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A Fortress of Grey Ice (Sword of Shadows)
 
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A Fortress of Grey Ice (Sword of Shadows) (Hardcover)

by J.V. Jones (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 720 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit (4 April 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857237706
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857237702
  • Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 16.2 x 5.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 518,738 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #13 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > J > Jones, J.V.

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
A Fortress of Grey Ice is an almost entirely satisfactory second volume of the Sword of Shadows sequence that started with A Cavern of Black Ice. It separates its hero and heroine and puts them through very different experiences--Raif is hardened by dishonour and hunger into the hero that will successfully kill one of the more monstrous interlopers into his world from a darker one, Ash takes the decision to atone for the inadvertent acts that have made such incursions possible. Elsewhere, a convict frees his sorceror's master; a young challenger exploits the tangle of clan politics to make himself a name; older and wilier contenders survive for the time being--Jones manages a collection of characters with very different motivations successfully enough that we end up with mixed sympathies and a fair amount of time for all of them. The fantasy world she creates here is less conventional than that of many of her rivals--she draws inventively from human cultures that live in cold places and this is a fantasy that draws as much from Inuit and Finnish legend as it does from Scotland or Scandinavia. There is a controlling intelligence here which makes up for occasional overcomplication and overwriting.--Roz Kaveney

Product Description
The war to end all wars is coming. The Endlords are preparing themselves for invasion. City men and clansmen should come together to fight the dark forces, yet they feud amongst themselves. Only the Sull are preparing: an ancient, dwindling race, they fear this fight might be their last.

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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An exelent book., 1 Sep 2002
This, along with A Cavern of Black Ice (the first book of the series), is definitely one of the best books which I have ever read. Once again J.V. Jones' descriptive style of writing has come to life in this sequel.

A very brief plot summary is needed to really understand much of anything, so here we go. The two most important main characters are Raif Severance and Ash March. In the book, there are great waring clans, and Raif is an outcast clansman from clan Blackhail. In the previous book, he helped Ash escape from her foster father, Penthero Iss. In the beginning of the book Ash and Raif are sepparated, and, having nowhere else to go, Raif goes off in search of the Maimed Men, unwhole men who live on the outside of the clanholds. Meanwhile, Ash travels with two Sull, people who are above the ways of humans, who are wise, brave, and powerful. The Sull need her for an upcoming war with very powerful undead creatures which had been freed from their imprisonment. There are many more important characters, and much more to say, but that really sums up the plot as simply as I can put it.

There is one definite thing in this book which really gives an edge over many other books. The whole story circles around the taiga and tundra, where the clanholds and the Maimed Men are. And so, you need to have complete and utter coldness. The cold is constantly an element of the book which sets a solid image in your head from the first pages and is never left out of the story. It must be the most important part of the setting, because without it, there would be so few challenges for the characters, and the land would seem so much tamer.

The characters are also quite exelent. All characters are perfected for their roles in the story. From clan chiefs to assasins, from city men to Sull, the characters were perfect. They are consistant in personality, though there is still exelent characterization. Changes to the characters are not ever sudden or obvious, which makes it even better.

As I said, this is definitely one of the best books which I have ever read. This is a book which anyone would love to read, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone who can endure the pages of the first book as well as this.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow., 9 April 2002
By hhalb94479@aol.com (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
This book is well worth the three year wait. The twists and turns that the plot takes are shocking. Fortress follows the story of Raif and Ash after what happens in the Cavern of Black ice. Further south, in the clanholds, new developments come to light in Blackhail, Dhoone and Bludd. In the city holds some old characters come back to take a part. I gobbled this one up in three days, as the end of each chapter had you wondering what was going to happen next. (forgive the vagueness, I didnt want to give anything away)
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Be prepared to be spellbound, 5 Sep 2002
By A Customer
What a stunning read! J V Jones had surpassed her previous book, 'A cavern of black ice' in characterisation, plotting and description. I will admit that I was a bit worried that the constant changing of strands in the story would lead to confusion but I was soon absorbed in the experiences of all the characters. And there are many more to follow than in 'Cavern'.
The character development of both Raif and Ash as they mature and find their own path through the plot is facinating. Don't be put off by the long passages with little or no speach - Jones's power of description brings alive a world emerging from a harsh winter into a tentative spring and this makes the decisive action sequences more dramatic and, in some cases, shocking. Buy this book and prepare to be spellbound!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fortress of grey ice
A cannot say nothing more that I really love this two books Sword of shadows. Before my reading this books I never believed that something should be so real!
Published on 17 Jan 2004 by serlena

4.0 out of 5 stars Only because I am a JVJ fan
In deferrence to the first novel I will give this four stars (instead of perhaps three) Middle novels in trilogies often are a bit flat as was FoGI. Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2002 by Kartoga

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not quite up to the first volume
Why only 3 stars, when Jones' writes so many brilliant individual passages in this volume? Mostly I think because they are individual passages and not a seamless whole. Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2002 by jonrosenberg2

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
This book is great. Simple as that without a doubt its one of the most enjoyable books ive ever read. Read more
Published on 22 Jul 2002 by vahalla12345

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning
J.V. Jones delivers another amazing manuscript with A Fortress of Grey Ice. I have been a fan since her first book, The Baker's Boy came out 7 years ago, and she has only... Read more
Published on 14 Jul 2002 by soulwielder

3.0 out of 5 stars A Word From the Cynic
Firstly, I'd start off by saying it's been hard trying to get the book being that I'm nowhere near Britain, or even the whole continent of Europe. Read more
Published on 15 Jun 2002 by blasphemy22

5.0 out of 5 stars Better and better...
JVJ has not been resting on her...whatever since Cavern of Black Ice. Fortress is truly a fabulous work of fantasy fiction. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2002 by Michael Francis

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what i expected, but good
Well, after waiting three years for the book i've just completed reading it. My initial impressions were disappointing, I did not like the direction the plot was leading. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A sequel as good as the previous novel
I found this a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging read. I felt that the characters matured and evolved in believable ways. Read more
Published on 28 April 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Stuff.......
J.V. Jones is a great "storyteller" in the best sense. She takes her time; builds character, setting and scene. If you have any sense, you don't fly through one of her books. Read more
Published on 18 April 2002 by W. D LaRue

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