J. V Jones, A Fortress of Grey Ice

I read "A Fortress of Grey Ice" by J.V. Jones.

Disclaimer: The below is merely my opinion. I just read the book.

Categories: fantasy

Comments:

I read "A Cavern of Black Ice" a long time ago. Though I vaguely remembered the story, I found I could pick up the story pretty easily. I also remember being mostly disgusted with myself for reading the first book of a trilogy when the other two weren't out. Well, the trilogy has turned into a set of four books, maybe. But can you trust it when they already didn't do what you expected. The next book is called "A Sword of Red Ice." The 4th book isn't out yet but the 3rd one doesn't end things.

There really is a fortress and the grey ice is really there but it doesn't have much to do with the story until the last 3% of the book. Oh ... and the picture on the front of the book is its own fantasy. There doesn't seem to be any such scene in the book.

What makes this book worth reading is the host of main characters. Well, I guess when we get to the end of the last book we will find out how "main" they are. I started to say that there could be 10 short books except that the stories touch on each other just enough that it wouldn't work unless each story is told in bits interspersed with the other stories.

For example, Vaylo Bludd claimed control of all Dhoone holdings 39 years back. Robbie Dhoone is determined to be the Dhoone king risen from the mists of legend. There has got to be a conflict and, though the story is told from both vantage points, that conflict interweaves itself though the sections of the book dealing with one or the other of the men.

Stories in the book

1. Ash - full of power, destiny and a little bit spoiled
2. Raif - talented, prophesied about, and driven towards his goal
3. Iss - blundering, stealing, scheming and coming out ok so far
4. Vaylo Bludd - honest but doomed
5. Raina - leader and patriot, married to her own rapist but keeping the peace
6. Crope - too strong, too big and loved by only one person
7. Robbie Dhoone - charismatic and bound for glory
8. Bram - smart and quick but missed in his brother's shadow
9. Angus - well-liked, slippery with hidden agendas, but good to the core
10. Effie - naive, blessed with magic but bound to conflict everywhere she goes

It has: court intrigue, swords and horses, magic, backstabbing, family infighting, ancient warrior folk, frozen wastelands, ancient prophecy, sorcerers, immense creatures, unremitting tension

What did I like: The characters, the places and the histories are fully formed. You cheer, you jeer, you are on the edge of your seat (metaphorically speaking). The place names and people's names make you wonder about the imagination that created them

What didn't I like: There were too many storylines. Of 100 storylines, maybe, one came to a climax and got finished in the whole giant book. There is a little of a comic book nature when I look back. (I'm not sure what that means.)

Rating: 3 of 5, I didn't dislike it