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Magic: The Gathering: Ice Age Cycle #1
The Gathering Dark
After the war comes the darkness.
Terisiare lies in ruins. Nations have fallen, goblins raid the land, and an oppressive faith throttles the city-states. Now deep within the walls of the Conclave of Mages, Jodah must decide if unlocking his own immense power is worth taking a step into the dark lands.
The epic of the Ice Age begins.
Terisiare lies in ruins. Nations have fallen, goblins raid the land, and an oppressive faith throttles the city-states. Now deep within the walls of the Conclave of Mages, Jodah must decide if unlocking his own immense power is worth taking a step into the dark lands.
The epic of the Ice Age begins.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1999
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814 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Grubb
199 books193 followersHe is an author and game designer.
See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grubb
See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grubb
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 4, 2016
#MTG as Storytelling #RPG and Lesser Bad Smells If WotC owns D&D and MTG, why not create a hybrid game? While not a new subject, Magic as a storytelling RPG might be.
Ever watch televised poker, where little cameras show the cards and two emcees call the game? The role playing version goes something like that.
Card players speak if necessary for play, but two role players describe the duel, each voicing each wizard and their spell effects.
I've done this as a player/caller. It's popular in some groups, putting the emphasis on fun and less on player ego. You can come up with some rippers, like when the wizards came upon an unfortunate smell that escalates into a duel.
Witch: "He who declared it blared it!" Caller describes Fireball as it sizzles towards the Warlock.
Warlock: "She who observed it served it." Describes fizzle caused by Counterspell.
"He who detected it ejected it."
"She who rejected it respected it."
Keymaster's Scrawl:
I enjoyed The Gathering Dark but it gave me a floaty feeling, like I didn't understand the inside baseball. Middle gets soggy at the three-quarters mark. If you slog past that, it's good. It might be the best WotC (non- TSR) tie in novel I've read. Rating: three spells.
Excerpt from a random search result. EBay who dealt it, can't smel't it.
A:
B:
A:
Excelsior!
Ever watch televised poker, where little cameras show the cards and two emcees call the game? The role playing version goes something like that.
Card players speak if necessary for play, but two role players describe the duel, each voicing each wizard and their spell effects.
I've done this as a player/caller. It's popular in some groups, putting the emphasis on fun and less on player ego. You can come up with some rippers, like when the wizards came upon an unfortunate smell that escalates into a duel.
Witch: "He who declared it blared it!" Caller describes Fireball as it sizzles towards the Warlock.
Warlock: "She who observed it served it." Describes fizzle caused by Counterspell.
"He who detected it ejected it."
"She who rejected it respected it."
Keymaster's Scrawl:
I enjoyed The Gathering Dark but it gave me a floaty feeling, like I didn't understand the inside baseball. Middle gets soggy at the three-quarters mark. If you slog past that, it's good. It might be the best WotC (non- TSR) tie in novel I've read. Rating: three spells.
Excerpt from a random search result. EBay who dealt it, can't smel't it.
A:
B:
A:
Excelsior!
March 15, 2009
Though I've been playing Magic for over a decade, I've never paid much attention to the storyline. Of course I knew some basic facts about The Brothers' War, the Ice Age, the Weatherlight crew story, The Invasion etc., but that was about it. This book explores the story of The Dark which was one of the weakest sets in the history of the game. If the same is true about this story compared to the rest of Mtg books, then I can't wait to read the rest. I won't go into much detail but will say that this one pleased and thrilled me very much, making a more comprehensive picture of the background story of Dominaria, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves the game. Actually, I think it may please anyone who likes the fantasy genre but never heard of Magic. Because it just feels right.
October 30, 2023
At long last, my MTG journey continues. Since I last updated, I have come into possession of all but 7 of the canon Magic the Gathering novels. I hope to be caught up by the end of 2024. But for now, I will continue the Ice Age. The Gathering Dark introduced me to what a good Magic book looks like. Until now I feel like every MTG book I had read from this era ranged from 10/10 masterpiece to "doesn't really do anything for me" and The Gathering Dark feels like the first one where I'm like "hold on, that was actually really good. Nothing life changing, but really, really good" and if this is the standard going forward, I'll be perfectly happy. I feel like the strong point of the book is the second half. Once Jodah reaches the Conclave, the vibes all come together. Jodah meeting other mages, training with Mairsil, the discovery of the plot to reach Phyrexia. It's all just a tight, entertaining package. Jodah is a great protagonist and I look forward to seeing more of him. Sima gets a bit sidelined if only because she's absent for most of the book, but when she's there I liked her a lot. This franchise is just begging to be turned into a TV series. I can visualize it in my head every time I read another chapter. Now I wait, because The Eternal Ice is still in the mail.
June 4, 2018
Book 4 for JALL
This is my second magic the gathering book (had to skip the artifact cycle considering the time to return.)
I find this book to be a very tough pill to swallow. Long story short, it would be a four star if you read this with the second book (The Eternal Ice).
But I don't rate books with each other as a series.
TLDR: If you plan to read the entire series, this one is a passable, albeit slow introduction to Jodah's character.
Characters- To put it plainly, the only thing holding the book in a three/ four-star range. They are all generally likable. This book, however, does seem to be ghostwritten in some parts, for some humor and diversion from the stilted sense of humor I now associate with Grubb. I really, really like Jodah. He is... so well written. The main two antagonists are also very well written and to those who play magic, will probably be pleased to know that the two villains are Black and White in color, making for an interesting dichotomy when merged together. That said, it is a large cast filled with some uninteresting characters.
Setting- Dominaria, just before the Ice Age. I can care less about the city-states and the church of Tal. It seemed to be...lifeless. It could be the sad setting, where this world is highly authoritarian and the law is stringent.
Plot- It moves... so slow. Our main character is stuck at being a delivery boy and a soldier for about a third of the book. He isn't either of these things! I really feel like the plot was only moving with the characters, not because of the characters.. which isn't a good sign. Picks up in the last half with the introduction of Mairsil and it basically closes out to be passable. The plot rushes for the best in the last part of the book in a way I thought was satisfying, but I will say that this might be a complaint about someone else reading.. Either way, unbalanced. Moves too slow or too fast.
Time to finish: Finished in two days because I wanted to get to the Eternal Ice. I kinda rushed it.
Strengths (Oh boy this is going to be a fun one.)
-Likable main character/characters.
-Challenging FOIL to the magic archetype (White is always 'good', well not in this book. Delphine is a very likable white antagonist, does her job at being Jodah's foil well.)
Weaknesses
-The setting is depressing and frankly boring.
-The plot moves so slow at the start.
-Large cast that I will probably forget the names too besides a few others.
-Church of Tal or the Conclave? Pick one. I like the main villains (Mairsil and Delphine, but I can care less about the organizations themselves.)
I probably sound jaded, but to save myself some time and just to wrap this review up as quick as possible, this one is a tough pill to swallow, but the second is far better and the third book is a good start (still reading that one.).
I will say this is a weak title, but if you are a hardcore magic the gathering fan (like myself), give it a shot.
This is my second magic the gathering book (had to skip the artifact cycle considering the time to return.)
I find this book to be a very tough pill to swallow. Long story short, it would be a four star if you read this with the second book (The Eternal Ice).
But I don't rate books with each other as a series.
TLDR: If you plan to read the entire series, this one is a passable, albeit slow introduction to Jodah's character.
Characters- To put it plainly, the only thing holding the book in a three/ four-star range. They are all generally likable. This book, however, does seem to be ghostwritten in some parts, for some humor and diversion from the stilted sense of humor I now associate with Grubb. I really, really like Jodah. He is... so well written. The main two antagonists are also very well written and to those who play magic, will probably be pleased to know that the two villains are Black and White in color, making for an interesting dichotomy when merged together. That said, it is a large cast filled with some uninteresting characters.
Setting- Dominaria, just before the Ice Age. I can care less about the city-states and the church of Tal. It seemed to be...lifeless. It could be the sad setting, where this world is highly authoritarian and the law is stringent.
Plot- It moves... so slow. Our main character is stuck at being a delivery boy and a soldier for about a third of the book. He isn't either of these things! I really feel like the plot was only moving with the characters, not because of the characters.. which isn't a good sign. Picks up in the last half with the introduction of Mairsil and it basically closes out to be passable. The plot rushes for the best in the last part of the book in a way I thought was satisfying, but I will say that this might be a complaint about someone else reading.. Either way, unbalanced. Moves too slow or too fast.
Time to finish: Finished in two days because I wanted to get to the Eternal Ice. I kinda rushed it.
Strengths (Oh boy this is going to be a fun one.)
-Likable main character/characters.
-Challenging FOIL to the magic archetype (White is always 'good', well not in this book. Delphine is a very likable white antagonist, does her job at being Jodah's foil well.)
Weaknesses
-The setting is depressing and frankly boring.
-The plot moves so slow at the start.
-Large cast that I will probably forget the names too besides a few others.
-Church of Tal or the Conclave? Pick one. I like the main villains (Mairsil and Delphine, but I can care less about the organizations themselves.)
I probably sound jaded, but to save myself some time and just to wrap this review up as quick as possible, this one is a tough pill to swallow, but the second is far better and the third book is a good start (still reading that one.).
I will say this is a weak title, but if you are a hardcore magic the gathering fan (like myself), give it a shot.
March 6, 2012
Jeff Grubb is by and far one of my favorite authors. After Brothers' War, I was disappointed that he didn't make it back for Planeswalker. Then, Wizards came out with this and the other two novels detailing Jodah and his adventures during the ice age and the years that followed. I remember when I sat down to read this novel, I didn't find myself getting up until I absolutely had to, and even then I was right back into it when I could.
Being familiar with much of the M:tG history, it was so very cool and interesting to see one of the weakest sets in the game receive one of the best stories to back it up. But then, I expect nothing less of Mr. Grubb.
Being familiar with much of the M:tG history, it was so very cool and interesting to see one of the weakest sets in the game receive one of the best stories to back it up. But then, I expect nothing less of Mr. Grubb.
May 22, 2012
Possitively horrid. Long, booring, drawn out with not enough of a driving plot to keep you all that interested. The best part was the necromancers having a foodfight at dinner and that wasn't enough to salvage the book.
July 2, 2018
This was a fun little palate-cleanser in between the monolithic tomes of Sanderson and Erickson I've been reading lately. The merits of Gathering Dark are found in those heavily vested in the game. The writing isn't amazing and the plot straightforward, but the little nuggets of back story for the cards is what had me smiling.
When not comparing it to contemporary fantasy, Gathering Dark is a fun read that suffers from a bit of poor writing, especially at the end. As far as Magic the Gathering novels go, it's pretty solid.
When not comparing it to contemporary fantasy, Gathering Dark is a fun read that suffers from a bit of poor writing, especially at the end. As far as Magic the Gathering novels go, it's pretty solid.
July 2, 2018
Jeff Grubb was probably one of the best writers to work on MTG fiction before it was brought in-house. Here he crafts a pretty standard fantasy adventure that can be read with equal pleasure by fans of the card game or total newcomers.
It’s also wonderful that Wizards of the Coast has made these available as ebooks so that one doesn’t have to track down $60 paperbacks. The only thing is that the ebook is riddled with grammatical errors. I guess beggars can’t be choosers...
It’s also wonderful that Wizards of the Coast has made these available as ebooks so that one doesn’t have to track down $60 paperbacks. The only thing is that the ebook is riddled with grammatical errors. I guess beggars can’t be choosers...
July 20, 2021
After The Thran and Brothers' War, I continued to nerd out.
Jodah is cool I guess but he is no Urza. I liked the previous two books much more than this one but it was nice bit of nostalgia to the game. It doesn't leave you hanging at the end so you don't really feel obligated to read the next book.
Jodah is cool I guess but he is no Urza. I liked the previous two books much more than this one but it was nice bit of nostalgia to the game. It doesn't leave you hanging at the end so you don't really feel obligated to read the next book.
April 13, 2024
This might have been one of the best MTG books I've ever read. Each part of Jodah's origin story feels entirely distinct as its own story, and then there's a whole other portion of the story that gets into the wider narrative. It was fun and engaging the entire time, and its description of how mana works in the universe.
March 24, 2018
Excellent for the pulp fantasy genre. Grubb does a great job building characters we come to care about and here he has enough flexibility to craft a story that is both rooted in his prior writing (Brothers' War) while being self contained. It left me wanting to read the next tale in the series.
July 21, 2018
This was about what you'd expect from a tie-in novel like this. It wasn't awful, but it was nothing great, either. I'm questioning whether this is actually the trilogy I should be on after the artifact cycle, the timeline seems weird.
November 21, 2016
Despite the minor inconsistency of Ith's name, the novel is well-written and established well in the canon.
May 9, 2020
I forgot I read this.
May 14, 2021
The hook for this wasn't baited with characters that I found interesting, but with Magic the Gathering lore that goes down like sandpaper.
July 10, 2024
Good! But it does unfortunately feel a bit YA at times.
September 5, 2024
Some interesting discussions on the nature of magic and mana, but the characters and the plot are not nearly as interesting as in The Thran or The Brothers' War.
May 29, 2016
By far the best M:TG book I've read, which maybe is damning with faint praise, BUT I enjoyed it overall.
Grubb is usually a super enjoyable writer, so I remember being really surprised that Brothers' War was so disjointed and difficult to read. This time we have a much more straightforward story about a young magic user named Jodah, who is training with his mentor, Voska, but then they get captured by the Church of Tal, and then, and then, and then. There are like 50 plot twists and turns, and many more questions are brought up than answered, BUT it's an enjoyable ride, and I never felt completely lost like I did with TBW.
Grubb also manages to explain magic in a way here that makes like 50x more sense (in hindsight, it now makes sense that since Urza and Mishra were artificers, NOT mages, magic didn't make much sense in their book(s)). M:TG books are such an odd lot, because they aren't EXACTLY like D&D books ... there are rarely any parties going after items or whatever, BUT it's KIND OF D&D ish ... maybe part of my lack of enthusiasm is that I never really get the POINT in many ways. It just feels like ... OK, then this happened, and here's another card mentioned, a lot of the time. Grubb is able to transcend that here, for the most part, and write a coherent story about a young mage.
I'm a little annoyed that this is book one of the Ice Age Chronicles, and ... it's not the Ice Age yet, really. But oh well. And the other HUGE frustration here is ... OH, DEAR GOD, THE EDITING. It's not just editing, but basic proofreading. You've got words repeated two lines after they were said the first time, there are multiple misspellings (breath/breathe, too/to), oftentimes new paragraphs won't be indented ... it feels like this book must have been RUSHED to the extreme. Not Grubb's fault, but yeesh, Wizards, if you're going to produce novels, edit the damn things.
Grubb is usually a super enjoyable writer, so I remember being really surprised that Brothers' War was so disjointed and difficult to read. This time we have a much more straightforward story about a young magic user named Jodah, who is training with his mentor, Voska, but then they get captured by the Church of Tal, and then, and then, and then. There are like 50 plot twists and turns, and many more questions are brought up than answered, BUT it's an enjoyable ride, and I never felt completely lost like I did with TBW.
Grubb also manages to explain magic in a way here that makes like 50x more sense (in hindsight, it now makes sense that since Urza and Mishra were artificers, NOT mages, magic didn't make much sense in their book(s)). M:TG books are such an odd lot, because they aren't EXACTLY like D&D books ... there are rarely any parties going after items or whatever, BUT it's KIND OF D&D ish ... maybe part of my lack of enthusiasm is that I never really get the POINT in many ways. It just feels like ... OK, then this happened, and here's another card mentioned, a lot of the time. Grubb is able to transcend that here, for the most part, and write a coherent story about a young mage.
I'm a little annoyed that this is book one of the Ice Age Chronicles, and ... it's not the Ice Age yet, really. But oh well. And the other HUGE frustration here is ... OH, DEAR GOD, THE EDITING. It's not just editing, but basic proofreading. You've got words repeated two lines after they were said the first time, there are multiple misspellings (breath/breathe, too/to), oftentimes new paragraphs won't be indented ... it feels like this book must have been RUSHED to the extreme. Not Grubb's fault, but yeesh, Wizards, if you're going to produce novels, edit the damn things.
December 29, 2016
Taking place soon after the Devastation at the end of The Brothers' War and way prior to Planeswalker and the Gerrard story arc, THE GATHERING DARK follows a young hero named Jodah through a rollicking adventure through the lands of Terassiare (sp?). This book represents a nice diversion from the ever-expanding saga of Urza and Gerrard that has been going on for at least 12 other books. As the first book in a trilogy, this one introduces Jodah and follows him through his very initial phases of learning about magic and about his role in the world. High adventure and non-stop action make this one a quick and fun read that should please any reader of Magic novels (or fantasy in general).
This book also introduces a new system of magic that is much more faithful to the feel of the card game than any other books in the Magic universe. Now Magicians tap and use the power of the land to cast a large variety of spells, which feels much closer to the way the game plays than the artifact-heavy recent books or the poorly-described early books. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy and hope that this same system of magic use will be used in future Magic books. Recommended.
This book also introduces a new system of magic that is much more faithful to the feel of the card game than any other books in the Magic universe. Now Magicians tap and use the power of the land to cast a large variety of spells, which feels much closer to the way the game plays than the artifact-heavy recent books or the poorly-described early books. I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy and hope that this same system of magic use will be used in future Magic books. Recommended.
June 30, 2010
I just finished my reread of this book. I am slowly working my way though my collection of books.
This book was a good start for people picking up reading Magic the Gathering books. It gives good background for how the magic system works that may not be explained in the other books.
Spoiler Section
This book is the start of Jodahs journey to becoming a mage. The book starts at the very beginning with Jodah being an apprentice mage. He gets summoned to the Conclave by the imprisoned Ith. Jodah finnally arrives at the Conclave after some adventures running from the church, joining the army (Jodah becomes immortal while hiding from goblins in a fountain), the death of his teacher Voska, and a ship wreck with Sima.
Once at the Conclave, Jodah starts to come into his own as a spell caster and starts learning spells in multiple colors, mainly red and white.
In the end, the church attacks the Conclave and loses, Jodah frees Ith, gives him back his sanity, the Conlclave is destroyed, and Jodah goes to the City of Shadows.
This book was a good start for people picking up reading Magic the Gathering books. It gives good background for how the magic system works that may not be explained in the other books.
Spoiler Section
This book is the start of Jodahs journey to becoming a mage. The book starts at the very beginning with Jodah being an apprentice mage. He gets summoned to the Conclave by the imprisoned Ith. Jodah finnally arrives at the Conclave after some adventures running from the church, joining the army (Jodah becomes immortal while hiding from goblins in a fountain), the death of his teacher Voska, and a ship wreck with Sima.
Once at the Conclave, Jodah starts to come into his own as a spell caster and starts learning spells in multiple colors, mainly red and white.
In the end, the church attacks the Conclave and loses, Jodah frees Ith, gives him back his sanity, the Conlclave is destroyed, and Jodah goes to the City of Shadows.
July 5, 2014
Jeff Grubb's dragonlance novel, Lord Toade, set a high bar for this novel. Sadly, The Gathering Dark doesn't measure up.
Grubb gets some milage out of the inquisition plot line and keeps the more clichéd elements (the love interest/teacher plot, the chosen one plot, the heroic journey) pleasantly light. He juggles the three main plots well and keeps the pace too fast for questioning the why's and wherefore's.
Most impressively, Grubb describes and integrates systems and elements from the card game into his story without coming off as precious or condescending. His point of view work on the gathering of mana and casting of spells is very strong.
This would be a good introduction to fantasy novels and/or the Magic: the Gathering card game, but for an experienced reader, it's more-of-the-same and lacking much of the wit and spontaneity of Grubb's previous work.
Grubb gets some milage out of the inquisition plot line and keeps the more clichéd elements (the love interest/teacher plot, the chosen one plot, the heroic journey) pleasantly light. He juggles the three main plots well and keeps the pace too fast for questioning the why's and wherefore's.
Most impressively, Grubb describes and integrates systems and elements from the card game into his story without coming off as precious or condescending. His point of view work on the gathering of mana and casting of spells is very strong.
This would be a good introduction to fantasy novels and/or the Magic: the Gathering card game, but for an experienced reader, it's more-of-the-same and lacking much of the wit and spontaneity of Grubb's previous work.
April 29, 2020
Though not the first book from the Magic: The Gathering multiverse, it is one of the first I got my hands on as a player of the game. We follow Jodah as he navigates the continent of Terisiare after the devastation of the Brothers’ War.
The plot is good, though hardly surprising. The true value in this novel is for new players of the game, who need to have some story to help them understand the rules. Not a masterpiece, but a simple fantasy romp.
You can see more in my video review:
https://youtu.be/FQMgK1oV250
The plot is good, though hardly surprising. The true value in this novel is for new players of the game, who need to have some story to help them understand the rules. Not a masterpiece, but a simple fantasy romp.
You can see more in my video review:
https://youtu.be/FQMgK1oV250
October 8, 2021
An average entertaining reading, burdened by a functional style which does not explores the inherent weirdness of the fantasy it is treating. This book has the exposition bits well done, but the plot feels mashed up and disconnected, and makes an unimaginative disservice to the source material by filling the required setting check boxes aimlessly.
There are no risks taken here. Henceforth, there is little merit.
There are no risks taken here. Henceforth, there is little merit.
January 30, 2012
I read this book a very long time ago. At that time I thought it was one of the best magic type books I have ever read. Looking back now it was; however, this was long before I read Harry Potter. For that reason I give it now 3 stars. Overall the book was worth reading and it will drag you into reading other Magic books.
April 15, 2011
I read this in high school and was the first book that I could not put down. This book is what got me deep into Sci-Fi Fantasy, and I still seek out Jeff Grubb's new novels. I just adore this book and identify very strongly with his writing style.
August 28, 2012
Quick and easy fantasy read. The stuff on regular school life was too typical and boring.
Semi-good introduction for some of the characters.
4,5/10
Semi-good introduction for some of the characters.
4,5/10
August 27, 2017
Read it again when I finally found book 3.
Read
June 6, 2010i
September 23, 2016
3,5 stars, actually. Typical of its kind. Not great, not bad.
Read
January 25, 2017One of the better written MtG books... but I didn't care for the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews