A review by manwithanagenda
Icerigger by Alan Dean Foster
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
'Icerigger's reputation remains intact, if tarnished, after rereading it for the first time since I was in high school, on the heels of the 'Spellsinger' saga. Alan Dean Foster has his own brand of humor, dated but effective, and a straight-forward delivery of an adventure on a foreign ice world. Unlike what the cover might sell, the survival aspect isn't too prominent for long, but ice-skating cat warriors were probably the better bet to keep my 15 year old attention. I could have done without the borderline furry action, however. But, one can't have everything.
Nevertheless, this trilogy sparked my imagination, especially the next two parts, which I suspect I'll get to within a few months. I've held on them for so long, too. Currently, for the first time since my growing collection started bumping books sideways and under beds, every book I own is now upright and visible on shelves with room to spare. An amazing feeling by the way--not to brag like some asshole back from a vacation. From within my perpetual storage unit, until last month my parent's garage, I've sorted and thinned and considered and, ultimately, piled more and more volumes into donation piles and gained a high stack of nested totes in the process. And 'Icerigger' and its sequels have got a stay of execution every time.
The book isn't hard science fiction and doesn't really qualify as even a less-refined exploratory speculative book à la Ursula K. Le Guin either. Tran-ky-ky and its inhabitants serve mostly as a colorful setting. It's set within Foster's Humanx universe, but 'Icerigger' works well on its own. A botched kidnapping lands a small group of humans on an under-explored planet with low technology and subfreezing climates. The people must somehow reach the only Humanx outpost thousands of miles away. A simple set-up made entertaining by immersions in local politics (April 27th marked the anniversary of Magellan's death from some less judicious meddling, by the way) and interesting spins on the usual archetypes--foremost, of course, being Ms. Colette du Kane and her "cake of sherbet" rear.
The book doesn't really finish, so I'm a little disappointed because I know it'll be a few books before I get to 'Mission to Moulokin', but it was a relief to find out that some of these frothy genre books hold up past 12th grade.
Icerigger Trilogy
Next: 'Mission to Moulokin'
Nevertheless, this trilogy sparked my imagination, especially the next two parts, which I suspect I'll get to within a few months. I've held on them for so long, too. Currently, for the first time since my growing collection started bumping books sideways and under beds, every book I own is now upright and visible on shelves with room to spare. An amazing feeling by the way--not to brag like some asshole back from a vacation. From within my perpetual storage unit, until last month my parent's garage, I've sorted and thinned and considered and, ultimately, piled more and more volumes into donation piles and gained a high stack of nested totes in the process. And 'Icerigger' and its sequels have got a stay of execution every time.
The book isn't hard science fiction and doesn't really qualify as even a less-refined exploratory speculative book à la Ursula K. Le Guin either. Tran-ky-ky and its inhabitants serve mostly as a colorful setting. It's set within Foster's Humanx universe, but 'Icerigger' works well on its own. A botched kidnapping lands a small group of humans on an under-explored planet with low technology and subfreezing climates. The people must somehow reach the only Humanx outpost thousands of miles away. A simple set-up made entertaining by immersions in local politics (April 27th marked the anniversary of Magellan's death from some less judicious meddling, by the way) and interesting spins on the usual archetypes--foremost, of course, being Ms. Colette du Kane and her "cake of sherbet" rear.
The book doesn't really finish, so I'm a little disappointed because I know it'll be a few books before I get to 'Mission to Moulokin', but it was a relief to find out that some of these frothy genre books hold up past 12th grade.
Icerigger Trilogy
Next: 'Mission to Moulokin'