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: #161108 in Books
• Published on: 1987-02-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

RAYMOND E FEIST
'A wonderful story'

ANDRE NORTON
'An outstanding piece of fantasy fiction'

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

Customer Reviews

A Classic!
What a book! What a trilogy!

It's probably a cliché to say it, but to me this book is up there with Lord of the Rings and the first two Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

The book is so well-written. The language gives a sense of place, and the depth of history, mythology and character really creates an atmosphere of realism. The characters are three-dimensional, gritty, flawed, realistic. The drama is non-stop. The story flows. The twists and turns are excellent and well thought out. The second and third instalments are equally as impressive, and are comfortably part of an epic overall story, rather than afterthoughts to cash in on the initial success.

Intelligent, fresh and refreshing; I can't recommend it highly enough.

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.

Disappointing - abandoned it half-way through
I found this book by browsing an "also liked" link elsewhere on Amazon.co.uk, and decided it was worth a go based on the reader reviews. It just goes to show how different people have different tastes!

Within the first few pages, my cliche-detector was approaching overload. Some light-relief came from the inconsistencies: the man who introduces himself as his master's only servant, and then proceeds to list all the other servants (almost Pythonesque!); two protagonists sleeping in trees to evade pursuit (and never mind about their horses, presumably tethered below).

There was one enjoyable chapter, where the hero retreats from human society. Perhaps Rohan is better at the straight narration of experience, but has problems with dialogue and character interaction?

I very nearly gave up after 50 pages (my usual point for assessing whether a book is worth spending time on). I persevered in the hope that there was treasure hidden further on :-) but half-way through, none of the characters had engaged me, and I didn't care what happened - either to them, or in terms of the wider plot. So I'm not wasting any more time on this book or this author.

Obviously, others have enjoyed this one, and you might too. Personally, I'd suggest David Gemmel if you're looking for an easy page-turner in this genre, or Guy Gavriel Kay if you want something just as gripping but with a touch more class.