Customer Reviews

Snow-walker Trilogy

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Catehrine Fisher deserves to be far, far better known because she has a rare gift of being able to tell gripping stories in beautiful, shapely prose - no surprise to discover she's also a poet. This was the first novel of hers I read, and I've since re-read it to my children many times. If you're at all interested in the Vikings or Norse mythology it's especially useful, as it draws on these while creating a wholly believeable world (I also recommend the Margrave books, and The Oracle, which has just been short-listed for the Whitbread Prize).
The story begins with the evil witch Gudrun exiling her own baby son, Kari, and a huge warrior who has dared to cross her to the bitter north. Kari is supposed a monster, but when a small band of rebels is also exiled there, they find the truth to be very different....for Kari has inherited his mother's powers but struggles to find acceptance among human beings. There are sub-plots such as the growing attraction between Jessa "two-knives" and the skald or poet, but the main thrust of the plot is the chilling battle between Kari and his mother, or between love and hate, courage and fear, trust and lies. There are unforgettable images, such as Kari's crystal-strung room, the enchanted snake-bracelets biting into the flesh, the werewolf fighting the bear and the frozen bridge at the rim of the world. Each novel has the bite and crack of ice in it, the love of a good tale told by the fire-side that makes your hair stand up. I can't recommend them too highly for 8+. Oh, and they'd also make great films.

The Vikings lived in a myth-rich culture, full of strange beings and icy dangers. So it's not surprising that Welsh author Catherine Fisher starts drawing on that in the haunting, icy fantasy, "The Snow-Walker Trilogy." With likable characters and vidid writing, Fisher demonstrates her talents in the arena of Norse mythology, filled with shapeshifting wolf-men, soul-stealing ghosts, and icy witches.

Jessa is horrified when she learns that the Jarl (a sort of king-chieftain) has exiled her to Thrasirshall -- where Kari, the son of the Jarl and his cold, evil wife Gudrun, lives in complete isolation. He's rumored to be a monster. But when Jessa arrives, she finds that Kari is not a monster -- but a lonely young boy who has the power to destroy his scheming sorceress mother, and has been sent away because of that.

After the death of the Jarl, Gudrun vanishes, and a new Jarl, Wulfgar, is chosen. And Kari vanishes back to the north for a few years, honing his magic abilities. But with power comes greater fear. Kari fears becoming like the evil Gudrun, and others fear his dark magic. Even Wulfgar begins to doubt him, especially when Kari is accused in a prophecy by a priest.

But Kari and Jessa have more than just accusations to deal with. A monstrous, bearlike creature is coming to the Jarlshold, with Wulfgar as its target. And Wulfgar's bride's soul is stolen by Gudrun. Kari and his loyal friends band together to defeat the evil Snow-Walker -- but is the good in Kari enough to keep him from becoming like Gudrun?

I'll give Catherine Fisher credit -- even when I'm not satisfied with the results, she weaves elaborate webs of ancient cultures. And she does an excellent job with the rich Norse mythology, against a backdrop of monsters, snow, ice, and sorcerous people with eyes like bits of ice. Werewolves, armies of dead men, villages on lakes, and spirits conjured out of loneliness and misery are only part of this story.

In fact, this trilogy is actually a trilogy of novellas, each a little over 160 pages long -- "The Snow-Walker's Son," "The Empty Hand," and "The Soul Thieves." With plenty of room to stretch, Fisher's writing is tense, descriptive, poetic, and careful -- her descriptions of magical beasts and phantoms are spellbinding. The main problem is that the climactic battles in "Soul Thieves" and "Snow Walker's Son" seem to finish too quickly and cleanly, although the finale is a satisfying one.

Though the strong-willed Jessa is the lead character, Kari is the center of the novel -- a boy who never had a normal life, and has a lingering fear of being turned to evil. The supporting characters like Wulfgar, Kari's loyal guardian Brochael, crippled thrall Hakon and others are well-drawn. Gudrun isn't given much dimension (okay, she's evil and cruel, we got it), but her chilly plotting is well-done.

Catherine Fisher's detailed writing is well-suited to the robust Norse legends of the snowy north, and the solid "Snow-Walker Trilogy" is a shimmering piece of work.

This book quite litereally blew me away. From the opening pages, Catherine shows her uinque and extraordinary skill with words. Her work draws strong elements from Norse Mythology, but since when has that been bad? The language flew off the pages and straight to my heart; she writes with such a flair and creates a seamless blend of action, intrigue, poetry and betrayal. Indeed, I have adopted the character Skapti as my new wide-spread internet user-name! She has, in my opinion, created a dazzling book that fully passed my expectations.
Heroism, and tragedy are extremely powerful themes, and Catherine deals with both subjects extremely well.

I have no idea why I hadn't heard of it before I picked it up in my local book store. This destroys Harry Potter and draws up just short of Philip Pullman's Dark Materials and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast...and that is a great achievement for any author.

I fully reccomend this book, up there with Tolkien, Pullman, Mervyn Peake. I send praise to Catherine for delivering such a work of art. I can only hope that she continues to deliver such spell-bounding tales as sublimely as she does.
Regards,
ECX

(P.S, I also thought the chapter quotations added a uinque flair to the story...well done to Mrs Fisher again.)

It defies belief that anyone could seriously compare this flimsy tale with Pullman or Peake. The reviewer must be a member of Catherine Fishers family. The caracters are instantly forgetable and the story plods along predictably. Avoid.