Customer Reviews

The Anvil of Ice

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Look, the fantasy books world divides into two divisions:
Those who keep you awake all night, and those who don't. The Anvil of Ice belongs to the first category. This is the first book in Mr. Rohan's trilogy: THE WINTER OF THE WORLD.
In this book you will be introduced to the unique world, and to the fascinating characters in the trilogy.

Michael Scott Rohan brings you into a very exciting world in a very descriptive way - that's the magic of the book - as you read you will feel you actually belong to that world. The world combines prehistory of Earth , ancient wisdom, and magic, combined in the mystic smith craft.
The story line and change of incidents are so rapid, you wouldn't want to leave the book, fearing you will miss something... the main character constantly changes, keeps you anxious to read more and more...

Mr. Rohan melts romance, fantasy, action, and smithery all together forming the perfect alloy, a work or art - The Anvil of Ice. Just like his most skilled Smith in the book would have done.

I can keep talking on this book forever, but I guess you should spend your time reading The Anvil of Ice rather than reading reviews on it.
So let me finish with the main point of this review:
I really enjoyed the first book of the trilogy, and I truly recommend it, because this book does to you what all fantasy books are meant to do - take you away from reality into a dream

Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others

STORY: When a coastal village is attacked by the seafaring, cannibalistic Ekwesh, a young thrall, Alv, is spared by their leader, Mylio the Mastersmith. In the shadow of the Great Ice, the sinister Mylio makes the boy his apprentice. Thus starts the journey for Alv (later named Elof) who discovers the ability within himself to smith items of power beyond what he or others imagine. His journeys take him to the deepest mountains of the duerger and to the lands of the children of the forest then to the battlements of the Southerners where he alone may have the ability to turn the tides of the coming Ice.

MY FEEDBACK:
Several series I read in High School I?ve hated later as an adult (i.e. Dragonlance). But this series still kept me turning page after page in anticipation of what will happen next. I have no complaints about the setting, characters, plot, sense of originality or overall writing.

The only complaint I have is that it seemed at a couple of points that a female duerger (dwarf in my mind and based on author?s descriptions) spoke in the exact same matter as a Southern Lord. This got a bit irritating for me, but the rest of the story allowed me to overlook this.

This is one of those well crafted stories that build up to a single climatic event vs. the current trend in media where every 15 minutes a climatic event occurs. But nowhere along the lines of building up to the event did I find the story slow, clich?, or boring. This is definitely up there in my top 5 series of all time. Get your hands on a copy ASAP. You won?t be disappointed.

Great read. Good solid characters and some interesting concepts throughout.

Whenever I hear folks arguing the merits of various fantasy series, and who's works are right up there, I keep waiting for someone to mention this one.

This book starts off a great trilogy, one that I'd recommend to anyone.

I read a lot of fantasy, and every so often as I read the newer stuff that comes along every year, I get tired of it - of the sex, the language, of the too too realness of the characters. Fantasy is fantasy and sometimes I need to go back to the older stuff to cleanse myself of the junk you read about in fantasy nowadays. Not to cut it down because its good stuff, but Im talking about writers like Martin, Maeville, etc. So every once in a while I go looking for good, new to me, older fantasy and I found Anvil of Ice in a second hand store, bought it because I liked the name (I'd never heard of Rowan). Its awesome. Its not for everyone. Its high style and mythic characters are surely a turn off for today's fantasy reader, but its a gorgeously written book (and series). The language use is on a par with anything I've ever read. Rowan's world building, his attention to detail, his pacing are all great. There are moments in this story, particularly when Elof is forging something, when you're transfixed and cannot stop reading. It might sound silly to get excited over a thick description of the forging of a magic sword, but its bordering on suspenseful. Its great. This book and this series are wonderful examples of an older style of fantasy that should never be lost. Its perfect.

I am an avid fantasy reader and I must say that Michael Scott Rohan is truly the best author in the fantasy genre. I am surprised that his books are not in print anymore and that his works are not well known. I would recommend the Winter of the World series to all fans of epic fantasy. His books contain everything a reader of fantasy should ever want in a novel. Any publisher that decides to put the Winter of the World series back in print will not be disappointed. These books will definitely become bestsellers as they were meant to be.

Set in a Norsh style ice age all three books just keep on giving. action ,adventure ,romance. plot twists. the setings and story lines are more believable than most ancient religons or mythology's. The characters will soon feel like you're best friends. seamless transitions between books . the longest I have ever gone without sleep was with my nose buried in this series.I have purchased all 3 twice in paperback (both covers).and hardback. have been told there is a 4th (prequel)(Castle of the wind?)there is the potential for many more if the legeds hinted at were explored .cant say enough about theese. Rohan has a masterwork here.

I just finished reading The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan. I was so disappointed in the slow development of the book that I decided to read a book I bought a long time ago, The Anvil Of Ice by Micheal Scott Rohan. The obvious parallel between Jordan's and Rohan's series is that they both are epic fantasy: a great evil is sweeping the land, and a normal boy-who-becomes-the-hero finds himself thrust in way over his head to save the world. Although the Anvil of Ice is the first in a trilogy, the book has a satisfying ending. It reminds me a bit of Terry Goodkind's series; it ends, but there is more to come, the evil force is still out there, at least a part of it. The Anvil of Ice is fine reading, well written and there are no unnecessary stops as in Jordan's later books.

I have read this first book of his trillogy and it is a little rough but captivating enough. Lots of descritptions and little dialog. The concept is unique which makes it interesting to read. It may be offensive to Tolkien fans for looking like a knock off but if you can get by this it is quite a rewarding read compared to most fantasy books these days.

One of the best fantasy series I have ever read. Too bad the books are out of print. Fantsy readers are missing out.

I first came across Michael Scott Rohan's WINTER OF THE WORLD series as a boy, and it was one of the books that turned me onto the fantasy genre as a whole. What set's him apart from the rest of the generic Tolkien-clones are the vivid characters he creates (the relationship between Elof and his true love will set even the the crustiest heart aflutter....) and the truly vivid world building. The author draws upon and ice age setting and mixes it with Finnish folklore and the still-vivid trope of a Lost Civilization, creating something unique.

There are tons of novels out there that draw upon North European folklore. Most of them don't get beyond the stereotypes and are forgotten as quickly as they are read. This book sticks in your mind.