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Saga of Frost #1
Frost
How do you fight a supernatural battle without the most secret and ancient of powers? This is precisely the question that Frost must answer when she is given the awesome task of delivering the Book of the Last Battle to those who have work in good magic. Frost must rely solely on the physical strength of her sword and the magic contained within her beauty to succeed in her quest and regain her powers.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1983
8 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Robin Wayne Bailey
94 books40 followersRobin Wayne Bailey is an American fantasy and science fiction author and is a past president (2005-2007) of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Robin also served as SFWA's South-Central Regional Director for nine years and has hosted three of SFWA's annual Nebula Awards weekends; two of those Nebula events were held in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri.
Bailey was one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Hall of Fame in 1996, which merged with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Enterprises in Seattle in 2004 to become part of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Robin continues to serve on its annual induction committee.
Bailey graduated from North Kansas City High School, and received a B.A. in English and Anthropology and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwest Missouri State University.
Bailey was one of the founders of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Hall of Fame in 1996, which merged with Paul G. Allen's Vulcan Enterprises in Seattle in 2004 to become part of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Robin continues to serve on its annual induction committee.
Bailey graduated from North Kansas City High School, and received a B.A. in English and Anthropology and an M.A. in English Literature from Northwest Missouri State University.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 21, 2017
I actually read the omnibus Night's Angel. Not a page turner and not really S&S like I was led to believe. This is more like one of those generic half-forgotten '80's fantasy books.
The villain is a standard evil wizard that has armies of monsters and men to do his bidding. He is hell bent on recovering a book of spells that just happens to fall into Frost's unwilling hands. Frost's allies are a black unicorn and a race of men that are said to be part monster part man who in reality seem like any other men--with one strong flaw to their magic.
If I had read this years ago my opinion of the book probably would have been different. I imagine this would be classified a YA now a days.
Similar books to check out with a female protagonist would be Jirel of Joiry and Swordmistress of Chaos.
The villain is a standard evil wizard that has armies of monsters and men to do his bidding. He is hell bent on recovering a book of spells that just happens to fall into Frost's unwilling hands. Frost's allies are a black unicorn and a race of men that are said to be part monster part man who in reality seem like any other men--with one strong flaw to their magic.
If I had read this years ago my opinion of the book probably would have been different. I imagine this would be classified a YA now a days.
Similar books to check out with a female protagonist would be Jirel of Joiry and Swordmistress of Chaos.
August 16, 2024
DNF at 32%. Started well. I thought I was going to get an entertaining adventure with a swordswoman. However, the heroine has already been sexually assaulted twice, which is described in details. And of course, she's conveniently rescued every time. This is one of those fantasy worlds were women are treated like subhumans. Life is too short for that sort of books.
June 20, 2023
“Frost” a former witch stripped of her powers and cursed to a life of violence. Pretty enjoyable although a bit predictable in places. I believe there are two other books in this saga so I shall seek them out ⚔️
March 13, 2024
Being Robin W. Bailey's first published novel, Frost suffers from an unevenness that is common among first-effort fantasy novels. Although the plot is a familiar one - "a hero's journey" in which an unwilling (for only a moment) protagonist embarks upon a world-spanning quest to safeguard an artifact from the forces of eee-ville - Bailey does an admirable job making his world unique. The magic system/hierarchy is interesting, as are the tidbits of geopolitics that the author shares, but the motivations of the antagonist are never really given much depth beyond the generic "world domination because reasons".
When it comes to the main protagonist, I was frustrated by the author's mishandling of a potentially memorable character. Frost (not her real name, and by the end of the book we still haven't learned her real name) is a woman warrior in a society that, at best, barely tolerates sword-bearing females. Add to that the burden of being guilty of familicide and we have the opportunity to get to know a main character with a level of depth not often found in '80s fantasy. Alas, the end result was not thus. Not only was Frost essentially two-dimensional, but the author's level of drama in regard to her motivations and depth of feeling was entirely too cringeworthy. For example, Frost is routinely "shaken to the very depths of her soul" but, after just a brief gaze into the eyes of an ally, immediately becomes filled with soaring bravado, determination and hope. Over, and over, and over again.
The only other way that Frost disappoints - and this is entirely personal - is that it is a very YA-adjacent novel. Aside from the characters' wild mood swings and improbable reactions, we have a chaste romance and over-the-top depictions of battle. I'm sure that this novel would be much more well-received by fans of TSR's/WOTC's novels.
All-in-all I don't think that I will move on to the second book in the trilogy. The author has since written a handful of other fantasy novels, as well as contributed to various shared universes, so I do think that I will explore some of his later work. His ideas are sound, it was just a lack of execution that turned me against this early novel.
When it comes to the main protagonist, I was frustrated by the author's mishandling of a potentially memorable character. Frost (not her real name, and by the end of the book we still haven't learned her real name) is a woman warrior in a society that, at best, barely tolerates sword-bearing females. Add to that the burden of being guilty of familicide and we have the opportunity to get to know a main character with a level of depth not often found in '80s fantasy. Alas, the end result was not thus. Not only was Frost essentially two-dimensional, but the author's level of drama in regard to her motivations and depth of feeling was entirely too cringeworthy. For example, Frost is routinely "shaken to the very depths of her soul" but, after just a brief gaze into the eyes of an ally, immediately becomes filled with soaring bravado, determination and hope. Over, and over, and over again.
The only other way that Frost disappoints - and this is entirely personal - is that it is a very YA-adjacent novel. Aside from the characters' wild mood swings and improbable reactions, we have a chaste romance and over-the-top depictions of battle. I'm sure that this novel would be much more well-received by fans of TSR's/WOTC's novels.
All-in-all I don't think that I will move on to the second book in the trilogy. The author has since written a handful of other fantasy novels, as well as contributed to various shared universes, so I do think that I will explore some of his later work. His ideas are sound, it was just a lack of execution that turned me against this early novel.
July 5, 2021
Frost is close to what I'm looking for when I scour through old forgotten books, namely, worth being remembered. It's a fun adventure that has good characters, cool ideas, and is generally fun and well written.
It's not without issues, most of which stem from the writing refusing to take a breather and actually direct the reader to where they are, and that the setting is badly defined. Something I hope future books in the series will fix. There's also the element of Frost having to act masculine in order to get her way instead of being able to use feminine strengths, normalizing masculinity as the answer to conflict.
Despite these issues, Frost is a pleasant surprise I would recommend to the right reader. Not everyone, but it's yet another book that proves itself despite being almost forgotten.
It's not without issues, most of which stem from the writing refusing to take a breather and actually direct the reader to where they are, and that the setting is badly defined. Something I hope future books in the series will fix. There's also the element of Frost having to act masculine in order to get her way instead of being able to use feminine strengths, normalizing masculinity as the answer to conflict.
Despite these issues, Frost is a pleasant surprise I would recommend to the right reader. Not everyone, but it's yet another book that proves itself despite being almost forgotten.
July 9, 2023
I first read this book many, many years ago. Sixth or seventh grade? But it stuck with me. I think there was a perception it was YA - it's definitely not. But it helped to shape my love of fantasy, maybe because Frost was a woman herself and I had not seen that often in many of the books I read. Looking back on it now, would I love it if I were reading it for the first time today, after hundreds of SFF novels? Probably not. But it was wonderful to revisit this old friend and spend some time remembering when it was one of the most exciting books I'd ever been able to read up until that point. I'm glad I did.
November 18, 2013
Its been a long time since I read this book so I am wary of saying too much about it. I remember it being a highly enjoyable fantasy that felt fairly fresh and it was a lot of fun.
It didnt feel too derivative although is rooted in heroic fantasy. When I read the book it was before the internet and I could not easily pick up the sequels, otherwise I would have done. Now that Gollanz has made them all available as ebooks I am planning on at least checking out the next book in the series.
I am amazed that there are not more reviews for this book - well worth checking out.
It didnt feel too derivative although is rooted in heroic fantasy. When I read the book it was before the internet and I could not easily pick up the sequels, otherwise I would have done. Now that Gollanz has made them all available as ebooks I am planning on at least checking out the next book in the series.
I am amazed that there are not more reviews for this book - well worth checking out.
July 30, 2014
I read this book years back when it was new. Reading it again, I find it very much better than I remember it. Perhaps I have changed, the years have opened me up. Perhaps I am a more discerning reader. Not important...I am having a very joyous time reading "Frost" and look forward to the next volume of this great series....thanks Robin....
February 28, 2011
Grade D+
July 29, 2016
Definitely not fine literature, nor even fine fantasy. But fun to read nevertheless. Too much modern fantasy does not read this way: fun, not too serious.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews