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A Fortress Of Grey Ice (Book Two of Sword Of Shadows) by JV Jones
01/03/2003 . Source: Sana Master 
pub: Orbit. 734 page paperback. Price: £ 7.99 (UK) and $19.95 (AUS). ISBN: 1-85723-996-2. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.orbitbooks.co.uk
Have you ever read a book and found yourself laughing at how serious the author considers the subject matter?
Well, JV Jones' 'A Fortress of Grey Ice' unfortunately evokes just such a reaction. Yes yes, the world is on the brink of cataclysm, the Endlords are soon to be released ... All very serious I admit, but even in the most hopeless cases human nature is indomitable. There is laughter.
There is hope. Nobody goes around as sour and unhappy as Jones' characters. Admittedly they have suffered but most characters in fantasy have.
Existing in the primitive environs of fantasy they necessarily have to have suffered, which does not mean they cannot have a sense of humour or enjoy simple pleasures in life.
This novel is the second part in the 'Sword of Shadows' series. It continues the story of the orphan girl Ash March, taken in by Penthero Iss, the evil Lord, who wants her power for himself.
In the first part, Ash is helped to escape by Raif Sevrance, a clansman who falls in love with her. Ash has an enormous amount of power that can release the Endlords from their captivity- mysterious beings that can be equated with our world's Devils and Hell.
In fact the demon we meet at the end is called Shatan, the Arabic name for the devil. This second part sees the separation of Ash and Raif, both of whom have powerful destinies, but cannot fulfil together. Every character seems to be surrounded by an air of isolation.
All have to struggle through alone and what you would expect to be a tale of camaraderie and people coming together, to fight for a common cause becomes a tale of individual struggle to preserve or discover identity alone. There is a lot of reaching out: craving for human interaction but with everybody within their protective shells these wishful human touches go undone.
The atmosphere of the book is gloomy, a pervasive darkness that forces you to put the book down every so often just to take a deep breath and smile at somebody. Your forehead begins to hurt from frowning so much. The novel consists more of silence and thoughts than speech, which makes for slow reading and takes more understanding than your average David Eddings instalment.
A comparison I have drawn simply because the text I was sent had a sticker on it claiming: 'As good as David Eddings or your money back!' Now having read JV Jones' earlier 'Book of Words' trilogy and 'The Barbed Coil' as well as the Eddings couple's 'The Belgariad' and 'The Mallorean'
I can find no reason why on earth the two are set up in comparison! They are not remotely alike, not in plot, narrative or characterisation. They may well be two different genres, which I believe renders the publisher's claim invalid.
This book, as a second part, can be read on its own as the author helpfully provides us with a recap of the first book at the beginning.
It is difficult going because obviously you are not in possession of all of the details and the book does rely on your knowledge of the first part in places.
All in all, this book is not a good introduction to Jones.
Her skill as an accomplished fantasy writer is indubitable but the slowness of this tale is enough to put off even some of the most hardened of fantasy readers.
Sana Master
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