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macthekat's review against another edition
5.0
It's so good. I love the way Ian set up everything and tie it up in a bow. It's so well written. I started the next one right away
k0ks3nw4i's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My full review of the entire Milkweed Triptych can be found here.
bschlotz's review against another edition
4.0
I started this book as a bit of a guilty pleasure, since the preceding book in the trilogy was so over the top and dismal (in tone, not quality). It's basically sociopathic nazi x-men vs lovecraftian british blood warlocks - one of those "wouldn't it be awesome if" alternate history books. But instead of being all epic good vs evil, it unfolds as a very unpleasantly human exploration of ends and means. All the main characters came out of the first book morally shattered, and in this one it only gets worse (as wwII turns into the cold war, with all the existential crisis associated). It's a trainwreck of impossible choices and counterplots, set against crumbling marriages and families. But somehow it was really really good? I don't know if I'm doing this justice.
lindsayjohnna's review against another edition
2.0
Review here: https://untamedshrews.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/l-review-of-ian-tregilliss-the-coldest-war/
civreader's review against another edition
5.0
Superb follow up to Bitter Seeds - insanely impatient for book three, now...
ajhackwith's review against another edition
4.0
Like the first Milkweed novel, I devoured this book when I picked it up. I wasn't sure if I'd like the time jump to the 1960s, and I did have a hard time keeping mental pictures of the aged characters from the first book. However, Tregellis really manages to pull off the promise of a true "oracle" character like Gretel and really express the horror and evil in making a villan with that ability.
paulinezed's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic follow-up to Bitter Seeds. Fascinating in that the good guys are as morally compromised as the bad guys, and the bad guys have motivations that make their humanity clear. Tregellis' writing is engaging and his plotting is satisfyingly twisty.
I'm jumping right into the third book in the trilogy, and can't wait to see how it all ends.
I'm jumping right into the third book in the trilogy, and can't wait to see how it all ends.
fables630's review against another edition
4.0
I read the first book in the series a few years back and just got around to this one. I really wish I hadn't because this was a great read. There was action, there were communist super powered villans, and Crhulhu like demons. The only thing that prevented this from getting five stars was the ending. I just thought the set up for the final book was a little weak.
v_allery's review against another edition
3.0
The Coldest War is definitely a step-up from Bitter Seeds. Although I am apprehensive about books that dismiss 20 years of the story as unimportant and then picks it up 20 years later exactly where it was left off, some authors, Ian Tregillis included, do it masterfully and purposefully. And the fact that you do not get that purpose until the cliffhanger in the end only adds to the reading experience.
If Bitter Seeds seemed like one big grey area for me, The Coldest War made more sense.
There are no good guys or bad guys, because reading different points of view makes you understand where this or that character is coming from.
In The Coldest War two enemies unite against a third, and past mistakes are trying to be fixed, making that line between good and bad less blurred. But then at some other moments the line becomes so blurred it is ridiculous. And it feels like a good thing, because that makes the characters seem more realistic, especially Klaus and Gretel, given how odd their upbringing and their powers are and making it less hard to relate to them. In this book they seemed less like someone's puppets and more like their own people. At first it was Klaus with his ordinary need to be free from his sister, to take up a hobby, to be responsible for himself only; and then Gretel with her brilliant mind and plans put in motion decades ago.
Cannot wait to see where the story takes all the characters next.
If Bitter Seeds seemed like one big grey area for me, The Coldest War made more sense.
There are no good guys or bad guys, because reading different points of view makes you understand where this or that character is coming from.
In The Coldest War two enemies unite against a third, and past mistakes are trying to be fixed, making that line between good and bad less blurred. But then at some other moments the line becomes so blurred it is ridiculous. And it feels like a good thing, because that makes the characters seem more realistic, especially Klaus and Gretel, given how odd their upbringing and their powers are and making it less hard to relate to them. In this book they seemed less like someone's puppets and more like their own people. At first it was Klaus with his ordinary need to be free from his sister, to take up a hobby, to be responsible for himself only; and then Gretel with her brilliant mind and plans put in motion decades ago.
Cannot wait to see where the story takes all the characters next.