A Cavern of Black Ice (Sword of Shadows, Book 1) [Paperback]

J. V. Jones (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sword of Shadows | Publication Date: August 1, 2000

In the Known Lands, it is said that when one powerful prophecy dies in its fulfilling, yet another is born. In the land where Jack, the baker's boy, successfully fulfilled his destiny, a new prophecy arises in the harsh, exotic lands to the north. Two young residents of the Northern Territories, Rail Sevrance, a member of the Clan Blackhail, and Ash March, a girl who is suddenly overcome by powerful, ominous dreams, find themselves mysteriously drawn together. Swept up in a series of events that will bring their peoples into a vast war, the two encounter dark magic, great bravery, and unimaginable danger, as the first part of J. V. Jones' new masterpiece roars to its stunning conclusion.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Cavern of Black Ice opens J.V. Jones's Sword of Shadows trilogy. (Her first novel was The Baker's Boy.) The story is set in a land divided among small warring clans of hunters and more sophisticated southern cities whose lords covet the clan territories.

Young clansman Raif has a touch of "old blood" magic that guides his arrows to the heart. Bad times come when a hunting party that includes his father and clan chief is wiped out by a supernaturally aided attack, and Raif's open suspicion of the brutal new leader eventually drives him into exile. Meanwhile, Iss, overlord of Spire Vanis city, keeps a chained-up sorcerer whose powers he channels by revolting means, and has unexplained but shuddersome plans for his "foster daughter" Ash--herself an unwilling focus of dread forces. Raif and Ash find themselves fleeing together through wintry, hostile clanlands, pursued by Iss's vilest henchmen, seeking the dubious goal of the Cavern of Black Ice.

What lifts this tale far above routine quest fantasy is Jones's deft characterization, relentless intensity, and unsparing depiction of pain and slow-healing injury. She has a flair for memorably horrid images. Here a sorcerer gloats over one of his nastier tricks: "A man could not fight when his corneas were snapped from his eyes like badges from a chest."

This hefty volume is over 800 pages long, but the narrative grips hard once it's gained momentum, and the pages turn increasingly fast. Strong meat. Next comes book two, A Fortress of Grey Ice. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The first volume of Jones's (The Barbed Coil, etc.) new trilogy is set in a sub-arctic land so vividly realized that it contributes notably to the book's suspense and emotional impactAeven as it almost overpowers its characters. Ashd March, the adopted daughter of a nobleman; Raif and Dray Sevrance, two accomplished archers; and Angus Lok, a once formidable warrior, are becoming increasingly aware, through alarming signsAa camp of murdered men, a recurring nightmare of ice and blood, an ominous call to armsAof a magical evil coming their way. The destinies of these four, particularly of Ash and Raif, become progressively entwined, even entangled, as the novel lumbers toward its inconclusive ending. Throughout, Jones skillfully mixes bits borrowed from history, folklore, religion (her shamans are particularly well done) and other fantasy works, but her attention to these details and her determination to introduce every element of her trilogy at once slow the pacing and sometimes create more confusion than clarity. Nonetheless, Jones has a real gift for evocative description, and the novel will satisfy most saga lovers. Agent, Russ Galen.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 960 pages
• Publisher: Aspect; Reprint edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446608173
• ISBN-13: 978-0446608176
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What A Difference A New Book Can Make!, January 1, 2001

By 

Elyon (Mesilla, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cavern of Black Ice (Sword of Shadows, Book 1) (Paperback)

After reading "The Barbed Coil," a truly unmemorable and rather stale tale, I was reluctant to pick up this work, regardless of an advanced reader's copy given to me or the sfsite's recommendation of the book as one of the best works of 1999. Since January of that year the book has been sitting on my shelves gathering dust and in general ignored as I turned to more obvious and predictable sources of reading pleasure. In hindsight, the only benefit I have accrued by this error in judgment is that I will have less time to wait for the next novel, which I dearly hope will soon be released.

As another reviewer has implied, it is difficult to believe this book was ever written by the same author as "The Barbed Coil." Whereas that book was common and at times self-consciously cute (and continues annoyingly here to err in this direction with an occasional use of Scottish brogue and references to "wee lassies"), this work is well above the ordinary or clichéd work that dominates most fantasy fiction, offering a tale that is complex and written with a skill only barely glimpsed in the earlier book. Interweaving plots with the skill of the best epic fantasists, if Ms. Jones is able to maintain the level of writing found here, this work will surely come to equal the recent work of authors such as Katherine Kerr, Robin Hobb, George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan. And the author has created a cold and ice-bound world that is largely original---certainly so in terms of the mythic cosmology surrounding it and the deep, oftentimes grim mysticism with which it is imbued. The mythos surrounding this tale is as broad, complex and detailed as any to be found in fantasy fiction, equaled only contemporaneously by Steven Erikson or Robert Jordan. And while her cast follows standard types familiar to any devotee of the genre, the author has made each striking and individual in character, and for the most part has avoided singular or one-dimensional characterizations. Her players' motives are complex, and, like George R.R. Martin or Robin Hobb, the author has wisely given her cast depth and contradictions in character.

This book presents almost an almost perfect balance between slowly unfolding narrative and action, and while a great degree of mystery and unresolved questions continue to nag the reader at the book's conclusion, and no point does once feel obviously manipulated or robbed of satisfaction in the novel's denouement or progress. There is a clear sense of plot progression and resolution to this "chapter" of the series' development, and hopefully Ms. Jones will be able to avoid the extraneous and often episodic plot threads that have in part frustrated the most recent offerings by Jordan and Martin, and even more significantly Goodkind. This is a marvelous and imaginative beginning to a much larger work, already vast in potential scope. My only hope is that it does not come to feed upon itself.

This work stands as further proof for me that one should not discount future work by an obviously talented writer based upon the false starts or less than fully realized efforts of earlier work. There are any number of new and imaginative and potentially exciting authors writing today---Elizabeth Haydon, John Marco, and Juliet Marillier, to name just a few---that have revealed gifts of storytelling far stronger than anything found or ever suspected in Ms. Jone's "The Barbed Coil." "A Cavern of Black Ice" stands as certain admonishment that rewards are to be gained by continuing to follow the work of newer and more recent authors, such as David Farland or Martha Wells, allowing them time to hone and perfect their skills. After all, first-time epics such as Stephen Donaldson's "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" are rare indeed.

"A Cavern of Black Ice" could easily herald a work in progress that may well become, when completed, a masterpiece of epic fantasy fiction. It certainly shall if successive books prove the equal of this one. I look forward to the second installment with great anticipation, and selfishly wish the author every possible success. And I heartily concur with the sfsite that this was one of the best books of 1999, or, for that matter, any recent year. Sorry it took me so long to heed their advice.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An epic journey through ice, snow and personal nightmare, April 5, 1999

By 

Denise Ball([e-mail]) (Stafford, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cavern of Black Ice (Hardcover)

I must admit to be a real fan of J.V. Jones, she is a wonderful author who manages to transport you to her worlds with consumate ease. A Cavern of Black Ice is no exception. As an avid reader of fantasy I can honestly say I have never read an initial book in a trilogy that promises, and gives, as much as Cavern does. It is a sweeping plot set in an ice bound land that has you turning the heating up as you read it. Julie's character's are always excellent, they are believable, human and heroic (or of course demonic and vile!). In any of their guises you very soon become caught up in their epic struggle of good and evil with ancient magic. Cavern is a long book and so much the better for it, the pace is just right the plot and characterisation is given time to develop into a deeply woven and spellbinding epic. If you only buy one book this year make sure that its A Cavern of Black Ice, you won't regret it. Just make sure you wrap up real warm while you read or you'll have frostbite before you know it!

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch, first rate work, October 29, 2000

By 

Ed Gantt (Lehi, Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cavern of Black Ice (Sword of Shadows, Book 1) (Paperback)

What a tremendously delightful and much welcome surprise! Its very easy to get bored with the standard plot lines and two-dimensional characters so often found in the majority of contemporary works of fantasy. Indeed, sometimes one even begins to question whether shelling out hard-earned cash yet again for basicaly the same old drab stories simply dressed up in pretty new book jackets is really worth it. Fortunately, every once in a while it does prove to be worth it -- and sometimes, on even more rare occasions, as with this wonderful new novel by J. V. Jones, it proves to be far more than worth it. Jones paints a world of rich texture and surprising depth. Her characters are psychologically engaging and emotionally captivating. The story is gripping and suspenseful with startling -- though perfectly believable -- plot turns and twists. I've read some of her other work, and while I enjoyed her efforts, this book is by far her most impressive and skillful production. There are only a small handful of fantasy authors whose work has so captured my imagination by its originality and poise that I have been inclined to read them more than once (e.g., J. R. R. Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, Kate Elliott), but this wonderful story by Jones has most definately been added to the list.