Ice Crown [Mass Market Paperback]

Andre Norton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1971

Keli and Roane search for a legendary treasure that could destroy the powers-that-be on the planet Clio and free Clio's people, who have been implanted with false memories and conditioned to obey. Reprint. NYT.

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

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Ace; paperback edition (1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441358446
• ISBN-13: 978-0441358441
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,765,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Space Service Archeologist goes native, May 24, 2003

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice Crown (Mass Market Paperback)

"Ice Crown's" heroine, Roane belongs to a small team of archeologists chosen to land on Clio in search of Forerunner ruins. Clio is a closed planet, which means that space-farers like Roane must leave the human inhabitants strictly alone to evolve their own destiny.

Roane soon breaks the non-interference rule when she is caught in a savage storm and seeks shelter in an abandoned stone tower in the forest. Unfortunately, some of the local inhabitants also stumble into the tower. There are several armed men plus a bound, ill-treated woman, and Roane's pity overrules her archeological training. She frees the woman, who turns out to be the local princess (Clio is a medieval world of warring kingdoms) and they escape from the tower together, Roane pretending to be a Clioite.

The off-worlder is soon unmasked by the astute Princess Ludorica, and Roane reluctantly agrees to help the Clioite search for her lost Ice Crown--a gift from the ancient "Guardians" to the royal line, and the source of their power to rule.

"Ice Crown" is not a typical Norton 'Forerunner' story, in that the mysterious installation on Clio turns out to have been set up by the long-discredited human Psychocrats, motivated to perform a nasty, planet-wide, multi-generation experiment in mind-control and fixed destiny. The plot gets a bit jumbled up in Clio's dynastic feuds, but the characters are pure Norton: the cold technocrats from an advanced civilization versus primitives with a touch of magic in their makeup. Roane is a typical Norton heroine in that she is made to feel inferior by her more educated/experienced companions, and she acts according to her conscience rather than a set of rigidly defined rules. In short, she is a very likeable person who is caught up in a conflict not of her own making, but one where she is determined to do the right thing.

Vintage Norton with just a slightly confusing plot.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ice Crown rules, December 3, 2003

By 

Barb Caffrey "writer-for-hire" (In a Midwest State (of mind), USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ice Crown (Paperback)

"Ice Crown" is my absolute favorite Andre Norton book. In it, a young woman who has never had much respect (either from herself or others) finds meaning and purpose in her life, finds friends, finds happiness -- and overcomes many obstacles.

The obstacles in the way are both internal and external. The internal ones deal with Roane throwing off her uncle Offlas' mental conditioning -- the same conditioning that told Roane all her life that she was nothing but a tool in his hands, something rather than someone. The external ones deal with the planet Clio; Roane, her uncle and her cousin Sandar land on Clio to look over ruins in secret. The colony below knows nothing of offworlders; they were settled by dissidents called "Psychocrats" who believed that people, in gaining technology, had lost something.

However, in order to regain what they'd lost, the Psychocrats have set up a terrible situation for Clio's inhabitants. The Crowns the rulers wear (a quasi-feudal society) dictate how they act; if the Crown doesn't want something, even if the ruler does, the Crown wins. It's not a good situation.

However, everything's about to change, as Roane gets lost during a terrible storm, and takes cover in an old, abandoned building. Princess Ludorica, who's just been captured by thugs, gets dropped off in the same building. Roane and Ludorica escape, form an unlikely friendship/alliance, and find Ludorica's long-lost Crown.

However, Ludorica's actions change as soon as the Crown is found. She repudiates old friends, such as Colonel Nelis Imfry, and turns instead to age-old enemies, such as Duke Reddick, to consolidate her rule. This is due to the Crown's influence. Imfry nearly dies; Roane helps him to escape.

And then the real fun begins, as Roane must choose between everything she thought she knew, or her own conscience. Along the way, she finds love with Nelis, who understands her like no one else despite being from a rather backward culture.

I don't want to give away the rest of the plot, so I'll end here. Does Roane win out? See for yourself.

And if you like "Ice Crown," be sure to pick up "Warlock," which contains "Storm Over Warlock," "Ordeal in Otherwhere," and "Forerunner Foray," three great Norton titles at a low price.

Barb Caffrey

P.S. I hope someone picks this book up to be reprinted soon; it truly is one of the strongest works in the entire Norton oeuvre.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy/Science Fiction delight!, April 21, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Ice Crown (Paperback)

The herione is from a futuristic Earth whose on a lost Earth colony in secret with her uncle and cousin. They are to observe and report back to Earth what they find. But the herione discovers that an ancient alien race has programmed the human rulers of the colony to do what they planned, even if it's wrong! Roane is forced to choose between obeying Earth's law of non interference or saving the people she's come to admire