Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #118802 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-21
• Binding: Hardcover
• 640 pages

Customer Reviews

Wait for the final volume if have to...
I distinctly remember the review from SFX prominently on the cover of both the first and the second volume stating: "Fabulous, a trilogy which is ...blah-blah". Well, it is gone from the third volume. After more than 600 boring pages, it turns out this isn't a trilogy. It is probably going to milk fans for every cent they've got to spare, like Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time and George R.R. Martin's Song Of Ice & Fire.

So, there's one huge disappointment right from the start. But was it worth the read? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Here's the `story' in the third volume (SPOILERS follow - if you could call them spoilers in a non-existing plot)
- Raif walks and walks in the snow. Meets some people. Walks again. Meets other people. Walks again. Finds the sword of Red Ice in the end. Does nothing.
- Vylo's group walks and walks in the snow. They reach a fortress. They stay there.
- Effie paddles and paddles in the river. She reaches the Gray clan. Nothing happens.
- Ash rides and rides in the cold. She meets a stranger Sull. They mate. He tries to kill her and fails. Naysayer finds her. Nothing happens.
- Raina is the only interesting thread, so I won't spoil it.
- Bram rides to Castlemilk. He apprentices but is approached by the rangers to join them. He says yes. It stops there.
- Marafice Eye marches and marches back to Spire Vanis. He reaches it in the end. Nothing happens.
- Baralis is moved from one location to another. He causes a storm. Wow!

My recommendation: DON'T BUY IT. It's a bad book and it is practically stealing your money.

Really good, but somehow unsatisfying
It seems that most reviewers share the frustration about how long it has taken to bring this third instalment to print (over five years) and this is exacerbated when you realise part-way through the book that it is not the final instalment (for some reason I had always expected a trilogy). In the end it frankly isn't quite a good enough series to keep me hanging on another five years for the next (final?) instalment!

However, there is a great deal about this book that remains top quality. I like the attention invested in the intricacies and nuances of the world. I also enjoyed the gradual emergence of the Sull. But the real triumph continues to be the continued excellent work developing and evolving her characters. There is some real depth added to Raina Blackhail and Vaylo Bludd's stories and an indication that there is much more to come from the likes of Effie and Bram. Each character remains true to their background and experience - emotional responses are natural and behaviour logical and there are no ridiculous leaps of faith.

Regrettably there is almost no interaction between them in this book so their tales feel as though they are fragmenting rather than coalescing for a grand finale. One of the better passages in the book is a stand-off between Bram and Vaylo Bludd, but it is a rare scenario and poorer for it.

In addition, some of the more interesting characters have disappointingly light involvement - mainly I am referring to Angus Lok, but the cast is getting huge so there are several others.

So essentially, this book boils down to five or six almost completely independent streams. Each is quite well done with some beautiful and detailed prose but, as in the second book, a great deal of time is spent describing essentially boring journeys. Effie Sevrance, Marafice Eye, Ash and even Raif are seriously afflicted in this way and it just gets dull on occasions.

So, what to say in summary? Difficult because I like so much and I did, on balance, find it a bit of a page-turner. But in the final evaluation, when I turned that last page it was quite clear that so much more should have been packed in.

More Please
Well I for one was delighted with sword from red ice. It was a long wait and I had almost given up but to be fair Ms Jones has decided to craft an epic and sadly the reading goes far more quickly that the writing.

I first started with her bakers boy series, and although enjoyable I am truly impressed by the way she has developed her style, plot lines and characterisations. I did not think I would any time soon see another author who could match George rr Martin's talent for crafting vivid memorable epic narratives, but JV is shaping up nicely.

Sadly story telling on this scale inevitably means as readers we have to acquire patience. I personally think it's worth it. (Though ms jones if you could speed it up to at least every 18 months or so I'm sure we would all be very grateful.)