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Snowmane
The sea around a sun-drenched island suddenly freezes.
A groom returns for his wedding with his hair turned as white as snow.
Neci has never known cold or snow on her idyllic island home. Yet her groom, Hoddle, brings ice as bright as his newly whitened hair when he returns to the island with her wedding gift. Nothing will stop Neci from going ahead with the wedding. Not the cold, Hoddle’s changed appearance, nor the odd behaviour of the rest of his party.
On her wedding night, Neci wakes to find Hoddle gone. Her village cloaked in freezing snow. And two enormous creatures, a white wolf and a white owl, who want her help.
As the cold seeps into Neci’s family and friends, the wolf and owl give her one option. Help them stop Hoddle or lose her home and everything she loves to permanent snow and ice.
But Neci doesn’t know if she can trust the wolf and owl. There must be another way to save her husband.
A standalone fantasy novella.
A groom returns for his wedding with his hair turned as white as snow.
Neci has never known cold or snow on her idyllic island home. Yet her groom, Hoddle, brings ice as bright as his newly whitened hair when he returns to the island with her wedding gift. Nothing will stop Neci from going ahead with the wedding. Not the cold, Hoddle’s changed appearance, nor the odd behaviour of the rest of his party.
On her wedding night, Neci wakes to find Hoddle gone. Her village cloaked in freezing snow. And two enormous creatures, a white wolf and a white owl, who want her help.
As the cold seeps into Neci’s family and friends, the wolf and owl give her one option. Help them stop Hoddle or lose her home and everything she loves to permanent snow and ice.
But Neci doesn’t know if she can trust the wolf and owl. There must be another way to save her husband.
A standalone fantasy novella.
45 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2026
1 person want to read
About the author
Iseult Murphy
32 books144 followersIseult Murphy started writing at a young age, entertaining her family with magazines that she wrote and illustrated as a child. In her teens, she won several local and national short story competitions, including three time overall winner of the RDS Young Science Writers competition, and had work placed in international writing competitions such as the BBC Wildlife Poetry competition.
Iseult is drawn to horror, fantasy and science fiction, as she feels that the most difficult aspects of life can be best explored through the lens of speculative fiction.
She currently resides on the east coast of Ireland with four dogs, a couple of humans and a cat. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, art and spending time with her animals.
Iseult’s speculative fiction short stories have appeared in over two dozen venues, most recently in Liquid Imagination and Frost Fire Worlds.
Iseult is drawn to horror, fantasy and science fiction, as she feels that the most difficult aspects of life can be best explored through the lens of speculative fiction.
She currently resides on the east coast of Ireland with four dogs, a couple of humans and a cat. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, art and spending time with her animals.
Iseult’s speculative fiction short stories have appeared in over two dozen venues, most recently in Liquid Imagination and Frost Fire Worlds.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 30, 2026
Snowmane by Iseult Murphy is a wonderful read for a winter's evening. Set on an island where the people have never experienced winter, never seen snow or ice, the book tells the story of Neci and her groom Hoddle who brings something very unexpected as a wedding gift- winter in all its freezing glory. The people of the island are shocked and confused, and soon begin to behave strangely but all is explained by a magical wolf and owl who visit Neci on her wedding night and leave her with an impossible choice. If she wants to save her village and all who live there she must sacrifice her husband. In despair she gambles that her love will be strong enough to thaw a frozen heart but if she is wrong she stands to lose everything.
Though short this book is not lacking in story, it feels both complete and part of something bigger. I loved the casual inclusion of Neci's disability, it was simply part of her character, accepted by those around her. The magical elements , particularly the animals, were great and I loved the nod to the Irish language in their names.
Short but packed with heart, this was a delightful winter treat.
Though short this book is not lacking in story, it feels both complete and part of something bigger. I loved the casual inclusion of Neci's disability, it was simply part of her character, accepted by those around her. The magical elements , particularly the animals, were great and I loved the nod to the Irish language in their names.
Short but packed with heart, this was a delightful winter treat.
January 31, 2026
This a fantastic story that I absolutely loved. It’s a short read but packs a lot between its pages. A wonderful protagonist – Neci, with her ‘unco-operative’ legs and stout walking stick, burning with love for her husband-to-be Hoddle, and a determination to take her mother’s advice to see the blessings in everything. This is quite a challenge, as over-night her island which has never known snow, is now surrounded by a ‘crystalline sculpted’ frozen sea,’ and with the return of Hoddle experiences its first snowfall. Hoddle’s dark hair is now white, but that isn’t the only change Neci sees in him. Hoddle has brought winter, and something much more sinister that threatens them all. The location is beautifully described and the atmospheric read left me tingling as if I was stuck in that ice prison with Neci! I loved the setting and the villagers preparing to celebrating the wedding changing so quickly into mindless ice slaves. It’s a fast-paced story and a brilliant read, and with a terrifying antagonist and a stark choice for Neci, I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended and I will certainly be purchasing the illustrated paperback when its available.
January 28, 2026
Imagine living on an island that has never seen ice and snow. That’s what newlywed Neci’s home is like until her beloved husband, Hoddle, brings home her wedding gift. Ice and snow and COLD come with the gift along with an evil entity named Winter.
Neci is a loving, determined character. She’s easy to cheer for. Winter is bad, and he’s just as easy to root against! I love how Murphy entangled Neci’s love for her husband with her need to stop Winter. It’s a hopeless situation. (Terrible for Neci, but great for the reader!)
A giant wolf and a huge owl play important characters in the story. So do Neci’s and Hoddle’s friends and family. Murphy’s descriptions of the characters and island as they succumb to the cold are wonderful. Bring a blanket when you read.
Wonderful characters, a creative storyline, and cool (haha, “cool”) descriptions make this a five-star read!
Neci is a loving, determined character. She’s easy to cheer for. Winter is bad, and he’s just as easy to root against! I love how Murphy entangled Neci’s love for her husband with her need to stop Winter. It’s a hopeless situation. (Terrible for Neci, but great for the reader!)
A giant wolf and a huge owl play important characters in the story. So do Neci’s and Hoddle’s friends and family. Murphy’s descriptions of the characters and island as they succumb to the cold are wonderful. Bring a blanket when you read.
Wonderful characters, a creative storyline, and cool (haha, “cool”) descriptions make this a five-star read!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews