It's been four or five years since I read this, so I might misremember some details, and possibly get details mixed up with the sequel. The two blend together and suffer from exactly the same problems, only further exacerbated in the third book.This series suffers from what, with the benefit of hindsight, I would like to call "Song of Ice and Fire" syndrome. The first book is great fun, tightly packed with a strong central plot and a lot of characters. Then as the series goes on, it loses focus and bogs us down with chapter after chapter about characters who are tens of miles apart and never going to meet up ever again.The trouble starts near the very start of the book when the two main characters from the first book go their separate ways on extremely flimsy pretenses. For the female lead, Ash, this will be a voyage into obscurity, as she spends two books achieving precisely nothing. Raif, the male lead and real main character, will veeery sloooowly advance the main plot of the book. However, he only stumbles upon the titular Fortress of Grey Ice near the very end of the book and quickly dispatches the nasty monster that lives there, toppling the whole place. We're barely given any detail of what the fortress looks like and despite being teased with it all book long, it's there and gone in the blink of an eye. Totally disappointing.This would be lessened if not for the myriad of other (pointless) characters in the book. Some PoV characters from the first book are kept up, or other existing characters promoted to PoV characters, but they are no longer there to advance the central plot. Instead they just keep the wheels spinning. There's a huge clan war that encircles the whole world of the book, but does not touch Raif or Ash (the main characters) at all. In this we can, again, see the clear influence of Song of Ice and Fire, with the bulk of the world consumed in a boring political conflict while up north a magical undead army prepares to take over the world. By the end of the book I wished they'd get a move on and kill off the dozens of boring characters I was forced to read about.There are a couple of gems in the mix, PoV characters who are a joy to read about in their own right, but they're in the minority, and there is absolutely no reason not to rip every chapter out of the book and organise them by character. You'll miss absolutely nothing by reading all of Raif's chapters together, or all of Vaylo's chapters together. Although you might notice how little actually happens in the book.Very disappointing after the first book was so captivating.
How does it feel so far?I am scared as not enough books in the series, either planned or written! but we should be OK, as 4 are out and the last is 3/(2) years in.Why JV , why u do not have a online presence...? what sells is only hype..and I mean sells= drives the interest, and hopefully 47% of the writer Muse.What's not clear yet?Hey JV, u chose to bring (in) 2 Opposition point of views, and yet to provide the incentive to keep on readin'(like Robbin was saying...worst writer's fear)The cruxes are 1 per book, which is almost not enough(we invest energy to get somewhere not only to enjoy the trip).Tips for going 5 stars?Compress every3 books into 1 (2.5/3 the length) in an Eriksson style..I mean, just like life: Never yr action of last week will rule you more than a couple of hours after that.(characters are driven, but they are still controlled by env/fate/every older character....)Was the 2nd book GOOOOOOD?Sure& better since although slightly more predictable(background info is setting, characters are more and more familiar) the muti 'plane'(action fronts) action is satisfying, as it pushes the plot progression and rewards the reader.Love the relation between social groups..very organic..and crude..
What do You think about A Fortress Of Grey Ice (2004)?
Starting to read a fantasy novel series from the second book isn't the smartest thing to do; not only have you no idea what happened in the first novel, you're lost with the terminology and lore. It definitely took some time to get adjusted to this one, but once I got into it, there was no turning back. Maybe it could've done with one or two less POV-characters, but then again, the chapters aren't that long, so even if you didn't care for a few of the characters, there was something else coming up pretty fast. My favourite parts were probably the chapters told from Effie's and Crope's point-of-view, I think the narration was spot-on in them.I haven't read that many fantasy novels, so it's hard to rate it, but as a single book, it was definitely worth reading, and I'm pretty sure I'll check out all the other books in this series as well.
—Kalle
Another solid page-turner from Jones.See my review of the first novel in this series; everything holds true for the second in this series:- a strongly-built, detailed world that feels believable- amazing attention to characters and their development, which draws the reader into every chapter- unfortunately also, the detailed writing that builds so much of the story earlier in the book, becomes a barrier to quick, striking story-telling by the climax of the book.Unfortunately, there were two things that really brought this book down a notch for me:1) Due to the increased number of characters that are introduced and closely followed, very little 'distance' is covered by the book, on actual, geographical, and emotional levels. It is as though the significant events are shared too thinly between too many characters in what is already a very large book. I suspect that reading this book back-to-back with the third in the series and reviewing them together as 'one book' would yield a better overall result, but as it is, this was simply not a very eventful story.2) The climax of this book again seemed belaboured with detail, and lacking in 'punch'. It was a little like someone recounting a violent, brutal nightmare over a nice cup of tea the next day when the sun is shining and then you look at photos of puppies.All that said, it is seriously a fine read and very well-written. It definitely connects with and builds on the first novel (and does it justice) and makes the reader want to know what happens in the next in the series.
—Michael Evans
I am just enjoying the heck out of this series. I can hardly wait to purchase book 3 for my nook. J.V. Jones has put together quite the series, so far.My biggest complaint with book one, "The Cavern of Black Ice", was at times it seemed long winded. Not so with "TFoGI". I was just sucked right into Jones' icy world. Jones has created a story that makes me determined to find out what becomes of Raif, Ash and Angus Lok, and that is exactly what she is supposed to do.There was one confusing part of the story for me where a pretty important character meets his doom in a disappointing manner. It seemed to come just out of the blue and make all the time invested in the characters development seem for naught. Otherwise, I can think of only a few books that I have enjoyed as thoroughly."The Fortress of Gray Ice" is a fantastic read, and continues the momentum gained in book one. I hope that book three carries this momentum on and doesn't slow the pace.
—Stretch's Books
