- Paperback: 432 pages
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007321015
- ISBN-13: 978-0007321018
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 303,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
“The novel is familiar in a haunting way, yet unique in its storytelling… Teens and adults who love science fiction will enjoy this thought-provoking work.”
- Armchair Interviews, reviewing Lightning Days
"a unique, rich, yet realistic and believable fantasy world excellently written”
- entrepreneur.com, reviewing The Silk Palace
Product Description
The planet had fallen off the map.
When Karl Altman’s spaceship crashed, he had only one question:
“HOW THE HELL DO I GET OUT OF HERE?”
Rock-hard sci-fi adventure. No-one here gets out alive.
When his spaceship crashes on an unknown and forgotten planet, scientist Karl Altman discovers himself hunted by an ancient race. The descendants of a Viking race have reverted to a savage culture of sacrifice, pillage and violence. When Karl falls in love with an outcast girl, he has only one goal: escape. But escape is a distant dream on this nightmare planet.
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Science Fiction [Starship Crash / Abandoned Colonists / Alien Slaughter / Hell Planet]
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Science Fiction is probably the best genre for an author looking to write something on a large scale. Colin Harvey does this with `Winter's Song', a story about an enhanced human whose spaceship crash lands on a snowbound planet inhabited by a people who were abandoned centuries earlier. There are many really good ideas in the book that are executed well. The idea of Karl, the enhanced man, who has the ability to heal himself, but is also being ran by an AI. I also liked the community on Isheimur which has some rundown futuristic machinery, but mostly they have reverted back to the times of the Vikings on Earth. Throw in some alien beasts and another race of potential sentient beings and there is a lot going on to enjoy.
However, there are a few areas that prevent the book from being a must read. Although the characters and world are well realised the story itself falls a little short. The central narrative is a little bland and seemingly repeats itself a couple of times. There is also too many characters who change their attitudes in seconds to make them believable. Despite these issues, they are minor as the book remains fast paced and interesting for the most part. That is until the final section where Harvey loses his way and the writing gets a little confused. I felt that the conclusive part of the book was very flat and took away from some of the excellent work produced earlier on. This is still a book worth reading for science fiction fans, but not the classic it could have been.
However, there are a few areas that prevent the book from being a must read. Although the characters and world are well realised the story itself falls a little short. The central narrative is a little bland and seemingly repeats itself a couple of times. There is also too many characters who change their attitudes in seconds to make them believable. Despite these issues, they are minor as the book remains fast paced and interesting for the most part. That is until the final section where Harvey loses his way and the writing gets a little confused. I felt that the conclusive part of the book was very flat and took away from some of the excellent work produced earlier on. This is still a book worth reading for science fiction fans, but not the classic it could have been.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Winter Song is another title in the strong list Angry Robot Books has released since it's inception earlier this year. The new imprint has had good reviews for its titles and when I saw this one coming up for an October release I was very interested - any sci-fi set in a future where humanity has expanded across the galaxy is something I want to hear more about. Winter Song was not quite what I expected, but it delivered an entertaining read in an unforgiving environment.
Following Karl Allman as he crash lands on a forgotten and primitive colony world where the terraforming looks like it's going backwards, Winter Song is a novel that has more than a few surprises up its sleeve. I was expecting to walk into this with a more typical human vs alien world theme where there were many strange and wonderful creatures. What I got was a story focused on human characters that developed and grew with each situation they face.
Isheimur is a cold planet whose colony was set up with Icelandic heritage, and with strong willed characters in the leadership roles within the village, Karl finds himself in a difficult and frustrating situation. Ragnar, the village leader, believes in a harsh rule. He is not an unfair person, but with stores low and an extra pair of hands needed, he forces Karl to stay and help the village. Bera, a young woman in the village, is unpopular due to an unwed pregnancy. What is worse is the fact that she won't reveal the father to Ragnar. For this she is treated with little courtesy and often outright scorn. So when Karl arrives, half starved and in need of help, Bera is tasked with his treatment, leading to a friendship and quest to find the mysterious Winter Song, a relic of a long forgotten seed ship.
Winter Song is very much a look at what a culture will revert to if needed. It gives a very in depth look at the relationships between the main characters, the control a leader such as Ragnar has over his village and how a new and completely different personality fits into an established way of life. I very much enjoyed the character building in Winter Song and though that Colin Harvey did a great job at making the characters relatable and interesting, allowing the story to be carried on their shoulders quite easily and showing that communication can be very important.
Winter Song has some surprising and compelling twists, turns and events. From the start where we see a fully fledged sci-fi starship crash through to the unforgiving environment of Isheimur, Colin Harvey gives the reader a good, solid story. His characters are enjoyable to read, the setting is interesting in its own right and raises many questions, and the story is well developed and told in such a way that you want to read on, the pages turning all too easily. Whether or not we will return to this universe is another question - the ending certainly leaves the option available, although I happy it finished as it did.
If you enjoy a character driven, intelligent and thoughtful novel then Winter Song is one you should be picking up. Highly recommended.
Following Karl Allman as he crash lands on a forgotten and primitive colony world where the terraforming looks like it's going backwards, Winter Song is a novel that has more than a few surprises up its sleeve. I was expecting to walk into this with a more typical human vs alien world theme where there were many strange and wonderful creatures. What I got was a story focused on human characters that developed and grew with each situation they face.
Isheimur is a cold planet whose colony was set up with Icelandic heritage, and with strong willed characters in the leadership roles within the village, Karl finds himself in a difficult and frustrating situation. Ragnar, the village leader, believes in a harsh rule. He is not an unfair person, but with stores low and an extra pair of hands needed, he forces Karl to stay and help the village. Bera, a young woman in the village, is unpopular due to an unwed pregnancy. What is worse is the fact that she won't reveal the father to Ragnar. For this she is treated with little courtesy and often outright scorn. So when Karl arrives, half starved and in need of help, Bera is tasked with his treatment, leading to a friendship and quest to find the mysterious Winter Song, a relic of a long forgotten seed ship.
Winter Song is very much a look at what a culture will revert to if needed. It gives a very in depth look at the relationships between the main characters, the control a leader such as Ragnar has over his village and how a new and completely different personality fits into an established way of life. I very much enjoyed the character building in Winter Song and though that Colin Harvey did a great job at making the characters relatable and interesting, allowing the story to be carried on their shoulders quite easily and showing that communication can be very important.
Winter Song has some surprising and compelling twists, turns and events. From the start where we see a fully fledged sci-fi starship crash through to the unforgiving environment of Isheimur, Colin Harvey gives the reader a good, solid story. His characters are enjoyable to read, the setting is interesting in its own right and raises many questions, and the story is well developed and told in such a way that you want to read on, the pages turning all too easily. Whether or not we will return to this universe is another question - the ending certainly leaves the option available, although I happy it finished as it did.
If you enjoy a character driven, intelligent and thoughtful novel then Winter Song is one you should be picking up. Highly recommended.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I see this book has divided people. I'm firmly on the side of liking Winter Song. It is a great piece of pulp science fiction. The plot is basic, spaceman lands on a backward planet and seeks to find a way to get off, but what makes this book is the characterisation and the obvious love Colin Harvey has with Norse mythology and the Icelandic sagas.
It would have been very easy for him to set it on a 'Viking planet', with colonists reverting to a Dark Age lifestyle. He avoids this, the settlers here are modern, but relatively backward due to their isolation. They are well aware of more advanced planets out there, and are hostile to Karl Altmann as he represents an intrusion from the wider universe.
It does have some similarities with the film 'Outlander', but unlike that film, it has a sense of fun and is not self-important.
A great read for the dark winter nights
It would have been very easy for him to set it on a 'Viking planet', with colonists reverting to a Dark Age lifestyle. He avoids this, the settlers here are modern, but relatively backward due to their isolation. They are well aware of more advanced planets out there, and are hostile to Karl Altmann as he represents an intrusion from the wider universe.
It does have some similarities with the film 'Outlander', but unlike that film, it has a sense of fun and is not self-important.
A great read for the dark winter nights
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
okay bit of sci-fi
It all sounds like a typical pulp sci-fi novel, crash on strange planet, bad guy aliens, being hunted, local space totty...and to a degree it is. Read more
Published 22 months ago by N. Brett
I Wanted to Love this - but it was so so
I had great expectation about this book. Outsider lands on backward world, and struggles to find his way of integrating witht he aliens... Read more
Published on 27 May 2010 by Freespirit
A book of two halves
I must admit to being a bit of a fan of Norse mythology. All those snow covered, barren wastes and hulking great warriors knocking seven shades of stuff out of each other with... Read more
Published on 15 May 2010 by Colin Leslie
Good but could have simplified it
I have read some science fiction books before but this one is what I would describe as hardcore SF and completely out of my normal remit of books but I really liked it. Read more
Published on 15 April 2010 by Ms. E. Blankson
Definitely not a can't put down read
I have read a lot of science fiction, and I have read all of this book as a vine voice for this review. As a story it's OK but not on a par with any of the classics of the genre. Read more
Published on 2 April 2010 by Crazy Seahorse
Degrades into far-fetched silliness
One thing I always hope for when I read sci-fi and fantasy is a book that can stand on it's own and doesn't end in mid-stride for the purposes of forcing you to buy the inevitable... Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by A. Gothorp
A Norse Opera (in space)
Other reviewers have dismissed this book as formulaic and, you know what?, they're both right and wrong. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2010 by M. J. Farncombe
I wanted more from this book
Unfortunately I can only rate this book with 3 stars, it doesn't hold your attention. I enjoyed it but found myself skipping forward to get to the story behind the characters. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2010 by Loves Reading
Winter Song
A fairly formulaic Space Opera written in a very unique and appealing way. Has lots of thrills and spills to keep the reader thoroughly entertained and brings enough new ideas to... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2010 by mall1990
Spends too long developing characters and loses the reader in the...
As something of a space opera addict, I had great hopes for this book. Outsider lands into a cut-off human colony world, a similar broad plot idea to Neal Asher's Hilldiggers which... Read more
Published on 6 Mar 2010 by Mr. R. Ellor
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