Fire & Ice ~ Patty Jansen

Disclosure: I won a copy from LibraryThing's author giveaway programme.

I do not read many fantasy novels, but I have been extremely fortunate over the years that friends have recommended some brilliant ones.. This time I stepped out on a limb without ‘professional’ guidance and put my name for an author’s copy of Fire & Ice from LibraryThing and was honoured to win a copy. As in my few other fantasy novel experiences, I was not disappointed. In fact, I am looking forward to reading the next instalment.

The concept of this series, whether intended, is an allegorical tale of our times - discrimination, segregation, moral superiority and polar bears. Well, yes, polar bears are not precisely an everyday sight for most of us, however, their use in this novel tells of our own uses of animal for sport and the repercussions of attempting to tame the wild.

The centre of power is the City of Glass, the population ruled by a Regent intent on claiming the crown with help from his Eagle Knights, while the son of the former King, living outwith the city’s borders amasses a force of ‘deformed’ individuals who are able to tap into the world’s largest power source. While these two fight for control, the inhabitants are stuck in the middle, unsure, confused and understandably afraid. Patty Jensen wonderfully crafts this tale adding unpredictable scenarios and expertly paces the tension. Moments of the everyday are fused between chess-like moves by the elite, such as a difficult child delivery and light-hearted moments between young soldiers. The main characters are all connected through complicated webs of blood and association, which also serves as a means to add moral dilemma to the mix - all the things we expect in a world where greed and survival meet in the battlefield.

I have yet to read the other two books of the trilogy, but intend to as this first instalment has gripped me and I am invested in the characters and have made my own predictions, which I expect will be wildly off the mark due to Jansen’s ability to throw curves on the straightest of all roads.

Publisher: Capricornica Publications
Publication Date: 6 October 2011
Format: e-book

Review previously appeared on the now defunct Bookworm's Buffet Blog