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A review by shilohskye
Winter Without End by Casimir Laski
5.0
When I started reading this book, I expected Call of the Wild. What I got instead was something more akin to Cormac McCarthy's The Road, but with beautiful prose and talking canines. Of course any book would have a hard time living up to that classic, but Winter Without End does an admirable job of presenting a similar world and vibe.
First, I need to praise Casimir Laski's prose. It's gorgeous, with intriguing descriptions, natural dialogue, great flow, and meticulous pacing. It's the strongest element of the book for me, being a bit of a writing style nerd. I appreciated the heck out of it. Characters are well-developed too, feeling distinct in both action and dialogue.
The world in this book is portrayed with great atmosphere and tension, as well. There's always a sense of approaching danger and the need to flee from the monster right behind you. This is interesting considering that the canine characters are immune to the human plague that has ravaged the world. So often we think that nature will begin to heal as a result of humanity's downfall, yet at least in the short term the loosening of our grip on the world is shown to be disastrous here. That was something I haven't seen before.
Now as great as the prose, characters, and portrayal of the world are, I had some issues with the plot. To be vague, there is an avoidance of conflict that makes it very boring and limits character development. Whenever it seems like the characters are about to encounter a challenge that will test them and show how they work together to overcome it, they circumvent it instead. Though probably more realistic, it makes for a rather dull plot. There is also a grand, almost supernatural threat talked about constantly in the beginning of the book--a mysterious freezing storm, constantly approaching--that disappears from the later half, which was frustrating because that impending danger did such a great job of setting the tone and sense of urgency.
But despite my reservations, it's still a very worthwhile read to experience the author's wonderful writing style. Plus, I'm sure you'll love the characters and atmosphere as much as I did.
First, I need to praise Casimir Laski's prose. It's gorgeous, with intriguing descriptions, natural dialogue, great flow, and meticulous pacing. It's the strongest element of the book for me, being a bit of a writing style nerd. I appreciated the heck out of it. Characters are well-developed too, feeling distinct in both action and dialogue.
The world in this book is portrayed with great atmosphere and tension, as well. There's always a sense of approaching danger and the need to flee from the monster right behind you. This is interesting considering that the canine characters are immune to the human plague that has ravaged the world. So often we think that nature will begin to heal as a result of humanity's downfall, yet at least in the short term the loosening of our grip on the world is shown to be disastrous here. That was something I haven't seen before.
Now as great as the prose, characters, and portrayal of the world are, I had some issues with the plot. To be vague, there is an avoidance of conflict that makes it very boring and limits character development. Whenever it seems like the characters are about to encounter a challenge that will test them and show how they work together to overcome it, they circumvent it instead. Though probably more realistic, it makes for a rather dull plot. There is also a grand, almost supernatural threat talked about constantly in the beginning of the book--a mysterious freezing storm, constantly approaching--that disappears from the later half, which was frustrating because that impending danger did such a great job of setting the tone and sense of urgency.
Spoiler
The ending also left a lot to be desired. It felt rather pointless.But despite my reservations, it's still a very worthwhile read to experience the author's wonderful writing style. Plus, I'm sure you'll love the characters and atmosphere as much as I did.