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sammy_stenger's review against another edition
4.0
i read this for class and really enjoyed it! the narrative tone was so fun and the magic was very spunky
sambora's review
3.0
I am sure The Face in the Frost is quite a few peoples childhood favourite. It is a relatively short fantasy/horror story, published originally in 1969. It rather shamelessly borrows from Tolkien and the style is very what we would nowadays call "traditional" or "classic".
None of this is to say that it's bad, I just don't believe it really holds up in the modern day.
Whilst the story on the whole is somewhat frail - reminding me more of a well made D&D campaign, there are certainly a handful of standout scenes that have stuck with me since I finished this book. These scenes are, for the majority, the ones that are scary by nature, and I have to say that there was genuine horror felt whilst reading these sections, which I truthfully wasn't expecting. None of it relying on gruesome scenes of violence or torture either. The fear, both bodily and psychologically, was really well written.
The world building had a very small part to play within the story, but what there was was rather unique and I think worth mentioning.
At least from what I could gather, the unnamed(?) continent from which Prospero hails, despite its fictionality, is located somewhere in Europe.
After a prologue of history on the Kingdom divided between a classic North and South, the North being peaceful and the South being riddled with civil wars and constant land grabs, our protagonist's best friend and fellow sorcerer, Roger, mentions sailing to England.
This merging of a fantasy land and our real world is something I don't see very often, and despite this not being done incredibly well here, I like the idea and hope I get to read more hybrids in future.
So yes, despite this review not being glowing by any means, I am glad I read The Face in the Frost.
I would certainly recommend it to people looking for an interesting magical protagonist; Prospero having difficulties remembering certain spells and having to constantly reread his spell books, as well as his relationship with Roger, makes him a pretty special character in my eyes.
Also, to those looking for a good combination of classic fantasy and something more spooky will like what is to be found here.
But if you are after a sprawling world and an epic quest, a well written cast of diverse side characters and a few well crafted tangential side stories, this one won't tick any of those boxes and that's OK.
3 stars. Simply put; a good book if you know what you want from it going in.
______________________
Thank you for reading my review!
This review was accidentally left half written for a few months, quickly being swept away by the hectic work and reading schedules. I'm back on top of it now though thankfully.
If anyone reading this has any suggestions of any other fantasy/horror stories, feel free to comment them below. I'd love to give them a look!
Ciao
None of this is to say that it's bad, I just don't believe it really holds up in the modern day.
Whilst the story on the whole is somewhat frail - reminding me more of a well made D&D campaign, there are certainly a handful of standout scenes that have stuck with me since I finished this book. These scenes are, for the majority, the ones that are scary by nature, and I have to say that there was genuine horror felt whilst reading these sections, which I truthfully wasn't expecting. None of it relying on gruesome scenes of violence or torture either. The fear, both bodily and psychologically, was really well written.
The world building had a very small part to play within the story, but what there was was rather unique and I think worth mentioning.
At least from what I could gather, the unnamed(?) continent from which Prospero hails, despite its fictionality, is located somewhere in Europe.
After a prologue of history on the Kingdom divided between a classic North and South, the North being peaceful and the South being riddled with civil wars and constant land grabs, our protagonist's best friend and fellow sorcerer, Roger, mentions sailing to England.
This merging of a fantasy land and our real world is something I don't see very often, and despite this not being done incredibly well here, I like the idea and hope I get to read more hybrids in future.
So yes, despite this review not being glowing by any means, I am glad I read The Face in the Frost.
I would certainly recommend it to people looking for an interesting magical protagonist; Prospero having difficulties remembering certain spells and having to constantly reread his spell books, as well as his relationship with Roger, makes him a pretty special character in my eyes.
Also, to those looking for a good combination of classic fantasy and something more spooky will like what is to be found here.
But if you are after a sprawling world and an epic quest, a well written cast of diverse side characters and a few well crafted tangential side stories, this one won't tick any of those boxes and that's OK.
3 stars. Simply put; a good book if you know what you want from it going in.
______________________
Thank you for reading my review!
This review was accidentally left half written for a few months, quickly being swept away by the hectic work and reading schedules. I'm back on top of it now though thankfully.
If anyone reading this has any suggestions of any other fantasy/horror stories, feel free to comment them below. I'd love to give them a look!
Ciao
elusivity's review against another edition
5.0
The book description seems to put a strange emphasis on mirrors, and how they affect the personality (??) of the wizards. Hmm, seems almost like a deliberate misdirection...
This story reads like a children's story a la The Once and Future King--childlike on the surface, but genuinely scary and creepy in parts and not childlike at all. I enjoyed it very much, especially the deep friendship and companionship between Roger and Prospero, the interesting conception of wizardry, the atmospheric creepiness. A funny little detail: the moon in their world has a woebegone face.
The plot, as others have mentioned, meanders in the beginning, then rushes into a wizard-ex-machina. However, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of this story. The coincidental absurdity of it fit in with the general vibe quite well.
Highly recommended, a little gem.
This story reads like a children's story a la The Once and Future King--childlike on the surface, but genuinely scary and creepy in parts and not childlike at all. I enjoyed it very much, especially the deep friendship and companionship between Roger and Prospero, the interesting conception of wizardry, the atmospheric creepiness. A funny little detail: the moon in their world has a woebegone face.
The plot, as others have mentioned, meanders in the beginning, then rushes into a wizard-ex-machina. However, it didn't really affect my enjoyment of this story. The coincidental absurdity of it fit in with the general vibe quite well.
Highly recommended, a little gem.
kundor's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
vincent1126's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
I always want to like Bellairs' books more than I do. I love his writing style, and the way he so effortlessly blends the serious with the humorous, but in the end, I like the ideas of his stories much more than I do the stories themselves. I saw another review say something to the effect of, "Great writing, but not much story", and I have to agree with that assessment. I read this one because (a) I saw it was standalone, and (b) I saw it was the only book he wrote for adult readers. What's interesting is that I kept thinking this book would be perfect for young kids.
I will say that Terry Pratchett and Robert Asprin owe a lot to this book, though, for Discworld and Myth Adventures, respectively. I doubt this was the first comedic fantasy novel, but the way it reads and the way it balances the humorous and the serious reminded me a lot of those two series.
I will say that Terry Pratchett and Robert Asprin owe a lot to this book, though, for Discworld and Myth Adventures, respectively. I doubt this was the first comedic fantasy novel, but the way it reads and the way it balances the humorous and the serious reminded me a lot of those two series.
kingnixon's review against another edition
3.0
A fun read, but it is disjointedly episodic, and the end is a disastrously unsatisfying deus ex machina.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
A short read, but interesting. An original take on magic from the perspective of a wizard; when he is attacked by illusions the descriptions are truly wild and menacing. This wizard is no Gandalf or Merlin, but instead muddles through his magic. The force of will seems to be stronger than pure intelligence in this story.
A bit anachronistic for being set in another world (described in the first paragraphs of the book); it is clear that one or both wizards have visited Earth but with no indication of how or when. When the references happened, they were jarring.
A bit anachronistic for being set in another world (described in the first paragraphs of the book); it is clear that one or both wizards have visited Earth but with no indication of how or when. When the references happened, they were jarring.