All right, I am definitely out of the age range of this book and I have apparently outgrown the phase when one-dimension characters in a straightforward plot can win my heart. Now, could they ever? I'm not so sure, but the five-star reviews from young readers show that the book is appreciated and even loved.I decided to give it two stars instead of one for one simple reason: the plot and characters can earn one star at best (since there is no "no-stars" option), while I do see some potential in the author's style (at times) and also in a number of plot/world devices, such as the werewolf relay system or the general idea of introducing a scholar who observes the world, records histories etc. I must admit that I quite liked the way the vampires were presented as the bored, tired with immortality and yet clinging to their existence beings (if only they had served anything at all in the plot and their characters had any individuality - well, the latter applies to just every single character in the book).However, all such things cannot save a plot as thin as the most luxurious vellum, or characters that are as bland as it gets. The plot moves from one predictable event to another, and the characters are characterless pawns on a chessboard with a set game. I wonder if anyone at any point doubted that Thirrin would persuade the potential allies to joining her, let alone if anyone anticipated the outcome of any of the battles. Moreover: the logic of the plot escapes me. First the whole city is evacuated and the inhabitants make a tiresome march to the safety of the north, to escape invasion. Apart from the fact that this is damn stupid, it also has no consequences: the capital is taken by the enemy (well, it was EMPTY), who then leaves it (we learn later that the ghosts had some part in driving the enemy out, which actually could be a nice touch, if the author had written it better), and gets annihilated in a battle in the forest. However, when the army goes back in a matter of weeks (having the whole populace of a big city relocated to a smaller one without any economic problems whatsoever), there is no sign of the battle, even though all those corpses covered in snow and ice should make a gruesome view. For some time the capital is empty but the Enemy does not think about repopulating it (they don't have to storm it anymore, since it's EMPTY), so conveniently the Icemarkians come down and simply march in, and the city is fully functionable despite its abandonment in the middle of a very hard winter. Then the small province of the north supplies the army with food, fodder and anything else, the drafted army performs like a professional one after several weeks of training, we get a tedious and over-extended (not to mention unconvincing to downright stupid from the military point of view) description of the battle of Minas Tirith Frostmarris and the book ends.At first glance I expected to enjoy the world: the combination of a developed Roman Polipontian Empire, with cannons and muskets, with a Vikingland Icemark featuring some Viking and some Celtic elements, the Amazons Hyppolitans relocated to the north, and some kind of Greek-like south was promising. Add to it sufficiently original werewolves and vampires - all this looks quite well. If only these lands were inhabited by people and not stereotypes... And if the author had not fallen into one of my most hated pits: of creating a wise, old and perfect race of talking animals. I could not bear the Snow Leopards at all, sorry fans. Still, the idea to use as many cultures as possible is a good one, but please Mr. Hill, add some life to your world and characters!And now comes the worst: unlike many people who wrote reviews here I AM a fan of military history (from antiquity to the 19th century), and what I got deserved a huge laugh at best but mostly a huge facepalm. The author is an archaeologist (it shows, but it does not guarantee good writing), but has no idea about strategy, tactics, logistics and warfare in general. Moreover, he makes the mistake (beginner's perhaps) that he mostly multiplies the numbers of troops instead of thinking about tactics; and what is even worse, he declares throughout the book that the evil and cruel general of the Enemy, a certain Scipio Bellorum, is a military genius. The problem is, Mr. Bellorum's tactics are as naive and silly as it gets, and any army would have him hung or murdered for the way he treats his officers, in the matter of weeks. A lesson for Mr. Hill to learn from history books: all great commanders who lasted long were loved by their armies, not just feared, and certainly not feared for their madness and cruelty - this generally guarantees quick mutiny, even if the captain wins battles.Oh, and I forgot to say that a small city with a tiny garrison withstands ten days of siege when their walls had been breached in several places by a huge army. The army cannot take the city despite the military genius of their commander. And no, the inhabitants don't set fire to their city. Nothing as spectacular, they are JUST SO BRAVE that this alone is enough to keep thousands of legionaries at bay. And mind you, this is not Tolkien, this is supposed to be realistic.And this is it: the book is full of paper characters who impersonate certain traits, without any hint at psychology, without any doubts. Even the scene when Oskan has to choose between being a Black Witch or a White Witch is predictable and devoid of dramatism. There is no single traitor or badass in Icemark, there is no place for good Polypontians. I don't know, maybe this changes in the sequels, but I am not sure if I am going to check it.
Cry of the Icemark was a stirring military fantasy adventure. The author really took the time to bring the cultures of this novel to life. I could see that Icemark people seemed to be modelled after the Scandinavians, while Thyrrin's mother's peoples, the Hypollitan must have been based on the Amazons. And the Polipontans seemed to be like the Roman Empire. The battle scenes were fantastic--thrilling and very well-written. I got the impression that Mr. Hill took these elements very seriously and worked hard to get this part right and make it feel realistic. And I appreciated that, and I am sure that his younger readers probably do as well. Although not excessively gory, I felt all the inherent threat and bloody nature of battle. The element of loss is very evident in this story, and I definitely could appreciate the horrible odds that Thyrrin's people faced with an enormous invading force pitted against their smaller country. However, the Icemark people quickly proved that they wouldn't easily be conquered. Along with their fierce nature, there were elements of their rich sense of family and tradition, many aspects that would have been destroyed or wiped away by the Polipontans, who cared nothing for other cultures, only the assimilation of their lands and raw resources.Thyrrin is a young heroine that I just loved. She was born to be a queen, and she showed a multi-facetedness to her character that brought her to vivid life. She's very strong and the kind of leader you want to have when you are facing a mammoth invading force who wants to wipe your people off the face of the earth. On the other hand, it's clear that she is very young and still learning a lot about leadership, courage, and humanity. I really wanted to give her a hug for all that she dealt with in this novel. I loved her friend, Oskan, Witch's Son too. He had a mystique, and a wisdom that was much greater than his young years. I also loved his wry sense of humor and the fact that he never took himself too importantly, despite his incredible latent power. He was a good companion to Thyrrin, able to deal with her sometimes hot-headed arrogance, and to soothe her very recognizable fears with the voice of reason and comfort when she seemed like she couldn't handle one more burden. In fact, most of the characters were well-drawn and excellently narrated by Heather O'Neill. This book really got me sucked in. I found myself cheering for Thyrrin and her warriors (the Hypollitan warrior women were freaking awesome), and hating General Scipio Bellaron. I loved the werewolves and the snow leopards, both groups having a ton of personality. The vampires were nicely creepy, and the wood folk (like the Green men and nature spirits of Celtic/Norse mythology) added a sense of majestic awe to this story. This book would have great as just a straight military historical fantasy, but the supernatural elements elevated it to an even more interesting level. There was so much to like about this story. It really got me revved up. I was excited to listen to it, and sad but satisfied when it ended. It was definitely a five star listen for this reader. I look forward to the reading the other books in this series. Recommended!
What do You think about The Cry Of The Icemark (2009)?
A book which is clearly written for the teenage / younger market should no be dismissed out of hand because of that. My son recommended this book and so I read it and thoroughly enjoyed it while I did.It was a nice change to read a book where the main character is not only a young female but one who is genuinely tough and who when forced to lead a nation does so from the front without having to ever become a victim or use her wily womanly charms. She is a full on proper heroic protagonist. I liked that a lot. Nuanced as well, at no point did I feel the author short changed any of his characters.The book treads a fairly well worn path and does so at a breakneck pace so that the reader can never get bored. It it within pages of the start of the book that the hero faces her first challenge and from that moment on she never stops. There could have been more time spent in this book. On occasion I felt there was undue haste in barrelling through the tale but then in the classic 50s sci-fi that was necessary to capture and keep the reader.I liked the fact this book had a proper ending, I liked all the main characters in the book and the baddie was a fully formed figure as well. The story was satisfying and fun with loads of action. Had I read it at my sons age I too would have loved it. It was good to see him reading and enjoying the book and it is one I have recommended to friends with daughters as well just because it is rare to see such a positive female role model allowed to sit at the very centre of a high adventure fantasy novel. This is not a girl's book, it is an everyone’s book.
—Gav451
Cry of the Icemark is the story of young Thirrin, a warrior princess to the land of Icemark. Shortly after her 14th birthday, she is officially made heir to the throne in the case of her father's death. Soon after, an army from the south begins to invade north towards Icemark hoping to overtake the small land and claim it as its own. After her father's brave death in battle Thirrin is then faced with the large responsibility of Queen. Knowing she cannot defeat the invading army she reaches out to the most unlikely sources for allies involving the Wolf-folk, the King and Queen of the Vampires, and the Snow Leopards. This book has the coming of age quality that one would look for in a young adult novel, Thirrin tends to be very unsure of herself at times stating that she hopes people don't notice that she's making this up as she goes. Along with Thirrin is a Warlock who is her age, her Royal Advisor, and must face his decision of turning to the light or the dark. I found the battle scenes quite vivid, and the tension between technology and the unknown thought-provoking. Overall, I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it either.
—Jessi Brown
This is a debut novel with strong promises that the author will hone his craft as other books come along.; but it was a first novel, and it shows. There was a lot of telling of characters' thoughts and motivations (which I tended to skip because they often went on for pages), instead of *showing* their thoughts/motives in more powerful ways. Sometimes the dangerous action, especially in the early chapters, came out of nowhere and didn't seem plausible. Moreover, I was distracted by the feeling that I had read a lot of this book before - in other books (Dark Materials, LOTR, Narnia, and for some reason Inkheart and Stardust also kept coming to mind). This was furthered by the fact that a LOT of the names were either adapted or lifted directly from LOTR (Eodred, Icemark, Theowyn, South Farthing, etc).Most of the characters were strong and believable, though eclipsed at times by the bulky writing. Redrought was a bit cartoonish at times, but still very likable; and I love how Hill handled Maggie and Grimswald. ULtimately, I stuck it out through the book for Thirrin and Oskan, who were by far the most dynamic characters. I think Hill was truly on to something here, it was just shrouded in the stumblings of a first book. Many of the elements - the Oak and Holly Kings, Hill's take on werewolves, the snow leopards - were truly original, as was Oskan's gifts and personal history. If the book does make it to the big screen, I expect it will be an excellent one and I"d gladly see it. I just wish that Hill had walked away from this one at the manuscript stage for about a year, taken the time to write some other things, then come back and given it the sort of brutal editing that would have taken it from mediocre to great.
—Angela
