better than 90% of the fantasy that’s out there, and it’s a piece of something even greater.
Some of the plot consistency I mentioned in my review of CoBI is missing, with events a bit less connected and motivations a bit less clear. Almost every character at some point seems just a little too willing to trust a stranger, jump to a conclusion, or embark on a quest for no discernible reason. Some storylines seem to rush ahead at a breakneck pace, while others that will surely connect with them seem adrift.
On the plus side, all of the atmosphere and strong characterization that made the first book such a wonder are still there. The world though which they move is rich and detailed. There are new characters, new places, and new connections. There’s every reason to believe this second installment is just a lull before the other side of the storm hits in the third book. Even LotR had sections that dragged a bit, but those are often necessary to set things up for the grand sections that follow.
The one thing I truly hated about the book was the cover, and that can’t be blamed on the author. I don’t think I’m giving anything away when I say that whatever’s depicted on the cover is totally unrelated to anything in the book itself, and the art is simply not very good besides. Don’t let the third-rate cover fool you into thinking this is anything but a first-rate book.
Rating: 4 / 5