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Riders Guild #1
Mapping Winter
In the frozen land of Cherek, Lord Cadoc Marubin lies dying and chaos threatens the land.
During his four decades in power he had held Dalmorat Province in an iron grip, for which his heirs now contend. Cherek is poised on the brink of new-world advancements in culture and technology, but Cadoc’s choice could deny his people that bright fate and seal Dalmorat in darkness.
Kieve Rider, sworn to Cadoc’s service, detests both the man she serves and the oath that binds her to his evils. Yet by that same oath it falls upon her to act as lynchpin in Cadoc’s naming of a new heir. Embroiled in the complexities of character, corruption and political intrigue, Kieve struggles to trust anyone, not least herself.
Mapping Winter is a dynastic fantasy thriller, with a promise of steampunk at its labyrinthine heart.
First published as The Sword of Winter in 1983, Mapping Winter has been extensively revised to fit the author’s originally intended vision.
During his four decades in power he had held Dalmorat Province in an iron grip, for which his heirs now contend. Cherek is poised on the brink of new-world advancements in culture and technology, but Cadoc’s choice could deny his people that bright fate and seal Dalmorat in darkness.
Kieve Rider, sworn to Cadoc’s service, detests both the man she serves and the oath that binds her to his evils. Yet by that same oath it falls upon her to act as lynchpin in Cadoc’s naming of a new heir. Embroiled in the complexities of character, corruption and political intrigue, Kieve struggles to trust anyone, not least herself.
Mapping Winter is a dynastic fantasy thriller, with a promise of steampunk at its labyrinthine heart.
First published as The Sword of Winter in 1983, Mapping Winter has been extensively revised to fit the author’s originally intended vision.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2019
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292 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 13, 2019
The original version of this book, The Sword Of Winter, was one I read repeatedly as a young woman. It was important largely I think because the heroine is the kind of a woman who rides out alone into lonely and wild places with competence instead of fear, and then when she gets back, she’s wearing an ugly eyepatch due to an injury and doesn’t bother to wash her hair, which is filthy from the journey, for two days until she goes to meet her lover at the baths, because she’s too busy doing her job for which she is feared and respected, as well as having fun playing a game of athleticism and cunning.
The idea of a woman who would not hasten to tidy herself up, who had absolutely no concern about the way she looked, who left her hair dirty because there were other things to do including playing games, was mind blowing to me then. The dirty hair stayed in my mind for decades as a possibility for who a woman could be if pleasing appearances didn’t matter. In a way, this was one of the most feminist things I’d ever read.
The story too overall was a fun one. I loved the original ending.
It has changed in this retelling. The entire story has gotten darker, more complex, and in ways more realistic. There are more characters- I lost my way in the names for a while. Also, the relationship with Jenci is slightly less explicit for which I give thanks because it always squicked me out. And the ending is both different and shaded in grey.
It’s worth reading. It’s a deeper, richer book now. And, her hair is still dirty for those two days.
The idea of a woman who would not hasten to tidy herself up, who had absolutely no concern about the way she looked, who left her hair dirty because there were other things to do including playing games, was mind blowing to me then. The dirty hair stayed in my mind for decades as a possibility for who a woman could be if pleasing appearances didn’t matter. In a way, this was one of the most feminist things I’d ever read.
The story too overall was a fun one. I loved the original ending.
It has changed in this retelling. The entire story has gotten darker, more complex, and in ways more realistic. There are more characters- I lost my way in the names for a while. Also, the relationship with Jenci is slightly less explicit for which I give thanks because it always squicked me out. And the ending is both different and shaded in grey.
It’s worth reading. It’s a deeper, richer book now. And, her hair is still dirty for those two days.
September 25, 2019
I'll start by saying I read Sword of Winter way back when, and really liked that version. I was so interested when I heard Randall had revised that novel into a new book!
I was delighted to find that Mapping Winter is an excellent story, even better than the first version. What has stayed the same: Most of the plot, but not the ending. What has changed, besides the ending and the names of the most important characters? Well, first, there’s a lot more depth to both the protagonist and the world.
Lyeth was a fine protagonist. But Kieve, though similar, is better. She is more complicated and deeper, more conflicted in various important ways. Her deep longing to see new places has been added in this version – part of the brand-new emphasis on exploring and mapping. Her relationship with her guildmaster is a lot more complicated as a result. In fact, most of her relationships are more complex. Plus the new ending grows out of that aspect of her character.
The world in Sword of Winter was perfectly fine, but the world has deepened in the new version of the story. The local political situation is fraught in both books, but the broader world in Mapping Winter is more important. Clearly that is going to increase in later books in the series.
How about that new ending?
Well . . . I sort of like it. The new ending arises naturally out of the new story. It’s not as pat or as convenient as the original ending. Some aspects of the new ending offend my sense of justice. Plus a character I like gets killed, which always makes me unhappy. Still, the nastiest villain meets his just end, so it could be worse. Given the new ending, the set-up for the next book seems clear. It’s possible the local political situation will be altered again by later events. Or that whole part of the story, central in this book, may fade in importance. That’s not nearly as clear.
[Update because I've now read the sequel] Yes, the person who took power at the end of the first books was not a nice person. The sequel makes it clear that this aspect of the ending of Mapping Winter is not supposed to please the reader; that situation continues to be relevant as remains unresolved as a hook for, I presume, the third book. I'll add that the sequel, The River South is fantastic.
Back to Mapping Winter -- what else should I say about this book?
Well, this is important: this is a book that offers lyrical prose and great description. I’m not sure whether the writing was this beautiful in the earlier version because I didn’t get Sword of Winter off the shelf to compare, but if the thirty-six-year gap between the two versions has made a difference, it’s a good one. Either way, the writing in Mapping Winter is just beautiful. Here's a quote, for example:
The alpine valley ended as sharply as though sheared away, leaving in its place a chasm falling in shattered steps into blackness before the land leaped up again in the distance, and up further to the head of a massive peak to the northwest. Flat sunlight struck the shoulders of the peak, flaring from snow and ice fields; it seemed in that moment that another world had opened before her, one so new that the colors had not yet been added.
And again, a single sentence that struck me as particularly beautiful:
Someone sat in a barracks window, playing a flute. Its crisp music decorated the chill air.
Its crisp music decorated the chill air. I wish I’d written that sentence.
So, then, should you read this new book?
Yes, you absolutely should. If you loved the earlier version, you’ll probably love Mapping Winter. If you never read the earlier book, you’ll probably still love Mapping Winter, especially if you like secondary-world fantasy with very little or no magic, lyrical description, and a heavy emphasis on politics.
I'm not sure whether I liked the sequel as well as this book -- I might have loved it even more. It's got a more intimate feel because the focus is more tightly on the protagonist rather than the broader political situation. I'm certainly very pleased Randall picked up the first book, revised it, and is now going on with a series; I'll be right there for the third book whenever that one is released.
I was delighted to find that Mapping Winter is an excellent story, even better than the first version. What has stayed the same: Most of the plot, but not the ending. What has changed, besides the ending and the names of the most important characters? Well, first, there’s a lot more depth to both the protagonist and the world.
Lyeth was a fine protagonist. But Kieve, though similar, is better. She is more complicated and deeper, more conflicted in various important ways. Her deep longing to see new places has been added in this version – part of the brand-new emphasis on exploring and mapping. Her relationship with her guildmaster is a lot more complicated as a result. In fact, most of her relationships are more complex. Plus the new ending grows out of that aspect of her character.
The world in Sword of Winter was perfectly fine, but the world has deepened in the new version of the story. The local political situation is fraught in both books, but the broader world in Mapping Winter is more important. Clearly that is going to increase in later books in the series.
How about that new ending?
Well . . . I sort of like it. The new ending arises naturally out of the new story. It’s not as pat or as convenient as the original ending. Some aspects of the new ending offend my sense of justice. Plus a character I like gets killed, which always makes me unhappy. Still, the nastiest villain meets his just end, so it could be worse. Given the new ending, the set-up for the next book seems clear. It’s possible the local political situation will be altered again by later events. Or that whole part of the story, central in this book, may fade in importance. That’s not nearly as clear.
[Update because I've now read the sequel] Yes, the person who took power at the end of the first books was not a nice person. The sequel makes it clear that this aspect of the ending of Mapping Winter is not supposed to please the reader; that situation continues to be relevant as remains unresolved as a hook for, I presume, the third book. I'll add that the sequel, The River South is fantastic.
Back to Mapping Winter -- what else should I say about this book?
Well, this is important: this is a book that offers lyrical prose and great description. I’m not sure whether the writing was this beautiful in the earlier version because I didn’t get Sword of Winter off the shelf to compare, but if the thirty-six-year gap between the two versions has made a difference, it’s a good one. Either way, the writing in Mapping Winter is just beautiful. Here's a quote, for example:
The alpine valley ended as sharply as though sheared away, leaving in its place a chasm falling in shattered steps into blackness before the land leaped up again in the distance, and up further to the head of a massive peak to the northwest. Flat sunlight struck the shoulders of the peak, flaring from snow and ice fields; it seemed in that moment that another world had opened before her, one so new that the colors had not yet been added.
And again, a single sentence that struck me as particularly beautiful:
Someone sat in a barracks window, playing a flute. Its crisp music decorated the chill air.
Its crisp music decorated the chill air. I wish I’d written that sentence.
So, then, should you read this new book?
Yes, you absolutely should. If you loved the earlier version, you’ll probably love Mapping Winter. If you never read the earlier book, you’ll probably still love Mapping Winter, especially if you like secondary-world fantasy with very little or no magic, lyrical description, and a heavy emphasis on politics.
I'm not sure whether I liked the sequel as well as this book -- I might have loved it even more. It's got a more intimate feel because the focus is more tightly on the protagonist rather than the broader political situation. I'm certainly very pleased Randall picked up the first book, revised it, and is now going on with a series; I'll be right there for the third book whenever that one is released.
June 28, 2024
Wonderful book, leaves you with more questions than answers. Vivid world building, with an especially notable care to detail and three-dimensional material culture. The world feels lived in, like you could pick up one of the objects and hold it in your hand to admire all its facets. The people are just as complex, in a world of no good choices, trying to make the best of things (whatever that means). Full of moral quandaries and fascinating relationships between characters and the questions of a changing world.
December 27, 2022
I recently read and very much enjoyed a short story collection by this author that leaned more toward sci fi, and wasn't sure how it would look when she wrote fantasy, at novel length - can confirm, it looks great. An in-depth setting that she obviously knows inside out, politically and geographically; cold, violent weather that feels like it's raging outside the reader's own windows, it's so well-written; a main character (a woman who is an actual, fully realised, flawed and complicated adult!) who is the most faceted I've seen in a fantasy setting in a long time. I don't understand why Marta Randall isn't more popular - her books aren't even in print to buy physical copies. I'll be reading whatever I can get my hands on.
Edit to add: I've just been rummaging about on the internet and realised that this novel was originally published (under a different title - 'The Sword of Winter') in 1983 and I'm honestly shocked. It doesn't read that way at all. No wonder I can't find a copy 🤦♀️
Edit to add: I've just been rummaging about on the internet and realised that this novel was originally published (under a different title - 'The Sword of Winter') in 1983 and I'm honestly shocked. It doesn't read that way at all. No wonder I can't find a copy 🤦♀️
September 5, 2019
Sword of Winter was always one of my favorites of this author's books, but this version follows the logic of the world far better. I enjoyed reading this the first time, where I noted all the differences. I suspect that the second time I will read it as its own creation, and will like it all the better for that.
(Some of the coincidences in the first version--no matter how I loved the story--felt a bit contrived to me, and this version removes that part.)
(Some of the coincidences in the first version--no matter how I loved the story--felt a bit contrived to me, and this version removes that part.)
September 14, 2019
I remember the first version of this
And thought it was excellent. Scenes stuck with me for years. This edition lives up to, surpasses the first. (I always worry, but I am happy to say that the suck fairy did NOT visit this story as time passed :-) )
And thought it was excellent. Scenes stuck with me for years. This edition lives up to, surpasses the first. (I always worry, but I am happy to say that the suck fairy did NOT visit this story as time passed :-) )
July 15, 2024
Rich immersive language but a fairly slow pace. I didn’t finish before bookclub because I stopped caring about the characters but the other participants were enthusiastic so I picked it up again and really enjoyed the final third, where things started coming together and paying off.
It’s an amazing depiction of winter; I picked it up again during a heat wave and reading this is better than air conditioning.
It’s an amazing depiction of winter; I picked it up again during a heat wave and reading this is better than air conditioning.
November 11, 2019
I just discovered the original version of this book (The Sword of Winter) a few years ago, and loved it. This reworking has all the awesome of the earlier book, but with the rougher edges polished to an even shinier gem.
I still love the main character - an adult woman who's capable of taking care of herself and confident in her own opinions, but who ends up caught up in a web of political machinations through no desire of her own - and I adore the prose. I love the balance between some lovely visual imagery when the prose is describing the surroundings, but when it comes to Kieve's emotions and how she feels about events around her, it goes for an almost purely "show, don't tell" approach. The timing and simplicity of a of a moment of Kieve looking over at the boy she's impulsively taken under her wing tells us exactly how torn she is about what to do with him. A moment of her leaning out her bedroom window and describing the view captures a sense of being glad to be home without ever saying it. I really love how clearly the complexities of her character come across with so little explicitly handed to us.
I also still love the worldbuilding details of a world on the cusp of new technologies and new ways of thinking threatening the traditions that the social fabric is built on (and more directly, threatening the continued existence of Kieve's own guild). I haven't gone back to the original text to see how much has changed with this, but these details felt more tightly wound into the story this time around, more directly impacting key motivations and justifying their existence more. I'm very much looking forward to how that evolves in the (new!) sequel.
I still love the main character - an adult woman who's capable of taking care of herself and confident in her own opinions, but who ends up caught up in a web of political machinations through no desire of her own - and I adore the prose. I love the balance between some lovely visual imagery when the prose is describing the surroundings, but when it comes to Kieve's emotions and how she feels about events around her, it goes for an almost purely "show, don't tell" approach. The timing and simplicity of a of a moment of Kieve looking over at the boy she's impulsively taken under her wing tells us exactly how torn she is about what to do with him. A moment of her leaning out her bedroom window and describing the view captures a sense of being glad to be home without ever saying it. I really love how clearly the complexities of her character come across with so little explicitly handed to us.
I also still love the worldbuilding details of a world on the cusp of new technologies and new ways of thinking threatening the traditions that the social fabric is built on (and more directly, threatening the continued existence of Kieve's own guild). I haven't gone back to the original text to see how much has changed with this, but these details felt more tightly wound into the story this time around, more directly impacting key motivations and justifying their existence more. I'm very much looking forward to how that evolves in the (new!) sequel.
September 12, 2019
I really didn’t get on with this and abandoned it about a third of the way through. It started off quite promisingly, I liked the central character and the setting. However, there seemed to be practically no plot or character development, and loads and loads of detail about not very interesting things. I started skipping bits, then more bits, and then realised I’d lost track completely and gave up on it.
November 4, 2023
This book is in a subgenre of fantasy I wish we had a specific word for. The story is set in a secondary world and that's why it goes under fantasy, but there is no magic or supernatural phenomenons. What we have is a richly drawn and complex world with its conflicts and cultures which is deeply satisfying to find out about. There are a lot of characters and I confess I was a bit confused keeping them straight for a while, but the characters and especially the main character have many layers and there are shades of gray everywhere. The plot is also intriguing and perfectly a product of its setting. I love it when a story is told in a setting that is integral to it.
June 29, 2024
Rich, textured no-magic fantasy with an intent focus on both relationships (feelings more shown than spoken of) and material objects / tactile sensations. Many flawed people making efforts to be better, or not; most characters are neither bad nor good but a mix. Lots of good winter stuff. My very favorite parts where when she was out alone with one other person, mapping and dealing with the cold. Very easy to read in terms of language and flow, the lucidity that makes the pages turn faster. Looking forward to the sequel.
CN: violence including murder and torture, epic levels of betrayal and distrust, dishonor
CN: violence including murder and torture, epic levels of betrayal and distrust, dishonor
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August 18, 2024I'll be honest--I was expecting a bit more mapping winter in this book. But the world was very well thought out and meticulously observed, and I am a sucker for stories where a curmudgeon has their heart melted by accidentally acquiring a child. Very slow paced, so if that's a thing that bothers you, be warned. I did like it though.
March 18, 2024
Maps show the way
For the solitary so we see the direction. Well written, the word & thought processes define the characters.
The elements are unacknowledged & unwanted, but snow ❄️❄️ rules.
For the solitary so we see the direction. Well written, the word & thought processes define the characters.
The elements are unacknowledged & unwanted, but snow ❄️❄️ rules.
July 22, 2024
Book club read. Interesting world building; fantasy but no magic.
August 30, 2024
A good read but I don't think I'll be thinking about this one for very long. A lot of interesting pieces that didn't quite come together for me.
October 23, 2019
Into it. Surly heroine who rides her horse, mapping the far flung lands, has to return to solve the murder of her teacher as gross royal politics swirl around the dying king. Basically like Shiv in Succession, she’s ruthless.
January 4, 2020
A sequel of sorts to an old novel. I spent a lot of time trying to tie up loose ends from memory. I hope it's a middle book of a trilogy.
October 23, 2020
I really liked this book, but the heroine's life was just so hard and crappy. I needed a little more positivity.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews