eoghann's review against another edition
3.0
How to review _The Age of Ice?_ It's a question that's been nagging at me since I started reading it.
This is not in any way your standard fantasy tome. It's not even your standard alternate history story. It is unashamedly literary fiction that happens to have one fantastical element to it. So I guess I would probably put it in a category with things like The Prestige and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. So I knew going in this wasn't going to appeal to many fantasy fans. But with its focus on Russia it did sound very intriguing.
And the core idea is a fascinating one. This minor Russian nobleman who is "blessed" with an immunity to cold, the ability and the inability to die is a good start to any novel I think. But unlike adventure fiction our protagonist (you really can't call him a hero in that sense)is scared and limited by his power, rather than emboldened by it.
And we see how it shapes his life over the course of a couple of hundred years. As character studies go, that's pretty epic. Other characters don't get the same depth since this is a point of view novel and Alexander Velitzyn's understanding of other people seems very limited. Again and again we see him retreating from the world, or romanticizing their reactions to him (something that is cleverly echoed in the late stages of the book).
The description is, well I think perhaps poetic would be the best way to put it. Very vivid certainly, but more than I normally care to have to slog through. Again, that's the type of book it is. Even though we plough through several wars, there really isn't anything in the way of action, because that's not at all what this book is about.
So what is it about? Honestly I'm not entirely sure. In part it does seem to be a love letter to a long lost Russia which is described in wonderful detail. The historical research that must have gone into this both for Russia and later Persia and India is really very impressive. And the tone of the novel seems terribly Russian to me as well. It's all very grand with a feeling that ultimately it's doomed.
But in terms of the books plot? Really I'm not sure what the author was intending. The conclusion while fitting seemed to spring out of nowhere for me and while it does end the story it doesn't close the story in any way that I can grasp.
So, how to review this book? It wasn't an easy read certainly. If you like challenging and literary books this is definite worth a look. The author's skill at word smithing is unmistakeable. If your tastes run towards character based and heavy description you'll be in heaven I think.
If your tastes run more towards action? My bet is you will hate it. And I'm fully expecting to see a heavy split in reviews between those who give it 5 stars and those who give it 1 star.
For myself. I'm glad I read it. I found it interesting and I think it was worthwhile. But, I doubt I'll read it again.
This is not in any way your standard fantasy tome. It's not even your standard alternate history story. It is unashamedly literary fiction that happens to have one fantastical element to it. So I guess I would probably put it in a category with things like The Prestige and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. So I knew going in this wasn't going to appeal to many fantasy fans. But with its focus on Russia it did sound very intriguing.
And the core idea is a fascinating one. This minor Russian nobleman who is "blessed" with an immunity to cold, the ability and the inability to die is a good start to any novel I think. But unlike adventure fiction our protagonist (you really can't call him a hero in that sense)is scared and limited by his power, rather than emboldened by it.
And we see how it shapes his life over the course of a couple of hundred years. As character studies go, that's pretty epic. Other characters don't get the same depth since this is a point of view novel and Alexander Velitzyn's understanding of other people seems very limited. Again and again we see him retreating from the world, or romanticizing their reactions to him (something that is cleverly echoed in the late stages of the book).
The description is, well I think perhaps poetic would be the best way to put it. Very vivid certainly, but more than I normally care to have to slog through. Again, that's the type of book it is. Even though we plough through several wars, there really isn't anything in the way of action, because that's not at all what this book is about.
So what is it about? Honestly I'm not entirely sure. In part it does seem to be a love letter to a long lost Russia which is described in wonderful detail. The historical research that must have gone into this both for Russia and later Persia and India is really very impressive. And the tone of the novel seems terribly Russian to me as well. It's all very grand with a feeling that ultimately it's doomed.
But in terms of the books plot? Really I'm not sure what the author was intending. The conclusion while fitting seemed to spring out of nowhere for me and while it does end the story it doesn't close the story in any way that I can grasp.
So, how to review this book? It wasn't an easy read certainly. If you like challenging and literary books this is definite worth a look. The author's skill at word smithing is unmistakeable. If your tastes run towards character based and heavy description you'll be in heaven I think.
If your tastes run more towards action? My bet is you will hate it. And I'm fully expecting to see a heavy split in reviews between those who give it 5 stars and those who give it 1 star.
For myself. I'm glad I read it. I found it interesting and I think it was worthwhile. But, I doubt I'll read it again.
juliwi's review against another edition
3.0
There was something about the whole premise of the novel that really drew me in. Russia also has tons of history to offer that, I think, doesn't get explored enough. Just in the 20th century, there was so much change and upheaval there which not only makes for interesting stories but also still fuels modern day politics. But to remain with the literary, I am very glad to have picked up this novel.
Inventive is definitely the word I would use for this novel. The concept of the main character coming from Ice and being constantly drawn to it is absolutely fascinating. On the one hand I wish Sidorova had explored Alexander's whole background more and the very fact of his existence, but on the other hand I like the mystery that remains around him throughout the whole novel. Authors sometimes try to rationalize the magic in their narratives and thereby completely destroy the magic itself. As a reader, it is fun to be able to come up with your own theories and it is what makes the reading experience different for each reader.
Historical fiction needs to be gotten right. There needs to be an even balance between history and fiction and I personally prefer it if the line between the two is blurry. It is better when each character both seems real enough to be actual historic fact but also seems fantastical enough to be mere fiction. It means that as a reader you get to really explore a novel. Sidorova does this amazingly well. The whole novel feels like one big magical journey through Russian, European and Asian history and although there are a lot of things that are clearly fictional (men impervious to cold) there were a lot of instances where I found myself surprised by the fact that these people existed or certain events occurred. In my review of a different historical novel I praised it for spotlighting an aspect of history one doesn't get taught a lot. Sidorova gives herself the time to slowly move from one time period to the next at her own pace, allowing her character to maybe not experience a certain war or a certain accident. It means that whether your familiar with Afghanistan's extended history or not, you will still be able to gain new and different insights from the novel. Sidorova did a lot of interesting research, which really adds to the novel.
I enjoyed Sidorova's writing style. At times she mixes in Russian or dialect words, but they never halt the reading process. Although I do have to add that there was a lull in the middle of the book, I generally didn't want to put it down. The beginning of the novel is very exciting, introducing czarist Russia and the main character and the Arctic Exploration is a very good extension of this. However, the half-way mark of the novel seems to be a moment in the novel where Sidorova wants to say something meaningful about Alexander and unfortunately that makes the narrative falter. Thankfully, she picks up the thread of the narrative again and the second half of the novel adds a whole new layer to the novel.
I was doubting between a 3 and 4 Universe rating. The Age of Ice is an amazing read that is highly enjoyable. The middle of the book stretches a little bit, but Sidorova really picks it up again. The novel offers a great insight into Russian history and therefore gives a whole new insight into European history as well. I would definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction.
Inventive is definitely the word I would use for this novel. The concept of the main character coming from Ice and being constantly drawn to it is absolutely fascinating. On the one hand I wish Sidorova had explored Alexander's whole background more and the very fact of his existence, but on the other hand I like the mystery that remains around him throughout the whole novel. Authors sometimes try to rationalize the magic in their narratives and thereby completely destroy the magic itself. As a reader, it is fun to be able to come up with your own theories and it is what makes the reading experience different for each reader.
Historical fiction needs to be gotten right. There needs to be an even balance between history and fiction and I personally prefer it if the line between the two is blurry. It is better when each character both seems real enough to be actual historic fact but also seems fantastical enough to be mere fiction. It means that as a reader you get to really explore a novel. Sidorova does this amazingly well. The whole novel feels like one big magical journey through Russian, European and Asian history and although there are a lot of things that are clearly fictional (men impervious to cold) there were a lot of instances where I found myself surprised by the fact that these people existed or certain events occurred. In my review of a different historical novel I praised it for spotlighting an aspect of history one doesn't get taught a lot. Sidorova gives herself the time to slowly move from one time period to the next at her own pace, allowing her character to maybe not experience a certain war or a certain accident. It means that whether your familiar with Afghanistan's extended history or not, you will still be able to gain new and different insights from the novel. Sidorova did a lot of interesting research, which really adds to the novel.
I enjoyed Sidorova's writing style. At times she mixes in Russian or dialect words, but they never halt the reading process. Although I do have to add that there was a lull in the middle of the book, I generally didn't want to put it down. The beginning of the novel is very exciting, introducing czarist Russia and the main character and the Arctic Exploration is a very good extension of this. However, the half-way mark of the novel seems to be a moment in the novel where Sidorova wants to say something meaningful about Alexander and unfortunately that makes the narrative falter. Thankfully, she picks up the thread of the narrative again and the second half of the novel adds a whole new layer to the novel.
I was doubting between a 3 and 4 Universe rating. The Age of Ice is an amazing read that is highly enjoyable. The middle of the book stretches a little bit, but Sidorova really picks it up again. The novel offers a great insight into Russian history and therefore gives a whole new insight into European history as well. I would definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction.
lizbethandthelifeinbetween's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately, this is not a good book. the plot is long and boring and the writing style, while nice, does not help the story. It lacked any real interest and grew worse about 100 pages in. It had a few good points but by page 321 I gave up and skimmed until the last chapter. That was okay, but probably one of the better parts of the book. A highlight of all the good parts but I was honestly glad it was a few pages after reading everything.
lizbethandthelifeinbetween's review
1.0
Unfortunately, this is not a good book. the plot is long and boring and the writing style, while nice, does not help the story. It lacked any real interest and grew worse about 100 pages in. It had a few good points but by page 321 I gave up and skimmed until the last chapter. That was okay, but probably one of the better parts of the book. A highlight of all the good parts but I was honestly glad it was a few pages after reading everything.
arfserra's review
3.0
I really liked the beginning and the ending, but the middle was very confusing, both in plot and in narrative.
yccngz's review
DNF: 52%
Now you might be wondering why I gave 3 stars to a book I couldn't even finish. The thing is, this is a good book. The writing is beautiful, the magical elements are mixed in perfectly and the setting is beautiful and hypnotizing. My problem with the book is the pacing. ITS SO SLOW. The plotline was also more like bits of unfinished storylines blended together to make the book last 300 years. I am not kidding the book takes place over 300 years. There's even a timeline at the end to make sure you don't forget the order of event!
Reading it was a challenge, but I'm sure if I read it in a different condition, I would like it.
Now you might be wondering why I gave 3 stars to a book I couldn't even finish. The thing is, this is a good book. The writing is beautiful, the magical elements are mixed in perfectly and the setting is beautiful and hypnotizing. My problem with the book is the pacing. ITS SO SLOW. The plotline was also more like bits of unfinished storylines blended together to make the book last 300 years. I am not kidding the book takes place over 300 years. There's even a timeline at the end to make sure you don't forget the order of event!
Reading it was a challenge, but I'm sure if I read it in a different condition, I would like it.
blckngld18's review
1.0
I wanted to finish to see what happened but I couldn't even do that.....stopped about 100 pages short....
mikaiya's review
4.0
I didn't think this was the next great fantasy book. For one, the central premise may be fantastic, but this isn't fantasy. More like historical fiction with a hook (in some ways reminded me of the Count Saint Germain books- he's a vampire to allow the author to write about the past, in much the same way that this character lives on and on and on).
About that. This book. It goes on and on and on. I still enjoyed it, and I thought it was interesting. My lack of in-depth knowledge of Russian history probably helped some (things were new and I didn't know what would happen next) and was a detriment (I surely missed major references). Was it a great book? No. Was the writing amazing? In places. In others it was pedestrian.
Four stars because it wasn't superb, but it was very ambitious. So I applaud the effort. If you like Chabon books, you'd like this.
About that. This book. It goes on and on and on. I still enjoyed it, and I thought it was interesting. My lack of in-depth knowledge of Russian history probably helped some (things were new and I didn't know what would happen next) and was a detriment (I surely missed major references). Was it a great book? No. Was the writing amazing? In places. In others it was pedestrian.
Four stars because it wasn't superb, but it was very ambitious. So I applaud the effort. If you like Chabon books, you'd like this.
cyndin's review
2.0
Maybe 2.5 stars. It started off interesting. A Russian queen forces a nobleman to marry a jester and spend their wedding night in a palace of ice. The jester then gives birth to twins, one of whom has a strange fascination and connection with ice (hence the fantasy element).
Had the author, writing her first novel, focused the story on a few years in the life of the "ice man," it would have been a good book. She could have done sequels later on. Instead, she does a sweep of 200 years of Russian (and some other) history. What should have been the entire book: background, young adulthood, and a fateful trip to the Arctic, becomes just the first third of it. After that it gets tedious.
I wanted to abandon the book several times, and did end up skimming much of the last third. There are good bits in the last 2/3 of the book though and those kept me reading to the end.
Had the author, writing her first novel, focused the story on a few years in the life of the "ice man," it would have been a good book. She could have done sequels later on. Instead, she does a sweep of 200 years of Russian (and some other) history. What should have been the entire book: background, young adulthood, and a fateful trip to the Arctic, becomes just the first third of it. After that it gets tedious.
I wanted to abandon the book several times, and did end up skimming much of the last third. There are good bits in the last 2/3 of the book though and those kept me reading to the end.