World's End

The Snow Queen Cycle #2

by Joan D. Vinge

Book two of Joan D. Vinge's beloved Snow Queen cycle of classic science fiction, back in print!

When BZ Gundhalinu’s irresponsible older brothers go missing in World’s End, a badlands rumored to drive people mad, he begrudgingly goes after them. The further in he travels, the stranger things get.

The Snow Queen Series
The Snow Queen
World’s End
Summer Queen
Tangled Up In Blue

Other Books
47 Ronin
Catspaw
Cowboys & Aliens
Dreamfall

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Space Opera, Romance

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Joan D. Vinge (born Joan Carol Dennison) is an American science fiction author. She is known for such works as her Hugo Award-winning novel The Snow Queen and its sequels, her series about the telepath named Cat, and her Heaven's Chronicles books.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved this book. I think I was judging it by the totally tacky 80s cover so I was expecting it to be kind of cheesy. Instead I got a completely solid sequel to The Snow Queen. I did think that this was an insignificant part of the overall story. Perhaps it's unimportant overall but it's such a great story.

BZ leaves Tiamat even though he's very much in love with Moon, who is the new Summer Queen. After some trouble at work, he's encouraged to take a leave of absence. His brothers, who he is not close to because they're assholes, have disappeared in a place called World's End. He sets out to find them along with another Sybil named Song. The world itself is actually pretty messed up and as he gets closer to Fire Lake he begins to go mad. It's absolutely wonderful to see how his character develops, and it's wonderful to see him dig deep inside himself to fight the madness. I ended up having a great deal more knowledge and respect for BZ and I really hope he makes an appearance in The Summer Queen. Which I need to read immediately :)

A wonderful story with an embarrassing-to-read-in-public cover.

[YouKneeK · Rating 4 out of 5]

World’s End is the second book in the Snow Queen Cycle. I enjoyed it quite a lot, although maybe not for the same reasons I had enjoyed The Snow Queen. It’s very different from the first book in both setting and style.

At half the length of the first book, this story is simpler and more focused. We follow one of the characters who had left Tiamat at the end of the previous book. (Character name only in the spoiler tags: BZ Gundhalinu.) He’s gone to another planet to muddle through his rather messed-up life. This planet has a location called “World’s End”, where people go off seeking treasure, but many never return. His brothers are missing after having gone in search of treasure themselves, and our main character goes off in search of them. Most of the book is told in the first person as the character recounts his adventures, with some framing chapters in the third person.

If you’ve read the first book, that description may make you wonder how it could possibly relate much to The Snow Queen at all. In many ways it just feels like a short, diversionary story about a pretty likeable character from that first book. However, there is a connection eventually, and it’s a big one that I expect to be very relevant to the next book.

The plot held my interest well and the pages in the book seemed to fly by. The first half is more of an adventure story, but things become increasingly more mysterious toward the second half. I did have some frustrations with the main character. I liked him quite a bit in the first book, but we didn’t really get to know him all that well in retrospect. In this book, I was often frustrated by how poorly he stood up for himself, and how gullible he was, sometimes falling for the world’s most obvious traps. I guess because he was an Inspector, I expected his training and experience to serve him better, but I started to feel like he really was rather incompetent. I liked his motives, especially toward the end, and some of his introspective thoughts, but I wanted him to be more competent.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to The Snow Queen. Very different. Not a panoramic view at all, but a tight first-person account from the diary the main character kept.

BZ Gundhalinu, a police officer from Queen, has disgraced himself since Tiamat, both because he still has the scars that showed his suicide attempt failed, and because he brought true accusations against the powerful of his new planet. He takes his necessary leave in order to go after his disgraced brothers, who tried to retrieve the family fortunes at World's End, where the laws of nature seem to break down.

This involves corrupt bureaucrats, coordinates no longer working, a mad sibyl, asking the right question, diamonds and jewels more precious, a vision of his future self, and rather a bit more in a situation that grows more chaotic until it comes clear.

[prcardi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Storyline: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Writing Style: 2/5
World: 2/5

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong....Everything was wrong. It started off in the wrong direction, failed with the alternating timeline, butchered the pacing, and absolutely missed on the worldbuilding. It...all...went...wrong.

I was a fan of the first, The Snow Queen, because it was imaginative, descriptive, and full of possibilities. At the end of that book there were so many characters worth following, so many different places demanding a visit, and so many ideas to further explore. Vinge devotes this sequel to perhaps the least interesting character of the series' first, then takes us a place that has nothing to do with any of the politics of the last book, and doesn't suggest to the readers that it will connect with any of the neat ideas already begun. One reads the first few paragraphs in disbelief. Then the first few pages thinking that they missed something. Then the first few chapters utterly deflated because not only is it not connecting in any satisfying manner, it also simply isn't a good book.

Character choices and decisions aren't given the buildup and gravitas required for interest, the descriptions are feeble and the background characters caricatures. There's a psychedelic weirdness to it all that entirely omits both suspense and understanding. Everything was wrong. There were some good ideas and inclinations behind it all, but this really needed a firm editor to send it back to Vinge for vast revisions. The only positive things I can come up to say about it is that it was more disappointing than it was bad (thus it wasn't an awful read, just a really poor one) and that it does eventually set things up for a promising sequel.

[Darcy Abriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

World's End is the second book in he Snow Queen Cycle. This story goes into a deeper character study of BZ Gundhalinu and his motivations. BZ was a secondary love interest to Moon,from The Snow Queen, who is now Summer Queen of Tiamet. BZ left Tiamet and has attempted to give purpose to his life. Love, honor, family, self-examination, destiny, all come into play in this story. This book is a very good bridge from "The Snow Queen" to "The Summer Queen" and deals not only with BZ's indecision and personal growth, but some critical elements that will, I believe, lead into the third book, The Summer Queen. Very interesting character studies delving into a mind locked in mandness, and the plot foundation unfolds very nicely. BZ is a flawed hero faced with many challenges, both inner and outer. I would suggest not reading this as a standalone book, but to first read The Snow Queen to help deepen the experience of this much shorter story. I'm looking forward to continuing in this world and reading The Summer Queen next.

[Chani · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so disappointing. After reading the wonderful Snow Queen I was roaring for the next book. This was short and a character study. But the odd thing was it was a character that was so minimal
in the first book. I liked his character but I wouldn't have wanted to read a book about him. Then the book was just a mind screw and I had to read about him being tortured mentally and physcially.
I didn't care more for the character by reading this story. I can see that this book was to add the element of the stardrive but this could have very easily been woven into a much larger second book
without the character study.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember the first time I read this story, how insanity was building up in the main character, eating away his humanity little by little. How strange it was to follow him on his way to hell. I read it again recently, but the feeling wasn't as strong as in my memories, maybe because I was expecting it, thinking of what laid ahead instead of living only in the instant, like him.

As a sequel to The Snow Queen, this story is worth reading at least to see again BZ Gundhalinu, whom we left as a wounded man (in body and spirit), a lost man who lost everything he believed in.

But it's worth more than that. It's a story of madness and healing, of craving and wisdom, of how destiny found its way to a tortured soul and cast him free of his fears.

[Milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked this one better than The Snow Queen.

[Ketutar Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of all these fairytales where the third son goes to rescue his big brothers, and they turn out to be total a-holes.
This is the second book in the Tiamat series that was started with the Snow Queen. In this book, we follow a secondary character from the first book. He is the third son. He finds a way to contact Moon, and then a way back to Tiamat. I assume the next book, The Summer Queen, is about him and Moon...
I don't like the story of this book, but it's very well written. I think Joan D. Vinge managed to express the narrator's mental state perfectly by the style of writing. When he was "sane", the writing was analytical, cold, precise, when he was "insane", it was rambling, chaotic, scary, all over the place. I mean, within Joan's normal writing style, which is very nice, I think. Just enough descriptions and emotions to keep it interesting.
I am going to keep reading this series for this challenge, they are quick enough and interesting enough, even though this isn't my favorite scifi series or fairy tale retelling ever :-D

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 3 out of 5]

A re-read. After finishing The Snow Queen, one of the groups I belong to here on Goodreads has decided to continue reading the series. More interesting use of the sibyl network. I think that may be my favorite thing from this series, actually.

[Etola · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid continuation of the Snow Queen series, this time focusing on BZ. Whereas the first book was a sci-fi fairy tale, this one is a sci-fi western, through and through. It was a hard book to read, if only because BZ goes through some tough trials, both physically and mentally. But I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, and more time spent with these characters!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This installment of the Snow Queen Cycle has been out of print for a number of years. So when it was rereleased of course I was excited. This follows BZ as he goes to World's End to save his brothers. I enjoyed the opportunity to see things from BZ's point of view. I always liked his character. There are plenty of twists and turns. The end result is wonderful.

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

World’s End by Joan D. Vinge follows BZ Gundhalinu, who has just left the planet Tiamat because the black hole that transfers off-worlders back to their home planets is about to close for 150 years. Except BZ isn’t going to his home, Karamough, a planet of proud, intelligent, tech-savvy people. He’s headed to Number Four, a nasty planet where his older brothers were last seen. As the youngest, BZ didn’t inherit his father’s wealth and property; he became a police officer instead. His older brothers, greedy know-nothings, lost their family’s legacy. In an attempt to gain money to buy back what they squandered, BZ’s brothers head to the World’s End, from which most never return but is rumored to be rich in treasure.

World’s End is a novella that follows directly after The Snow Queen, a sizable science fiction novel with multiple locations, characters, and narrative perspectives. Smaller, World’s End makes Vinge’s ideas more manageable, but no less inventive. Following one character helps readers navigate across Number Four, a planet with jungle terrain that turns in to desert and later into an area called “World’s End,” which contains the city Sanctuary and Fire Lake.

Written in the form of a diary at first, World’s End follows BZ hitching a ride with a treasure seeker and the man’s bodyguard. BZ writes more about Tiamat and his feelings for the new Summer Queen, which clarifies a lot about The Snow Queen that became mildly hazy because Vinge parsed out her world building crumbs at a time.

It feels like weeks pass as BZ rides in a tiny vehicle of sorts with the two men, all at each other’s throats . . . but it’s not clear. In his last diary entries, BZ writes, “All they say about World’s End is true: To stay there too long is to lose yourself forever,” and “Don’t try to find reasons for the things you see in World’s End. Because there aren’t any.” Their slow drive into a place that causes madness kept me turning pages, as I had to know what was affecting their thoughts and perceptions.

BZ stops writing his diary and a third-person limited omniscient narrator picks up the story because time in World’s End warps the closer they get. Want to step outside the vehicle and get some fresh air for an hour? Your companions may claim they were searching for you for two days! Reading World’s End felt topsy-turvy, like watching Stalker, a famous 1979 Russian film by Andrei Tarkovsky.

When they finally see the Sanctuary city and its Fire Lake, BZ has nearly gone mad but is hopeful that his brothers are there, and he has a good lead. The group drives and drives. But there is a problem BZ reveals in his last diary entry:

I don’t understand it. I don’t understand it. We’ve been traveling toward Fire Lake for days, but it never gets any closer. It’s the terrain; it must be the terrain. We have to detour and backtrack, tie our tail in knots.

What BZ finds there is astonishing — and though he went into World’s End to get his brothers, Fire Lake doesn’t want him to leave. But why does Fire Lake have feelings and thoughts at all?? You may be thinking this sounds like fantasy, but Vinge beautifully twists readers’ expectations, showing them a magic trick and then explaining the science behind it. That blend is what makes her stories engaging and surprising.

A fantastic science fiction novella I blew through in short order. Up next in this short series: The Summer Queen.

Originally published at Grab the Lapels.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

World's End represents a sort-of sequel to Vinge's Snow Queen. Taking place after the events of the earlier novel, we follow one of the characters from that book, BZ Gundhalinu, as he tries to move on with his life.

Gundhalinu left Tiamat through the stargate at the end of the previous story, separating himself from Moon Dawntreader Summer for all time. He returns to his police work, but remains haunted by his earlier experiences. When he learns that his two older brothers have squandered the family fortune and then disappeared into the World's End region of the resource-rich planet Number Four, Gundhalinu follows them. Many people travel into World's End, seeking their fortunes, but few return. Gundhalinu makes the trip partially out of a sense of familial obligation, and partially as a way of distracting his unsettled mind.

World's End is quite a bit shorter than its predecessor; it's almost a novella. That length proves deceptive however, as the book packs quite a lot into its narrow binding. On the surface, the book plays as the story of Gundhalinu's journey, the chapters laid out as days in a journal. This tale carries hints of Heart of Darkness or The Treasure of the Sierra Madre in its DNA. But there is also a mystery element, as Gundhalinu gets tasked with finding the eerie Fire Lake and a missing sybil named Song (in addition to this brothers) and must use his police training to unravel clues to what is happening in World's End. Meanwhile, Vinge plumbs the depths of Gundalinhi's mental state, taking us deep into his guilt and shame. So we are faced with a psychological thriller, detective story, character study, and science fiction novel, all wrapped into one.

Despite all of those components, the book feels tight and crisp. The only section that seems to drag a little comes about two thirds of the way in when Gundhalinu descends into madness. But given the importance and necessity of that plot element to the tale, I had no complaints.

I was surprised by how different this book was from The Snow Queen and also by how much I really liked this dark little tale. Sequels to popular or well-known stories are hard to do effectively. Authors are prone to duplicate the previous book, or to go so far afield that the original audience is alienated. Judging by the reviews here on Goodreads, World's End probably veered too far toward the latter approach for some readers. Nevertheless, I found it an intriguing, original, and satisfying novel in its own right.

One caveat: Like its predecessor, this is not a book for children, despite its origins in a fairy tale. Vinge's depictions of sex, violence, and mental illness are adult material.

[Douglas Milewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

World's End (1984) by Joan Vinge is a treat. Normally, when I say, "I could write this book," that's an insult. In the case of this book, I feel like I could have written this book, and me being among my favorite writers, I think that Joan's book is fantastic stuff.

This is one of those books where I loved reading all the words. Yes!

The book is not the titan that The Snow Queen was, and that really works for it. I like this normalish length tale over its hefty sibling. The size makes it a nicer story.

This novel doesn't rotate on violence, even though violence is part of these story. Set after the novel The Snow Queen, our self-narrating hero goes searching for his brothers on a crappy world that nobody wants to live on anyway. Out there is Fire Lake, a place of great opportunity and great hazard, where the rules of the universe seem bent, not merely curved.

As one can guess, the whole thing goes rather awry, with our hero getting the worst of it along the way.

I like our non-super-male hero, determined yet guilty yet human. He cares about himself, his family, his heart, and his worlds. Rather than being cynical, as is so usual, he's sincere to the core, and that's what makes him work. That's what makes him engaging. He succeeds because he is not the alpha male, being able to make choices other than hit or be hit.

That's not to say that the book is perfect. It has lots of nits to pick, if you're really into that sort of thing. Lots could have been done better, but the important parts are there and solid.

I heartily recommend this book.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read a book cover to cover in a single sitting. I came to the cotton-eyed realization at about 11 last night that I would do so with World's End.

Falsely billed as a "sequel" to Snow Queen, the book is really a flashback to the period between events of the Snow Queen and the Summer Queen and in my opinion should be read third rather than second. The context of Summer Queen makes World's End that much more fun and helps set a foundation for BZ Gundalinhu and his brothers that invests the reader much more deeply in the characters.

Joan Vinge is an absolute madwoman in the best possible way--her characters are brilliant and brutal in equal measure, her world building is beyond excellent and her exploration of her characters' inner worlds is far richer than what one finds in the sci fi adventures of her contemporaries. Her exploration of colonialism, hegemony and carceral politics are extraordinary in both their execution as well as their placement. I will recommend the Snow Queen series to everyone for the rest of my life.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a slog to get through this book. I understand the author had to set up a few concepts and changes for The Summer Queen, but it’s unfortunate that this is what she came up with.

Det. Gundhalinu still obsessing over his lost love, and disgraced by his failed suicide attempt, gets stationed on some backwater planet of the Hegemony. He learns that his older brothers have disgraced the family worse than he did. He sets off to the barren wastelands to find them, from which no-one has ever returned. He hooks up with some other losers who want to seek fame and fortune in the wasteland. Not a bad set-up, Treasure of Sierra Madre style.

Once they reach the Fire Lake the story goes way downhill. His whining and depressive obsessing take over the story. His madness increases. Interesting and necessary for the finish, but it makes for tedious reading. Eminently skim-able. Can’t wait to start The Summer Queen.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5?
The first half of this story was a very dysfunctional road trip and I liked it a lot. Then they got to their destination and I got a little bored. I don't know why, but I find the prospect of treasure a little boring. Or maybe I think treasure hunting is more interesting than treasure possessing. Then the book took a new turn and was mostly consumed by BZ's rantings and ravings. While it wasn't bad per se, it went on way too long. Some times it felt like that writing exercise where you type nonstop, not caring what you write. In other words it was just random concepts strung together. In between that the plot inched along, but it was not a plot I found interesting. I didn't really get how the fire lake was possible, or why I should care. I thought sibyls were super computers, so what's so cool about the lake? And how can a non sibyl use it?
Despite this criticism I liked the book as a whole. I liked Vinge's writing and I will be reading the next book.

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was an OK book. Kind of a filler, it seems, leading to the next one, "The Summer Queen", and presumably filling in some gaps that needed to be explained. It features the police sergeant from the Winter Queen, chasing his brothers (who have lost the family fortune) to a planet which has an area called "World's End" where fabulous riches can be found, and also death, destruction and especially madness, as time and space seem to be distorted when you get there.
BZ Gundhalinu, the policeman tells his own story this time, as he fights his way through the morass that is World's End, with a surprising conclusion that is presumably the whole point of the book.
It's a very quick read, and easy to read. There is some repetition from the Snow Queen, but not too much. It's worth reading to get the background, i think.

[Matías Picó · Rating 3 out of 5]

El límite del mundo mejora a su antecesora pero eso no era algo tan difícil de conseguir, a pesar de centrarse en un personaje que en la reina de la nieve se hacía insufrible ( lo sigue siendo bastante ) la realidad es que la autora parece sentirse más cómoda y más centrada en la historia de ficción científica y deja de lado la historia romántica, que lastraba buena parte de los brotes verdes de su primer novela.

Se llevaría más estrellas si no fuera porque la última parte del libro, cuando esas virtudes destacadas en el anterior párrafo deberían brillar con luz propia y dar la puntada final, se parece más a la primera novela de lo que sería deseable.

Mi andadura por esta saga parece truncarse por acá , porque todavía mi inglés no me permite manejarme como para leer una novela en ese idioma, y la tercera parte nunca se publico en español.

Nota:6/10

[Matías · Rating 3 out of 5]

El límite del mundo mejora a su antecesora pero eso no era algo tan difícil de conseguir, a pesar de centrarse en un personaje que en la reina de la nieve se hacía insufrible ( lo sigue siendo bastante ) la realidad es que la autora parece sentirse más cómoda y más centrada en la historia de ficción científica y deja de lado la historia romántica, que lastraba buena parte de los brotes verdes de su primer novela.

Se llevaría más estrellas si no fuera porque la última parte del libro, cuando esas virtudes destacadas en el anterior párrafo deberían brillar con luz propia y dar la puntada final, se parece más a la primera novela de lo que sería deseable.

Mi andadura por esta saga parece truncarse por acá , porque todavía mi inglés no me permite manejarme como para leer una novela en ese idioma, y la tercera parte nunca se publico en español.

Nota:6/10

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

World's End serves as a bridge between the Snow Queen and the Summer Queen. It follows one of my least-favorite characters from the Snow Queen, BZ Gundhalinu, and sends him on a Heart of Darkness-esque journey through a hellish landscape where time isn't what it seems. This book, told in first-person perspective from one character, is a narrative departure from Snow Queen. The story is tense and well-told, and I enjoyed getting to know more about this character and his journey. There is a significant portion of the book where BZ doesn't understand what's going on -- and I didn't either -- and the confusion goes on too long for my tastes, but the payoff was worth it. This book has major ramifications on the world of the Snow Queen, so I'm excited to see how it plays into the next book.

[Emalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to the Snow Queen, and while the Snow Queen had a rambly plot with too much of a fantasy feel to it, this book was much better. Granted, it still breaks my rule of thumb that any supposedly sci-fi book that uses the word "tunic" more than once is actually a fantasy book in disguise. That said, this plot was engaging and the characters were well-written. I love her conceptualization of technology in the world and the sibyl. So cool! I'm ready to move on to the sequel in this series.

Also, why is love so cheesy and unbelievable in most sci-fi? A counter example is the "Time Traveler's Wife." That book's love was so tangible and moving to me. It can be done people!

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short side story leading up to the third book but it does have my favorite character and you get to see a new planet. You learn more about the world Joan Vinge has built and the best thing about it is that Vinge didn't write an absurdly huge book to introduce this portion of the series. She made it only as long as it had to be. Which how great is that! You don't have to read through a 500 page side story where only the last 50 pages are important to continue a series. If only other authors did that. Hard to say much when it is the second book in a series but I am very happy Vinge kept is short and to the point as well as the story itself being entertaining. Love the progression.

[Rochelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Not as bad as the first one with all that incest, but with more boring parts, especially in the last third of the book. Also the sex scene was absolutely awful, made me cringe the whole time. At least the main character in this one was a little more likeable than Moon. I definitely will not be continuing to read this series.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve reviewed the first book in this series, the Summer Queen. I’ll just say that this book, while good, does not live up to the other 2 books. This book doesn’t have the big themes and intertwining plots of the other two. It does however link the other 2 books so I recommend reading it.

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This weird little book was my second-favorite in the series after the first. Love the character of BZ Gundhalinu and his plot arc. The novel works as a standalone- you don't have to have read the others in the series.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally am not a huge fan of novellas but this one is great! I love the new world that we get to explore with the strange mystery source that lives there. I am really looking forward to the third book which has some of my favourite characters in them!!

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I ordered this because I found Snow Queen riveting. I barely finished this. I wasn’t that enthralled with BZ in Snow Queen; none of the other characters I was fond of in SQ were in this novel. I purchased the entire series; I hope the other two are more interesting.

[Alastair Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting short novel. It expanded the universe and moved the ark plot forwards from the last (much longer book) towards the next (much longer book). The prose writing and characers are also very strong