Customer Reviews

A Strong and Sudden Thaw

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A Strong and Sudden Thaw is set in the future, nearly one hundred years after the ice came in the twenty first century and drastically change people's lives returning them almost to a nineteenth century way of life, but with the memory of the Before, the time before the Ice came. David Anderson is sixteen coming on seventeen years old, the eldest son of a farming family in the town of Moline, Virginia, and on the verge of becoming a man. Life is a struggle against the constant cold and ice, and the added danger of the recent appearance of the fearsome fire breathing dragons.
When David encounters Callan, the new twenty three year old well educated assistant Healer in town, he becomes aware of feelings he has never experienced before, and begins to realise why he has never had any interest in Girls. Callan clearly feels the same way about David and initially a fine friendship develops. But when David stumbles upon Callan in a compromising situation everything falls apart and the town is in uproar. This also brings David to the realisation of what his love for Callan means.
Meanwhile the dragons are wreaking havoc, and Callan stumbles upon something that suggests a more sinister plot is afoot, a plan that would affect the whole town of Moline, a plan that has already affected the nearby town of Crawford; but more immediately this discovery puts both his and David's life in mortal danger.
At the outset of the story David is a sixteen year old lad (who claims to be seventeen, after all he will be in a matter of months) trying to prove himself a man. As the story progresses and he comes to learn so much about himself, and as he boldly tries to stick to the principles his father has taught and at the same time remain loyal to Callan, he proves to be more a man than most. He also comes to recognise the difference between what the law stipulates and what in terms of common sense is right.
This is a truly beautiful story, a love story and a suspense story, set in the future at a time when life is relatively primitive and difficult. I do have one reservation, David's grammar, as the narrator, is clearly meant to convey his meagre education, but there is little apart from the misuse of "was" and "weren't", and the occasional double negative, to convincingly suggest this. A pity for it could otherwise have done so much more portray David as a seventeen year old farm boy. But that is a minor criticism, for it is one of those rare stories that on more than one occasion caused a lump on my throat, so moving is the depth of the love between David and Callan.

If I have to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I'm something of a snob when it comes to my books. While I highly admire Iris Print and the work they're doing in publishing boy's love for the Western world... I have a tendency (unfounded, I know) to think of "professional" and "amateur" publications. I expected this book to be one of the amateur works, written well enough and entertaining, but no more than that.

What I found was an excellent book, written quite well, a book that made me forget it was supposedly an "amateur" work. I got to know these characters so well, especially the narrator, David Anderson. David is someone I'd like to know in real life, I felt for him in all his situations, for him and Callan. I came very close to crying at several points of the book, holding myself back only because I was reading in public. This is very important to me; I want to be moved by what I'm reading, and I hope that my own writing moves others.

In conclusion, I applaud R.W. Day for a well-told story, with characters who are easily known and loved. Thank you.

RW Day's novel is a fantastic read. The characters come alive and the reader is drawn into the cold world following a great freeze. From the first pages I was hooked on this story and the twists and turns which are masterfully woven into a captivating tale kept me enthralled. I carried the book with me everywhere, reading it whenever I could. The "fantasy/romance" tag on the back cover doesn't do this book justice. It is more than a simple story as Day creates situations which force you to confront your own viewpoints and prejudices. I hope there is more to come but this will be a book I will happily read again and again.

When I heard about Iris Press, I thought I'd check out what they already have published. This book got such good reviews that I thought I'd go out on a limb and pick it up. I wasn't disappointed. I've read a lot of boring gay erotica over the years and was pleased to find something heavy on plot and characterization, where the characters' sexuality is an important part of the plot but not the most important aspect of their world. I was never entirely sure where the story was going, and always appreciate reading something that manages to throw a few genuine surprises my way. I can't quite give it 5 stars because it isn't exactly a masterpiece, and I find myself wishing some plotlines had been tied up a little more (dare I hope for a sequel?), but I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a truly entertaining piece of gay fiction.

Let me start by saying I enjoyed this book, but it won't go in my book hall of fame. The characters were very likable and the major plot was interesting. However, the author was obviously trying to make a point, several actually, about the problems homosexuals face in today's society. The points he was trying to make were very generic and not very subtle. The book would have been a much better read if he had integrated them into the main plot instead of having them as several side plots. It was like he was varying between wanting it to be a book about them being gay or a book about a post apocalyptic society. I'd rather read a book where the characters just happen to be gay and not where it's such an integral part of the story with the author is trying to make a point or vent his own problems with society. I mean when scifi often integrates strong social issues. It's usually subtle and makes you think. Before I get bashed let me point out I'm gay. Gay literature and cinema is still to stereotypical and has a long way to go. I get tired of reading the same set of issues. If it's been said, it's been said. If you're going to say it again, find a way to be original.

I just had to add 5 more stars to the rating for this wonderful book!

If this book is any indication of the quality we can expect from Iris Print, I'll be in line for everything they publish! Too often, post-apocalyptic stories tend to be depressing, or horribly unrealistic. An unexpected cooling of our planet is not only realistic, it is likely. And though the world described is harsh (humans are struggling to regain technologies once taken for granted), there are good people that give a reader hope.

This is a coming of age story for David, who's feelings for the new town healer Callan are confusing and unsettling. His puritan-like town believes the new ice age is 'divine retribution' on 'immoral' behavior. So, when Callan is caught with another man, the horrible punishment he endures opens David's eyes to the reality of life. He now understands that justice is not guaranteed and love can not always sustain two people. Their love story is extremely well done and very believable. There is sex, but it isn't graphic or gratuitous. There is also a very rich plot concerning a government conspiracy and the town being harrassed by what appear to be dragons.

This story was poignant, with fully developed characters, both primary and secondary, an excellent storyline and a great love story. I look forward to more from R. Day.

This book was an amazing read. I bought it solely because I needed something to qualify for free shipping and I am a fan of Iris Print products. However, I literally could not put this book down. A definate must read for anyone who is a fan of boy's love!

This book made a huge impression on me. I bought it because I read the first two chapters for free online, and I was impressed by the quality of the writing. The first time I read it, I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. to finish it and then because I didn't want to let go of that world just yet, I started at the beginning again the very next day and reread the whole thing from cover to cover. A couple of months later, I read it for the third time, half expecting the spell to be broken, but found I loved it just as much!

The paragraphs are all so perfectly constructed, with no wasted or excess words. Every sentence allows us to see something subtle yet ultimately crucial about the characters. The whole story is very tightly woven, like a tapestry, yet with room for a sequel. I have fallen in love with the side characters: Pa and Mam and Benny C. I'm so proud of Benny C! I even like the sherrif and Mister Zack.

Even though I read it about 6 months ago, I still think about David and Callan and wonder how they're doing. I hope the author is planning to write a sequel. "A Strong And Sudden Thaw" was an enthralling read, and one I would highly recommend.

Firstly, let me say that there are things I liked about this book. I liked David and Callan and their relationship. I liked the relationship between David and his father. I thought the writing itself--the line by line technique of it--was very good. There was lovely flow to her words. However, the plot, setting and execution failed in so many ways, I'd be 1000+ words if I try to address them all here.

In an effort to summarize, I'll say that while the setting is conceptually fascinating--a post-apocalyptic ice-world--the execution is poor. There's no rhyme or reason as to why a mere 91 years later this society has not just stopped moving forward, but reverted to a pioneer world it would have no direct knowledge of (especially since most all books were destroyed by an unexplained, post-ice book-burning panic). The characters' own ancestors knew a life of Disney World and Walmart and every technology known today, but that technology didn't only inexplicitly stop working, it was completely wiped from existence and we, as the reader, as simply supposed to accept that. There's no real explanation given, there's no melding of our society's remnants with this post-apocalyptic world (which would have been creative genius had the author done anything like that). The infrastructure doesn't carry over, the vernacular doesn't carry over, even women's roles in society ALL fall back into a pioneer time so foreign to these people and their elders, it's completely without logic.

I was so disappointed by this failed setting it made it difficult to enjoy what is ultimately a lovely novel about two boys falling in love. If only she hadn't tried to make it so many things it wasn't: Was it a fantasy about dragons? Was it a post-apocalyptic study of society? Was it a coming of age story? Was it star-crossed romance between two young men? Because, though it tried to be all of above, it succeeded in being none of these things. Many, many plot points go unanswered. The conspiracy is never explained. The "missing" technology David finds at the climax of the story is never mentioned again. Even the dragons are never really addressed. I could go on and on.

Perhaps what disappointed me most was that this book had so much /promise/. The author can write, very well. But, she desperately needed an editor to rein in this unwieldy, unexplained mess.

This is the first book I've read in a while that truly hooked me. I don't normally go for speculative fiction, and post-apocalyptic is often too depressing, but this one sold me because of the relationship between David and Callan. They had a realistic build from attraction to love, and I enjoyed how the scenes showed this. The author did an amazing job with the sex scenes. Not a single body part named, but it was still clear what happened and furthered the story every time.

I liked that there was more to the story than just their relationship, however. The challenges they faced had me on edge and really feeling for them throughout the book, and they felt very realistic for the time world the author created. I will likely read this one again, and recommend it to others.

The only complaint I have is the cover: it doesn't do the story justice. The original cover was much more professional looking and drew me in. The cover is what initially attracted me to the book, but I held back purchasing because of the issues with the publisher. This new cover...let's just say this: if I hadn't already been convinced I wanted the book, this cover would not have inspired me to read the back copy. It isn't a good reflection of the quality of the story.