Product Description

The chronicles of THE WINTER OF THE WORLD echo down the ages in half-remembered myth and song - tales of mysterious powers of the Mastersmiths, of the forging of great weapons, of the subterranean kingdoms of the duergar, of Gods who walked abroad, and of the powers that struggled endlessly for dominion. In the Northlands, beleaguered by the ever-encroaching Ice and the marauding Ekwesh, a young cowherd, Alv, saved from the raiders by the mysterious Mastersmith, discovers in himself and uncanny power to shape metal - but it is a power that may easily be turned to evil ends, and on a dreadful night Alv flees the Mastersmith, and embarks on the quest to find both his own destiny, and a weapon that will let him stand against the Power of the Ice.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #646638 in Books
• Published on: 1987-02-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
'An exciting adventure...Rohan creates a haunting sense of mythology rather than fantasy. This remarkable novel reveals a gifted writer of stories and pages turn as if by magic' JEAN M AUEL 'A wonderful story' RAYMOND E FEIST 'An outstanding piece of fantasy fiction' ANDRE NORTON 'A very good and very powerful writer...' ANNE McCAFFREY

ANDRE NORTON
'An outstanding piece of fantasy fiction'

Anne McCaffrey
'A very good and very powerful writer...'

Customer Reviews

One of the best books of the genre.
This is one of the best books in the fantasy genre - definitely one to which the phrase "well crafted" could be applied. Rohan's use of language is exquisite and he brings to life his characters with apparent ease. Added to this, the story is well plotted and has some surprising twists in it.

All in all - a book to read again and again and again.

At last, a really good writer with real imagination!
Scott Rohan takes all the glitter of the ordinary fantasy novel and transmutes by solid smithcraft. This story starts with a thunderclap, storms off in fury and ends breathlessly, with the sequel looming like clouds in the distance. He is a very good writer with a style all his own, rich but not obscure, erudite but not pedantic. His hero becomes more appealing instead of more distant as his powers grow. The gods are truly fearful and unpredictable, playing and joking with destinies yet bound by destiny themselves. Of the vast and awesome landscapes, of the histories and myths, he shows us incredibly much in so few pages, and leaves us yearning for more. So: the Ice is advancing to blot all life off the face of the World. Neighbouring peoples, who could be brothers, wage war and do not see the freezing danger. Into these besieged lands is launched a young man to whom there is more than meets the eye. He has it in him to be a great hero, but he has also a fierce temper, plus impatience, foolishness, generosity and other faults in plenty to get him into trouble and to make him lovable. Don't wait: read it.

One of my top 3/4 series ever (Tolkein, Asimov, + now Rohan)
The story of Alv/Elof, the MasterSmith, and the ever-encroaching Ice of the last glaciation. I was carried along by the immense sweep of the story, the characterisation, and the cunning ties in to the mythology of several peoples.