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aoosterwyk's review
2.0
Lirren of Lindenshield is made the queen of Icemark (Vikings?) when she is only a teenager. Her land is under seige by the invincible armies of the south (modeled after Rome?). To stand a chance of surviving, Lirren must find allies and she travels to the lands in the north to find them: vampires, werepeople, giant snow leopards and soldiers of the forest. I had nearly had enough by the end of the novel, but in the last chapter a new player was introduced. I may read one more just to find out what happens next.
kaila_robertson's review
4.0
This is a great YA read!! Especially as an intro to fantasy fiction. I've been recommending this to my Year 10s as being 'better than The Hobbit' (as they're doing it as a novel study and finding the language quite difficult) - it has a similar vibe but features a female hero, and the writing style is much easier going for students today, especially those who might find reading more difficult.
I wish I'd read this ten years ago because I think I would have loved it. Thirrin is, admittedly, a bit brash and annoying at times to 23 year old me, but a character who's capable of winning over the monarchs of magical lands (including giant snow leopards) is a winner in my books. I also loved the dichotomy between science/rationality and magic, or even just more traditional ways of being. The Polypontian Empire is very clearly modelled on the Romans, but giving them the characteristics of rationality and closed-mindedness (in that things can only be true if you can see or prove them) is really clever when it is contrasted with magic, wonder, and openness to the mysteries of the natural world. I think Oskan Witch's Son puts it well:
"If you fail, Thirrin, and you die trying to make an alliance with Tharaman-Thar, then the Icemark will be lost, and Scipio Bellorum and all he stands for will rule in the land. Rationality, science, industry, progress. All fine things in their own right and when playing their proper part in the life of a nation. But as far as I can tell, in the Empire they rule over all else. Magic and mystery have no place or worth; even nature is only a sort of huge storehouse to provide science and industry with the raw materials they need. ...we're not fighting progress or science, they're both ideas that belong to all people. Ideas that should help us to understand the beauty of our world and improve the lives of everything that lives in it. But the Empire has kidnapped them, and progress of its sort means sweeping aside everything that isn't new, whether good or bad. And to the Empire, science is just a means of creating more efficient ways of killing people."
----
"'The Queen of the Icemark is perfectly correct when she says that if we fall you will be next. The Empire prides itself on being modern, on being scientific and rational. Monst- er, people like yourselves and your subjects are the exact opposite of their ideals. To them, you're abominations of nature and they'll destroy you, if only to make their idea of the world tidier.'
'What is this scientific? What does it mean?' the Vampire Queen asked.
'It means believing only what logic tells you is true. In some cases, it means believing only what you can see and what you can weigh and measure. It means denying that something exists unless it's already recognised by science, and in most cases that means only if it can be weighed, measured or seen,' said Oskan, impressing Thirrin enormously with his cool and calm approach. ...'They don't like you. They don't even like the idea of you. And when some rational people of science don't like something and believe it shouldn't exist, they either ignore it or try to destroy it. In your case they'll try to destroy you, and not only because they don't like you, but quite simply because you occupy a rich and plump country that they want.'"
I love that this could be easily woven into discussions about mātauranga Māori and other indigenous knowledge and their place alongside (or within) science. The character of Maggiore Totus, Thirrin's tutor and advisor, fully embodies these ideas - he is a scientist and scholar, but allows himself to remain open to the wonders of his world, including vampires, werewolves, forest folk, and talking giant snow leopards. It's also wonderful to see societies of myth and legend brought to life in the Hypolitans as Amazonian female warriors.
And, on top of that, some of the descriptions were beautiful:
"Several huge leathery creatures dropped out of the darkening evening sky and literally stepped out of flight, like fashionable ladies descending elegantly from a carriage. The Vampires settled at the cave entrance, where they folded their massive wings with fussy neatness and looked about them. They were an odd grey colour, like the dawn sky on a rainy day, and they had dog-like faces with massive fangs. Their features began to run and blur, like pictures left in the rain, and their bodies seemed to flow like candle wax until slowly they coagulated into their human shapes."
I wish I'd read this ten years ago because I think I would have loved it. Thirrin is, admittedly, a bit brash and annoying at times to 23 year old me, but a character who's capable of winning over the monarchs of magical lands (including giant snow leopards) is a winner in my books. I also loved the dichotomy between science/rationality and magic, or even just more traditional ways of being. The Polypontian Empire is very clearly modelled on the Romans, but giving them the characteristics of rationality and closed-mindedness (in that things can only be true if you can see or prove them) is really clever when it is contrasted with magic, wonder, and openness to the mysteries of the natural world. I think Oskan Witch's Son puts it well:
"If you fail, Thirrin, and you die trying to make an alliance with Tharaman-Thar, then the Icemark will be lost, and Scipio Bellorum and all he stands for will rule in the land. Rationality, science, industry, progress. All fine things in their own right and when playing their proper part in the life of a nation. But as far as I can tell, in the Empire they rule over all else. Magic and mystery have no place or worth; even nature is only a sort of huge storehouse to provide science and industry with the raw materials they need. ...we're not fighting progress or science, they're both ideas that belong to all people. Ideas that should help us to understand the beauty of our world and improve the lives of everything that lives in it. But the Empire has kidnapped them, and progress of its sort means sweeping aside everything that isn't new, whether good or bad. And to the Empire, science is just a means of creating more efficient ways of killing people."
----
"'The Queen of the Icemark is perfectly correct when she says that if we fall you will be next. The Empire prides itself on being modern, on being scientific and rational. Monst- er, people like yourselves and your subjects are the exact opposite of their ideals. To them, you're abominations of nature and they'll destroy you, if only to make their idea of the world tidier.'
'What is this scientific? What does it mean?' the Vampire Queen asked.
'It means believing only what logic tells you is true. In some cases, it means believing only what you can see and what you can weigh and measure. It means denying that something exists unless it's already recognised by science, and in most cases that means only if it can be weighed, measured or seen,' said Oskan, impressing Thirrin enormously with his cool and calm approach. ...'They don't like you. They don't even like the idea of you. And when some rational people of science don't like something and believe it shouldn't exist, they either ignore it or try to destroy it. In your case they'll try to destroy you, and not only because they don't like you, but quite simply because you occupy a rich and plump country that they want.'"
I love that this could be easily woven into discussions about mātauranga Māori and other indigenous knowledge and their place alongside (or within) science. The character of Maggiore Totus, Thirrin's tutor and advisor, fully embodies these ideas - he is a scientist and scholar, but allows himself to remain open to the wonders of his world, including vampires, werewolves, forest folk, and talking giant snow leopards. It's also wonderful to see societies of myth and legend brought to life in the Hypolitans as Amazonian female warriors.
And, on top of that, some of the descriptions were beautiful:
"Several huge leathery creatures dropped out of the darkening evening sky and literally stepped out of flight, like fashionable ladies descending elegantly from a carriage. The Vampires settled at the cave entrance, where they folded their massive wings with fussy neatness and looked about them. They were an odd grey colour, like the dawn sky on a rainy day, and they had dog-like faces with massive fangs. Their features began to run and blur, like pictures left in the rain, and their bodies seemed to flow like candle wax until slowly they coagulated into their human shapes."
magicalmysmalin's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite fantasy books of all time. Thirrin is an amazing character and you wouldn’t think that so many different creatures and ideas would work together, BUT THEY DO AND IT IS STUNNING. Please give it a try!
sunandaj's review
5.0
This book is one of my all time favourites. I read it first as a 12 year old, and literally 18 years later, I still reread it and get excited. The world building is spot on and done in a really natural way. I still dream of befriending a giant talking snow leopard. The character intricacies are just so well done. I love it.
themadmadmadeline's review against another edition
4.0
An epic read. Very quick paced, and very original.
forever_day's review
4.0
A very enjoyable read, and one that left me excited to get back to whenever I put it down. I think I would've enjoyed if even more if I was just a bit younger.
daffz's review
4.0
The Cry of the Icemark is an excellent fantasy novel with a lot of military strategy and battle. It was a little predictable at times and the main characters had somewhat shallow development but it was written for a younger age group than what I usually read and I think that's the reason for that.
It's still a really nice story that I would recommend to people who enjoy military strategy and well written fights.
It's still a really nice story that I would recommend to people who enjoy military strategy and well written fights.
bookkeeperdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
endergke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0