Customer Reviews

Land of Mist and Snow

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

 

 

This book has an intriguing premise, a world slightly different than our own (perhaps) where magic and demons exist. Set during the revolutionary war, this time instead of the Monitor and Merrimac fighting it out, the two behemoths are magic-powered warships.

Told as a series of diary entries, we follow Union Lieutenant John Nevis as he is assigned to active duty on board the Nicodemus. He soon learns it is not a "normal" ship as there cannot be any metal except copper onboard and the copper must be "virgin." Miss Columbia Abrams' diary follows her introduction into the mystical arts and gives us a glimmer of what is to come. They find themselves on board the Nicodemus as it sets off under the command of the mysterious Captain Sharps. The action heats up as the Nicodemus learns information about her Rebel counterpart, the evil Alecto with its blood-sacrifices, and begins the chase. Meanwhile, freedom-loving Columbia learns of the true nature of Nicodemus and grows unhappy that the spirit propelling Nicodemus is "enslaved" onboard.

I found the premise intriguing and enjoyable. The mystical bits were not difficult to read and made sense, although I found myself frustrated at places (why the northern latitudes for example). The novel reads quickly and has some really well-done scenes. When it works, it works very well. Unfortunately I found that as the book progressed I found the diary-entry style of the book did not work well for me and that a lot of the potential tension was wasted with the "well, its over with, now let me write down what happened" style, particularly the ending battle. I do not want to give any details away, but I will say that I expected a much "bigger" finale and ultimate resolution to the problem of the Alecto and what was driving it. Many other issues were not fleshed out enough, making the book weaker than it could have been. items such as Captain Sharps motivations and feelings at what he was forced (or would that be 'allowed'?) to do, the whole spy/resupply subplot that went nowhere, etc.

In summary, this is an enjoyable book. It reads quickly and is fun to speculate on what such a world would be like, where the freedom-loving gung-ho union spirit meets the mystical arts. Just don't expect great literature or deep characters.

Land of Mist and Snow (2006) is a Fantasy Alternate History novel of the Civil War. It is set within a society where magic is commonplace, but few people can perform high rituals.

In this novel, William R. Sharps is a Philosophiae Doctor of mystical letters. He has found the missing pages of the Grey Book.

Cornelius Vanderbilt is a transportation tycoon. He has financed the researches of Doctor Sharps.

William Walker is a filibuster. He has taken Nicaragua and become President of the country.

John Nevis is a Lieutenant in the US Navy. He was assigned to the War Department after his ship was burned when the Rebels took Norfolk.

Columbia Abrams is the daughter of a high official within the War Department. She is a graduate of the Hadley Female Academy.

In this story, in April, 1861, Sharps reports to Vanderbilt on his efforts to discover the missing pages of the Grey Book and his expedition to the arctic circle. After great effort, he has captured a spirit of the air.

In the summer of 1862, Columbia is invited to a dinner at their rented house in Georgetown with her father, Vanderbilt and Sharps. She has been restless and Sharps wanted to meet her. After the dinner, she is invited to study mystic arts under him.

In June, 1862, the CNS Alecto is completed by William Walker and sets sail from Lake Nicaragua. It travels down the river to the open sea.

In January, 1863, Nevis receives orders assigning him to the USS Nicodemus as head of the gunnery department. He is also ordered to escort a dozen guns to the ship. He passes his current tasks on to another and prepares to leave.

He first travels to the Arsenal at Albany. He inspects the brass ten-inch Rodman guns and the brass ammunition. Then he accompanies the guns down the river to the Manhattan Navy Yard.

There the guns and ammunition are loaded on the brig USS Triumph. Next morning, the brig sails with the tide. Nevis is on his way to the Thule Experimental Shipyard.

In March, 1863, the Nicodemus is freed from a pool amidst the ice and travels along the coastline toward the harbor. Nevis takes the train and the Nicodemus paces the speeding locomotive. Nevis has orders to greet Columbia at the docks and guard her virtue.

Columbia had packed for a cold clime before sailing from New York. She was ushered onboard the Triumph and taken to the Thule Shipyard. There she is met by Nevis.

Nevis accompanies Columbia on a boat to the Nicodemus. She takes an ember with her and lights the fires on the ship after coming aboard. Then she retires to her cabin.

The Nicodemus sails away from the harbor for sea trials, but events leave no time for testing. They go looking for Rebel blockage runners. Soon they fight their first battle.

Meanwhile, a French captain reports observation of a mysterious ship at sea. The ship was traveling without sails or the sound of engines. The Alecto crossed their bow at high speed and was followed by a dozen or more sharks.

This tale follows two ships powered by mystic beings. The Nicodemus was built by the US Navy, but the Alecto is a Confederate ship. The two ships are destined for battle on the high seas.

Both ships are sensitive to iron. With a single exception, everything aboard each ship has to be nonferric. The Nicodemus doesn't even have a compass.

This story doesn't explain the existence of magic that underlies the plot. The next novel in this universe is Lincoln's Sword.

Recommended for Doyle & MacDonald fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of elemental magic, sea battles, and a bit of romance. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

This an alternate history fantasy about two civil war era ships doing battle on the high seas. The twist here is that the souls of these ships are captured elemental spirits. It's an interesting premise, one that many professional, as well as recreational mariners, will appreciate; all vessels are viewed by their crews as near-living things, if not actually living things, and all crews consort with seaborne superstitions and myth.

The story begins as Lieutenant Nevis receives word he's getting the detachment of his dreams, the opportunity to leave his desk job at the War Department on Whitehall Street in New York to finally join the fight in the sailing Navy. His first assignment: to inspect and take possession of a dozen ten inch Rodman guns at the Naval Arsenal in Watervliet.

Your first inkling of the story's supernatural slant comes at the end of the first chapter, when Nevis learns the guns and cannon balls are made of pure virgin brass, and that they are destined for an experimental ship of war being constructed on the ice at Thule. For me, that was the hook. The vessel was being built on the ice and not a railway at a shipyard because, for reasons that become clear later on, the ship could not come in contact with land.

Doyle and Macdonald have constructed a logical and very entertaining supernatural story pitting good against evil, weaving in various aspects of reality and staying faithful to the prose and authenticity of the era. I was particularly impressed with their nautical detail and accuracy.

The story is told in log book or diary form, with first person entries from the various characters. If the overall effort has any fault, it lies here, as the entries don't really allow for much individuation of character. This can be a huge stumbling block for avid readers of contemporary fiction, i.e. people who prefer third person narratives and/or a more dialog driven format.

Perhaps the above is a kind way of saying the story lacked strong characterization. And maybe it does. Either way, I wasn't deterred from having a good time. Kudos to the authors for keeping me entertained throughout. And with a story that takes place almost entirely at sea. Trust me, one misstep in the nautical accuracy department and I would have tossed the book in the garage. (I would have said "overboard" but International Discharge of Waste and Dunnage laws prohibit that sort of irresponsible activity.)

In an alternate world where magic is possible and known, the American Civil War is not avoided. A Lieutenant in the Union Navy finally gets an assignment aboard a ship named Nicodemus. The ship is a strange one. It is being build far to the North in a land of ice. It has proper masts and sail but seem to travel under a different power. Iron and steel are not allowed on board, only virgin brass. A young woman has been brought aboard and is somehow connected with the control of the ship.

The ship is faster than any ship has a right to be and is soon plowing the ocean. But the crew learns of another ship like theirs. Similar but dark in nature. A dangerous ship operated by the enemy. One that requires sacrifice. The ship must be stopped and a chase ensues. As the black ship is chased we learn more about the Nicodemus and its workings. Eventually the final confrontation is engaged and the story concludes nicely.

The world of magic is an interesting one. The non-magic history is pretty good and magic's effect on it is believable. But don't believe that this is a Civil War story. It starts out as one but becomes more like MOBY DICK as the chase goes on and on and we see nothing of the war. The only real problem was a detail of the black ship. We are told it needs more sacrifices the further it gets from its point of creation. But then we watch it travel thousands of miles without ant apparent escalation. Other than that, this is an interesting story that delves into the differences between good and evil and where the two sometimes overlap. Check it out.

This extraordinary alternate history novel turns on (in addition to the existence of magic of course) an alteration to the outcome of one the most remarkable forgotten events in US history: the private war between businessman "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt and filibustering General William Walker, the "Grey-Eyed Man of Destiny", over the fate of Nicaragua in the five years prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War. The details of the real history are contained in an Author's Note at the end so suffice it to say that in his attempts at private war and conquest in Central America General Walker made the fatal mistake of conspiring to cheat Commodore Vanderbilt. Though one of the mostly unsung heroes of free market capitalism (an exception can be found here: The Myth of the Robber Barons) for making his fortune by taking on monopolists, price fixers, and subsidy receivers (and thus doing more good for the poor than all of his critics combined), as a human being, Cornelius was pond scum, and as an honest though ruthless businessman, not inclined to tolerate being cheated. Having promised to ruin his crooked former trustees and having subsequently bankrupted them, Vanderbilt next set his sights on ruining their coconspirator and ruler of Nicaragua, General Walker, and in our world managed to do so. However, in this world dark magic has allowed Walker's rule of Nicaragua to survive Vanderbilt's worst until 1863 so that he can offer his powers to help the Confederacy, and the Commodore's continued desire for revenge fund's Captain William R. Sharps' proposal for a magical counter weapon. (Think of Captain Sharps as the Gandalf of this story, except possessed of the people skills that made Captain Bligh such a success.)

So we follow our two heroes: Lt. John Nevis and Columbia Abrams as they join their strange new vessel, the USS Nicodemus, he in charge of her virgin brass cannons, she as Ship's Vestal for want of a better term. The story is told entirely through written documents: narratives, diary entries, letters, etc., which worked a lot better than I expected it would. Along with these two we slowly learn the truth about the Nicodemus and his Confederate counterpart, the CSS Alecto, as they race towards their foreordained final battle while struggling with the moral question (both are devout Christians) of how much evil can be countenanced when fighting the greater evil of slavery. Frankly I had severe doubts about the premise, but I thoroughly enjoyed the result!

The book is arguably a bit unfair to William Walker, an evil man no doubt, but one more in the line of a Napoleon or a Caesar than a Hitler or a Stalin. He supported slavery not genocide, and yes, there really is a difference.

Note: a briefly mentioned "amusing story, worth telling over brandy and cigars, but not germane to my present communication" on page 15 was later expanded into the story "Philologos; or, A Murder in Bistrita" in the February 2008 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. A considerably younger William R. Sharps discovers the lost ur-text of the Grey Book during an encounter with about what you'd expect such a character in such a universe to encounter...

in Transylvania.

A fun read!

LAND OF MIST AND SNOW features wonderfully evocative cover art that promises a magical, mythical tale of deadly sea duels. Absolutely lovely artwork! I wish I could credit the artist by name because his/her work is the best thing going for this book.

This book is billed as an "epic alternate history" of the Civil War, wherein the Union constructs a revolutionary warship powered by an "air elemental" which gives the ship incredible power and maneuverability. Commanded by a nutcase captain, USS Nicodemus sails off ostensibly to destroy Confederate blockade runners. In actual fact, the Nicodemus' captain is searching for his Confederate counterpart, the CSS Alecto, another super-ship but, in this case, a demon raider straight from hell.

To give the book its due, the idea is intriguing and, boy, do they have the nautical terminology down. Unfortunately none of the characters are terribly interesting. Odd, yes; interesting, no. When one of the main characters is killed near the end of the book, I didn't care. Just as importantly, there are too many plot holes that derail the reader's willingness to suspend disbelief. How is it possible, for example, that all these sailors are manning a ship that doesn't use sail or engine power yet maneuvers like a wild animal - and no one asks "What in hell is going on?" Or, at the story's beginning, how come nobody seems too put out by the fact that zombies are building the ship!?! Then too there is way too much metaphysical mumbo-jumbo to wade through for my taste. And the ending is downright ludicrous.

There may be an epic story lurking in the book's basic premise but I didn't find it in LAND OF MIST AND SNOW.

But, boy, is that cover art gorgeous!

...but Weis & Hickman they're not.

Got this from a friend because the cover really hooked me and it seemed to have an intriguing premise. My friend gave it an "ehhh" rating, which I think translates to somewhere between one and three stars. But I decided to give it a go, again, largely based on the cover art.

Unfortunately the quality of the art and words/story of the book itself were worlds apart and this a yet another example of a promising premise failed by weak storytelling. Due to no lack of effort on my part, I could never get into the story - the characters just weren't all that interesting. If the authors had put as much attention into creating a compelling cast and/or storyline as they did in using navy terms this would have been a hellava book. As it is, it was like hearing a bunch of long, drawn out, uninteresting narratives from a burned out high school teacher.

I've read a lot of good books that were almost undone by a weak cover. This is one of the few times I've seen a cover undone by the story inside. I gave it 2 stars only because I was able to finish it but I deserve at least a half star of one of those stars for willing myself to complete it.

When his ship burned, Lieutenant John Nevis files papers for the War Department while waiting to get a new seagoing assignment. In 1863 he is ordered to take possession of Rodman guns and take them to his new posting as head of the gunnery department of the USS Nicodemus. He is taken to the Naval Experimental shipyard in Thule near the Artic Circle, a place shrouded in secrecy. When he spots the Nicodemus he sees no energy source to make the ship move; yet it goes faster, and with more agility then any ship in the union.

The captain William M. R. Sharp has found a way to bind an air elemental to his will so that it is what causes the ship to move at great speed and shift momentum at a moment's notice. The only woman on board the ship, Miss Columbia Abrams, acts as a conduit giving Nicodemus commands in the captain's name. Their mission is to catch the blockade runners and commence traders who want to destroy the union blockade of the Confederacy. However, the confederacy now has a similar ship the Alecto fueled by blood sacrifices and it is determined to destroy the Nicodemus but even though Nicodemus hates the captain for the enslavement it hates Alecto more; with Columbia and John's help the elemental will do its best to defeat evil personified.

Combining Horatio Alger and the alternate history works of Harry Turtledove, readers will have a good idea what LAND OF MIST AND SNOW is all about. Magical ships run by bound elementals make this an exciting work full of action on the high seas. Although the romance between Johnny and Columbia seems to be a contrived subplot device to move the storyline in the direction the authors want it to go, the audience will thoroughly enjoy this original and entertaining tale.

Harriet Klausner