Customer Reviews

The Snow Queen

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The best one-line description of this book that I can come up with is this: Imagine if "Dune" had been written by a female anthropologist. It is a book about the changing of power on a planet, much like Dune. Instead of a planet that is almost entirely desert, Tiamat is a planet almost entirely ocean. Instead of sandworms and the Spice, Tiamat has dolphin-like mers and the Water of Life. Instead of featuring one man with a unique ability, it stars Moon, a woman who is seemingly less than unique; she is the clone of the current queen of Tiamat. As the book continues, however, it becomes clear that Moon is unique, as she is the only one with the ability to see the truth about their place in the universe, and the only one trusted with the secret of the sybil mind.

But it is so much more than Dune, really. The world of Tiamat and the Hegemony is as large and complex and ancient as the world of Arrakis and its empire, perhaps larger; it is so large that it is not even apparent that this is the future of humankind as we know it until you get deep into it. There are layers upon layers of political scheming in this universe, so deep that no single character can explain it all. There are so many different levels of conspiracy and technology and religion that is difficult to grasp it all at once. But none of it will mean anything unless Moon can keep them from destroying themselves....

It is a brilliant book, and its sequel, the Summer Queen, is as good or better. Joan D. Vinge has a unique insight that makes you feel like you are discovering something new instead of reading a book. I heartily recommend it to anyone who has interest in the kind of thoughtful science fiction that opens the mind with possibilities.

From page one of this book, I was hooked. Published in the 1980, this book was cutting edge with one dreamt about ideas of successful cloning. Amazing how the power and awe of this book lasts today.

The story is a futurized version of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen." Personally, I'm an admirer of writers who can successfully translate traditional stories into modern literary works, and Joan D. Vinge pulls it off spectacularly.

Her main character, Moon, is a loving young woman who loves her cousin Sparks and goes through several trials and torments to save him from her clone, the ruthless, power-hungry, and vain Snow Queen Arienrhod. But Sparks isn't the person Moon remembers. He gets swept up in the crazy city of Carbuncle. Soon, Moon is also swept up in this whirlwind.

Love, suspence, action, and a mystery more cosmic than the people of Tiamat realize. This is a substantial book (but not quite as much as its sequel) that leads the reader beyond the imagination and into a whole new world.

I had a picture book of the classic children's tale, "The Snow Queen" when I was a kid. It showed these two children growing up next door to each other, being best friends, and being in love. Then one day a piece of a mirror that Lucifer made falls into the boys eye and turns him mean. Not long after, the snow queen, a mysterious woman in a white sleigh comes and takes the boy away. The girl is hurt, but believes that there is some way to save her love and thus goes after him. Along the way she meets obstacles, ages, and eventually finds her love.

This is that story, only set in a word where a huge space spanning empire has collapsed and left behind a smaller, less magnificent version. There is an intergalactic conspiracy to keep the people of one world, Tiamat, where our two young lovers (Moon and Sparks) hail from, technologically stupid, and mysterious keys to the survival of the human race seeded throughout humanity. There are clones, battles, love and deceit. While there is no magical mirror that turns Sparks into a bad person, as in my picture book, there is temptation in the form of a potion that will keep the drinker forever young-only this potion is harvested from the blood of the otter like creates that live on Tiamat, who are seen as holy by the Summer people who live on the Islands spanning the planets middle.

There is the snow queen, leader of the half of the Tiamat people called the winters (who live in the north), who in an effort to prolong her reign seeded the Summer people of Tiamat with eight clones of herself. And there is one clone who survived to maturity-Moon, the lover of Sparks, the boy stolen by the snow queen.

This book is awesome, epic and really, really exciting, There is a kind of slow build up, but the second half of this book heads along at breakneck speed until you cannot put it down because you have to know what happens next. If you like sci-fi, you will like this book. And it has a beautiful cover.

Five stars, recommended. I am told that you should read "World's End" before the sequel "The Summer Queen" or you'll miss out on a whole lot, so that's what I'm going to do, even though it does deviate a little from the storyline.

I enjoyed reading this book and marveled at some of the truly original ideas in it. Yes, it's *loosely* based on Hans Christian Anderson's _Snow Queen_, however Vinge indeed created a singular world with this novel.

The Snow Queen has ruled Tiamat for 150 years, so when she sees that her rein is about to end, she plots to retain her throne despite the traditional Change that takes place every 150 years. the gist of her plot is to basically clone herself. Her clone is Moon, the protagonist of this story.

I liked how Vinge has included many political and social issues such as sexism, prejudice and imperialism. The setting and even the plot have merit.

The only downfall to this book (and this is entirely on a personal level) is one of the main characters. Sparks Dawntreader is Moon's love interest, and I just dislike his character so much! I think he represents the frailty of humanity in that each person has their own heinous sins, however, he never redeems himself!! I keep holding my breath, waiting for him to do something that makes me like him, but he never does it!

Despie my one complaint, this novel is still worthy or reading. Who knows, you may find that, unlike me, you do like Sparks!

I first read this book as a young, impressionable freshman in High School. Since then I have read and re-read it. As I've grown up I have changed in many ways, but this book still brings me back to those fantastic days. It is an amazingly visual book. The characters, the world, the languages, both emotional and physical spoken by Joan are vivid, captivating and memorable. During my re-readings, I have many times imagined this book and it's sequal, The Summer Queen, come to life on the big screen. The story is very adaptable to that medium with high adventure, romance, amazing costumes and characters, classic good vs. evil.... I think it would be a simply wonderful movie, whether written for a young audience or a more mature one. Anyone agree?

I do not normally read science fiction. My husband does, so when I happened to open this book (some 20 years ago) I was quickly mesmerized by the prose of Joan Vinge. It is a case where you become so immersed in the work, it merges with your unconscious mind and you forget you're reading words. It hardly matters what the story was, she writes so beautifully. But the story was fascinating in itself, and narrated so well it never confused the reader. This is quite a feat, considering it takes place on an imaginary world. Ms. Vinge does a fabulous job of creating that world -- so rich, vivid, you feel you're on a personal tour of the place. But it was really the characters and their emotions that made the story so compelling. There are passages and pages I re-read many times just to savor them. Snow Queen is in the top five books I've ever read.

A writer with Joan Vinge's talent crosses all genres because she has that unique ability of writing a story about people. Her sci-fi rendition of Andersen's Snow Queen is phenomenal. Its got fascinating elements of sci-fi: a fallen Empire, dozens of cultures and races, twin suns, century-long seasons, and corruption of immortality.

Its brimming with eye popping oohs and awwws; Vinge twists the scientific into the fantastical. Her characterization evokes genuine interest in their lives and struggles. She's become my favorite author since then. I just wish she'd get back into writing - though I understand genius can not be rushed.

During the early 80s, a young man came upon me pensively fingering THE SNOW QUEEN in a local bookstore. "Go for it," the voice behind me said. "It's a good one." I had tended to avoid the science fiction genre, considering it rather cold and--well--sexist. I soon became grateful for that anonymous recommendation.

What drew me to the book was the promise of strong female characters from the imagination of a female author. To my delight it was also loaded with many other elements that warmed the heart of my twenty-something self, among them a goddess myth, ecological awareness, the struggle of indigenous cultures, and romance too! I devoured THE SNOW QUEEN and named it one of my Very Favorite Books.

After many years, I recently revisited The Snow Queen universe. My much-older self still loves it.

On the watery planet Tiamat, a variety of self-interested cultures inhabit its decadent city Carbuncle. Thoughtful characters struggle internally and with each other. There is no warfare but there is plenty of adventure. Themes of traditional stories are interwoven with sci fi and contemporary elements to create a colorful tale for grown-ups. Joan D. Vinge's creation is marvelously complex and fluidly rendered.

The book has a refreshing variety of female characters, in both lead and supporting roles. Even in today's adventure genres, women are still grossly outnumbered. Stories often have one or two token representatives, such as a manipulative harpy or a swashbuckling babe. Not so with THE SNOW QUEEN. For example, Arienrhod the Queen is indeed cruel and manipulative, but she is also fighting the imposed subordination that paralyzes her world. And although police officer Jerusha PalaThion is admirably tough, she is also overwhelmed by her circumstances. And refreshingly, NOT a babe.

Ms. Vinge excels at getting us into the minds of her characters as they attempt to sort out emotions and moral choices. Alas, she is not always a master of dialogue. Sometimes the characters utter banalities and heavy-handed pronouncements, as if they've become aware that they are partaking in an epic story. Some characters who are shown only through their words and deeds, such as thieving nomad Blodwed, are never convincing.

OK, so the book isn't perfect. But as I said, I still love it. At times Moon, the heroine, seems like a vacuous flower child, to whom captive animals are drawn as if she's a Disney princess. But she's also determined and plucky. As her awareness of the greater universe grows, she works hard to ensure her place in it. So I root for her. When she communes with the intelligent ocean mammal mers, I think: wow, being at one with Nature is such a great fantasy. When she bites a sadistic captor I think, "Hooray, I'm relieved she didn't try to win him over." When she fulfillingly makes love with two different men within twenty-four hours, I think, "You go!"

Simply put, THE SNOW QUEEN is a terrific story. Journeys are taken. Characters grow and change. Love can be consuming and life-altering--or confusing and mushy. Endings can be satisfying without promising a happily-ever-after life. "Go for it, it's a good one."

A masterpeice and my all time favorite book! Author, Ms.Vinge's past experience in Anthropology comes through in this writing as the various cultures displayed here (the Winters vs. the Summers vs. the Off-Worlders) are very believable. The characters are fascinating and the settings are beautifully described. It never ceases to amaze me how Ms. Vinges makes me *feel* as I actually *know* the characters and that I've traveled with Moon, BZ, Sparks, Pala-Thion, and even Arienrhod upon their adventures. An amazing story!!!

A writer with Joan Vinge's talent crosses all genres because she has that unique ability of writing a story about PEOPLE. Her sci-fi rendition of Andersen's Snow Queen is phenomenal. Its got fascinating elements of sci-fi: a fallen Empire, dozens of cultures and races, twin suns, century-long seasons, and corruption of immortality.

Its brimming with eye popping oohs and awwws; Vinge twists the scientific into the fantastical. Her characterization evokes genuine interest in their lives and struggles. She's become my favorite author since then. I just wish she'd get back into writing - though I understand genius can not be rushed.