Fortress of Ice

Fortress #5

by C.J. Cherryh

Sixteen years have passed since the dramatic events of Fortress of Dragons, and Cefwyn, king at last, must rebuild his devastated kingdom. The embattled ruler is aided by his powerful friend Tristen Sihhe and two surprising allies in a struggle he must win: his two young sons. Elfwyn Aswydd, the bastard son of Cefwyn and the sorceress Tarien Aswydd, has spent years unaware of his parentage, yet now it is his time to emerge and claim the gifted birthright he's been denied for so long.

But a dark, sinister magic has crept close to the young man and seized hold of the kingdom. Nothing is as it seems, and the bonds of family strain against the powerful forces that would see them undone. It is up to an embattled four—Elfwyn; his half brother, Aewyn Marhanen; Cefwyn; and Tristen—to unmask and destroy the dark forces that threaten to unhinge the king's peaceful and fragile reign.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Magic

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Currently resident in Spokane, Washington, C.J. Cherryh has won four Hugos and is one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed authors in the science fiction and fantasy field. She is the author of more than forty novels. Her hobbies include travel, photography, reef culture, Mariners baseball, and, a late passion, figure skating: she intends to compete in the adult USFSA track. She began with the modest ambition to learn to skate backwards and now is working on jumps. She sketches, occasionally, cooks fairly well, and hates house work; she loves the outdoors, animals wild and tame, is a hobbyist geologist, adores dinosaurs, and has academic specialties in Roman constitutional law and bronze age Greek ethnography. She has written science fiction since she was ten, spent ten years of her life teaching Latin and Ancient History on the high school level, before retiring to full time writing, and now does not have enough hours in the day to pursue all her interests. Her studies include planetary geology, weather systems, and natural and man-made catastrophes, civilizations, and cosmology…in fact, there's very little that doesn't interest her. A loom is gathering dust and needs rethreading, a wooden ship model awaits construction, and the cats demand their own time much more urgently. She works constantly, researches mostly on the internet, and has books stacked up and waiting to be written.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don't like reviewing books. What I have to say almost always falls short of what I'd like to say.

I love this series. There's something about it that makes my heart swell and I get all choked up. Read it! You won't regret it.

In this last installment, there has been 16 years of peace in the kingdom of Ylesuin. Tristan has withdrawn to his tower at Ynefel, King Cefwyn sits on his throne with his queen Ninevrise at his side, his bastard son Elfwyn has come to visit him in the capital and his legitimate son Aewyn is an exuberant repeat of himself. Just like the visit of Tristen to the capital years earlier, however, Elfwyn's visit creates havoc with the rigid and anti-wizardry Quinalt priests and Elfwyn is forced to flee.

My heart was in my throat through much of it, but Elfwyn finds his way with Emuin and Tristen's help, and Cefwyn finds that he loves both sons equally.

The magic in this series has a price and is used sparingly. The evil comes from those who want to use it to gain power. It all boils down to very simple things, really. Remember vision, Tristan tells Elfwyn when Elfwyn visits him in his tower. Vision and patience. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all remembered these things? And finally, love. The love between Tristan and Cefwyn, between Elfwyn and Aewyn, the love Cefwyn holds for Emuin, his old wizard/teacher and for Ninevrise and for his sons.... and most of all that Tristen has for the world and for life.

What a beautiful, sensitive, and finally simple tale: simple, that is, in its complexity.

[Samantha (AK) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knowing this book was a next-generation sequel, I gave myself a couple years between the first four books and now. I needn't have worried, though. No amount of space would have let this book breathe on its own, for the simple fact that it's bogged down by its own unresolved plotlines (And also the impulsivity of teenage boys).

This book is overlong and not long enough. I'm usually patient with the way that Cherryh takes her sweet time building up into the plot, but this time the payoff fails. The pacing of this novel feels like an overladen train working its way up a mountain, only to disintegrate on the way back down, loose ends fluttering in the air. There are pages upon pages dedicated to plot threads that go nowhere. Even the main thing--Elfwyn's coming of age--feels distracted.

If a sequel to the Fortress books was needed (and I'd argue it wasn't), it should have been very tightly focused (unlikely, considering the author), or expanded into a series of its own. As is, the characters don't have room to flourish, the world detail is lacking, and I'm not certain that a single plot point is adequately resolved.

And so I'm left sitting here at the end, in a bit of a huff, and all I can think is "but what about...?" and "but why...?"

I didn't hate it, but I definitely recommend skipping this one.

[Ted Bade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book occurs about 15 years after the events in the fourth book. It pretty much follows events surrounding the two boys of Cefwyn, one born from his interactions with the two Aswydd twins and the other a year later with his beloved wife. The boys are teen and have become best of friends. It deals a lot with the magic of this fantasy universe. The story was very well done and very interesting. It is the last book in this series, but it. didn't end in a way that it could not be continues. However, I doubt that it will ever be continued.

I really enjoyed reading it.

[Rosz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I reread Cherryh’s Fortress series recently. I’ve read the first four several times before and each time I loved them. I read them fast, loving every moment. I lent them to a friend and he didn’t like them at all. This time I can see why.

There are style issues: It’s really repetitive (in that Agatha Christie way - which might be one of the attractions actually. Apparently that is something we like, but this time it annoyed me). Why didn’t I feel this way on my previous reads? 



There are story issues: I think Tristen becomes too powerful. He’s like Superman with no kryptonite. He’s scared to use his power and must be careful in everything he does. I do partly like that it’s about not moving, not doing, mundane things being beautiful. All about restraint rather than action - very Asian in concept perhaps? However, it also makes it less interesting. 



Uwen and Idrys couldn't be both bodyguards and officers. It just doesn't work that way. That annoyed me quite a bit.

Not enough happens in the story. It meanders and doesn’t really go anywhere. The unformed villain you never really meet, with another behind him… Where were the editors?

What about the mysterious place the Sihhë come from? Lots of things introduced but never developed in a meaningful way.

Sadly, I think the last book should never have been written. A change of characters, but also a loss of lots of other elements. Things were talked about differently. Characters seemed wasted. Tarien could have been interesting as a redeemed character. Paisi had the gift but got to be a servant rather than Emuin’s apprentice?



There were continuity errors and spelling errors. Magical items were suddenly produced with no provinence and didn’t really do much. The enemy is never defeated and I get the feeling at least two more books might have been planned, but haven’t happened that I know of (?). Maybe there was pressure to produce this book from her publisher, but it didn’t seem fully formed.



The first four books are worth a read for the characters and the world. There are still elements I love about them. I’d almost like to see her rewrite the entire story and refine it.

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 or 7/10

Cefwyn's two sons, one illegitimate, take center stage in this installment of the Fortress series. While Tristen, Cefwyn, Paisi, and Uwen make appearances, the story revolves around the two young men as they learn about themselves and each other.

I found Otter/Elfwyn to be a most frustrating character, mostly because he didn't seem to learn from his mistakes until very, very late in the game. He's a puzzle, not only to himself, but to the other characters and to the reader, and Cherryh's hints and clues are hard to follow, at least for this reader.

Three other points were irritating to me as well. First of all, Tristen repeatedly talks about becoming a dragon in Fortress of Dragons, which I don't recall happening. Secondly, in that same book, it's made quite clear that Hasufin Heltain is not the main source of evil or wickedness, but rather a point of entry and action in the world for some greater dark power, but in this book (Fortress of Ice), Hasufin is clearly the main "bad guy" with Orien and Tarien as his minions. And lastly, Tarien did not name her son Elfwyn, that was Tristen's doing. These deviations from the established story were jarring.

My favorite part of the book was Emuin's reentry into the storyline!

But the main reason I didn't rate this book higher is because it ends so unsatisfactorily. Fortress of Dragons, perhaps because it wrapped up the major story arcs to that point, was more satisfying. The fact that this book is so open-ended tells me there will be more, but the wait may be long, from what I understand.

[Scott Rezer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um... As compares to the rest of the series, this one falls short for several reasons. First, I found myself skipping whole paragraphs to get to the gems, which is the magic and the dialogue, which is magic itself. Second, it centers not around the main characters of the first four books, but rather King Cefwyn’s two minor sons, neither of which are great characters. For sixteen, they both seem at one moment like children and the next as adults. It’s hard to really feel particularly connected to them, unlike Tristen or Cefwyn. Third, it it isn’t about Tristen. He is only a few scenes and his character is severely diminished. It is a good book—hence the four stars—but just isn’t at the same level as the series. Last, once more we are left with things in the air. Maybe having to skip pages I lost something, but what of the book Otter found? Or the shadows in Quinalt? What of the sorcerous Aswydd sisters? What of Tristen, and Cefwyn, and the rest of the cast? Please, Ms. Cherryh, continue the story with another series as good as the first and tell us what happens to these beloved characters!
.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was weak. Taking place sixteen years after the events of the first four books, it shifts focus from Tristen and Cefwyn to Cefwyn's illegitimate son, Elfwyn, who turns out to be a less than compelling character. Not only does nothing happen in the first two hundred and fifty pages (out of four hundred and two!) but the story is marred by extensive, glaring inconsistencies with the history established in the books one through four. Whether this is deliberate retconning or a series of clumsy mistakes, it is intensely irritating, especially since I set the fourth book down seconds before I picked this one up. The ending is, again, confusing and unconvincing...and yet I am left wanting more. Somehow I can't shake the feeling that ONE MORE SEQUEL will round this series out and satisfy my need for closure. C.J. Cherryh, yours are the devil's wiles!

[Ian Bott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the writing itself was technically good, detailed and atmospheric, I got as far as page 80 - one-fifth of the way through the book - and still had no sense of stakes or tension. There was nothing happening that I could be persuaded to care about and I really had no idea, even that far in, what the story was about.

All the angsty introversion - here, Otter having done something vaguely naughty and trying to second guess what others around might be thinking - worked brilliantly in other books like the Chanur series. The difference was that there the world around was genuinely threatening and I could believe that the outcome of a wrong move could be deadly. Here, the world setting was as threatening as a kindergarten tea party, so all the introversion left me thinking "so what?"

At that point, the story and I agreed to part company.

[Murray Writtle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not unreadable but to much internal monolog and no explanation of what the hell was happening at the end. And if it WAS the thing that was hinted at then I'm completely fed up with the same problem recurring in the books of this series.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like many other reviewers, I had many problems with this book, and for many of the same reasons. I didn't like the focus away from Tristen, and the new main character was less interesting. It definitely felt like the start of a new trilogy, since the end of the book was extremely open ended.

[Rik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather disappointing read, with far too much devoted to the internal musings of the characters, and very little happening until nearly at the end of the book. As with the previous books, I felt that the culmination of the events was vague and incomplete.

[Lucy Cummin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book in the Fortress series, Cherryh takes the reader within view of the challenges the next generation will face--not resolving anything of course! There is so little I can say without spoiling should a person planning to read the series looks at the comments ahead of time, but there are children and there are complications about their births and abilities and nothing at all is resolved with the Quinalt faith which abhors 'sorcery', wizards, magic, etcetera without ever examining the complexities more closely. I greatly enjoyed the process of maturing that both Tristen and Cefwyn undergo during the entire series and the start of maturation of the next generation. One feels they will overcome and endure. Five stars as I read through all five in about 3 1/2 weeks, happily while on holiday! Perfect! *****

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This final (for now) book in the Fortress series is set many years after the events of the previous four-book arc, and was published ~5 years after those. Cherryh's prose has improved in that interim, becoming clearer, tighter, and better paced on a page-to-page basis.

The book as a whole takes an unfortunately long time to make it clear what the stakes of the story are, however, making the first half of the book quite an obstacle unless you're willing to give Cherryh the benefit of the doubt (like I did). As often happens in her novels, the pacing picks up speed in latter half, but the same issues with the *wiggles hands* clarity about how magic works makes some of the final scenes ambiguous and hard to relate to, and ends with a surprising lack of resolution.

[Evan Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like CJ Cherryh's writing...but she tends to have her main characters hobbled with irrational bouts of extreme anxiety and self doubt.
..after a while this gets boring and repetitive. Tristan grew out of it..so to continue the series and re do the whole..oh no I don't know how this works, let me second guess myself and do something stupid..they decided to introduce a younger generation.

Still an OK book for those interested in what happens next and enjoyed the first set of books..but I won't be re-reading.

[Brian Mlazgar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Does anyone know what this book is about? I read it, but found that the story came to a screeching halt, without effectively revealing what the plot was about. If there were another book coming, I might not be so disappointed, but apparently this was the last in the series. It's a shame, really, since Cherryh has been one of my favourite authors for the last 30 years. However, I couldn't help feeling that she got bored with the story, and the result is a boring, pointless book.

[Greg Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magic Ends

If only there were another in this series, of Magic Sorcery, the bonds of blood, friendship magic & mystery, weaving its web that once cast remains forever, like hoar frost tingling at the edge of spring, but never quite fading from memory

[Hrvoje Vulin · Rating 2 out of 5]

teenage problems of wizards in puberty...

[Ásrún · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable- have not read previous novels.

[Jackie Silk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an interesting if common plot. Could have been done in 3 books. Did not encourage an enthusiastic read.

[Hunter Snider · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice cap on a charming and heartfelt series

[Catching Shadows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fortress of Ice is a difficult book to pin down–I find myself liking the book, but not liking it enough. (Which no, doesn’t make sense. There are books I love and reread endlessly, there are books I like but only read once. This book falls somewhere between those two categories.) The feeling and tone is entirely different because all the primary characters have become secondary and tertiary, and the next generation is new and very wet behind the ears.

This is primarily a book about family and the relationships between the various characters. It’s about the friendship between Aewyn and Elfwyn, and about Cefwyn trying to be a good father to both his sons. Of course, with a family that is a royal family there are also politics and intrigue, so this is also a book about Cefwyn trying to be a king, while also trying to be a father to his illegitimate and politically problematic son.

Tristen, who had been the forefront of the previous books, takes a back seat in Ice. In this book, he mostly watching from a distance–which in some ways detracts from the story. I had enjoyed the previous books mostly for Tristen’s unique perspective and his interactions with other characters. In this book however, he stays in the distance as a mysterious figure–he’s now the advisor-sage instead of the one who needs advice. This shift was a little jarring and abrupt for me. I would have liked him to have a more active role in the story.

Elfwyn is invited by his father and brother to the capital city of Ylesuin. Cefwyn plans on acknowledging Elfwyn and giving him a place in the family, which is causing a great deal of controversy among the nobles and the major religious group which has it in for Elfwyn because strange supernatural phenomena appear around him. (There are of course other reasons, most of them political.) Elfwyn struggles to deal with this, and his half-brother Aewyn tries to help–unfortunately for both of them, good intentions only manage to get both of them in even deeper trouble.)

One of the things I liked about this book is how Efanor had changed from the naïve young man he had been into a more mature–though still very religious person. I think I would have liked the book more if we had shifted the character point of view to him, instead of primarily to Elfwyn. I also liked how mature Cefwyn has become, and the scenes where Tristen is interacting with Elfwyn.

[Lindsey Cowherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still love this series and wish there was more!

[Myridian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm bereft! As series go, this has turned out to be one of my favorites of all time. And this is the last book! Not to have more time with these characters feels awful. I hope that Cherryh gets back to them at some point, but given the nine years that have passed since this was published I'm not overly hopeful. I also wonder whether the fact that these books were published when Cherryh was with Harper plays any role. But anyway, if my wishes had any power, Cherryh would pick up her pen again and continue the story of these wonderful characters.

This novel picks up 15 years after the conclusion of the last and follows primarily the two sons of Cefwyn, the legitimate Aewyn and the illegitimate Elfwyn as the forces that pushed for the conception of Elfwyn rise up in the world with his approaching adulthood and again threaten the land, Cefwyn and Tristen.

You can really see the influence of Tolkien with Emuin feeling more and more like a Gandalf figure and even the words, "It wants to be found," appearing in the text. But the characters have such dept and the emotional reality present in this fantasy setting is amazing.

The bromance feeling of the relationship between Cefwyn and Tristen is still a big feature of the story as is the newer bond of actual brothers Elfwyn and Aewyn. The themes of loyalty and power continue and pervade, but this is also a coming of age-type story for Elfwyn and Aewyn with the added perspective of deeply knowing the older generation of characters who are looking on and trying to guide the younger.

I did truly love these books. I was amazed they could stay so strong throughout. I would place them up there with my favorite early Tanith Lee and more recent Jacqueline Carey favorites.

[Speedtribes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. This was a well written tale. Unfortunately, I had a difficulty immersing myself into it.

The problem is that I'm beginning to suspect my appreciation for Cherryh's fantasies are far below my total love for her science fiction series'. I tend to prefer starting a series from the first volume, but in this case, I was unable to locate a copy and I had heard that this one might as well be a completely different series. (It involving a time skip and the progeny of the series's main characters, rather the parents.)

The characters were likable, and there was a certain level of nuance-- though most thoughts of flatness could be attribute to me starting at the bum end of the series. I don't know. Something about it didn't grip me despite all of its good qualities. Perhaps, it's because I read it with far too many expectations? I found Cherryh's Foreigner series to be somewhat revolutionary, deadly interesting and very gripping. As far as fantasy tales go, Fortress of Ice doesn't do much of anything to stand above the Young-Boys-of-Prophecy thing. Cherryh's style of very solid and unadorned writing doesn't help matters much either. If she had some sort of stylistic 'thing', or, had written in some sort of experimental style that was visually and intellectually interesting, I may have been able to sit through the story far better.

In the end, no matter how well written it is, the plain story/prose is enough to cause the entire book to become rather disappointingly yawn worthy.

[Meredith Galman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming on this book was like a chance meeting with old friends. It was great to catch up with Cefwyn, Ninevrise, and their relatives, friends, and enemies. I especially love Tristen, and during the considerable portions of the book when he is absent, I missed him as much as Cefwyn does. As the book goes on, it became clear that it was not a mere coda to the tale that has gone before it, but the start of a new cycle concerning Cefwyn's two sons, his heir Aewyn and the illegitimate Elfwyn. Can the two boys preserve the peace and security of the realm through their improbable friendship, or will they inevitably part and become enemies and rivals, opening the way for war, chaos, and evil? As I said, I love Tristen, but I don't think he treated Elfwyn very wisely: if the boy is a hollow vessel as everyone fears, why not try to fill him up with some of the guidance he is begging for? I'm once again hooked and captivated, waiting to see what comes next. As always, Cherryh's masterful world-building, sensuous prose, and facility with naming provide great pleasure.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a sequel to Cherryh's earlier four-book Fortress series, which I read several years ago and very much enjoyed. It takes place about 15 years after the conclusion of the fourth book, this time focusing on King Cefwyn's two sons. Aewyn is his legitimate son and heir, and Elfwyn is his bastard son whose mother was from a dangerous and sorcerous family. Cefwyn tries to foster friendship between the two boys, but Elfwyn's first visit to court goes awry.
As with the first four in the series, this book is surprisingly and wonderfully introspective, meditative, and subtle. Cherryh also successfully combines these qualities with elements of epic fantasy and political intrigue. It's also a great story of self-discovery and maturation.

(N.B. I would advise reading the first four before tackling this volume. Not only are the first books very much worth reading, they will also make the plot and world of Fortress of Ice make much more sense (even though it has a synopsis of the earlier events).)

[Viridian5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I love C.J. Cherryh's work I'm not as big a fan of her fantasy novels nor of her Fortress series. I read the Fortress books mainly for the moments between Cefwyn and Tristen.

Fortress of Ice has very little of that. Mostly it's about Cefwyn's headstrong and seemingly stupid sons. Sorcery/magic/wizardry clouding their minds does not make up for the kind of active stupidity on display from these two boys. Let's work something that looks like wizardry on a holy holiday in which everyone is suspicious of me doing forbidden magic already! Let's go haring out into a terrible snowstorm with no food! Elfwyn and Aewyn didn't endear themselves to me at all, and the novel is all about them, Elfwyn in particular.

One of the wizard battles was impossible to follow. Really, I have no idea what was going on in it.

I can't recommend this book.

[Tani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this for a chance to catch up with some old friends, but it didn't really grab hold of me like I'd hoped it would. I did eventually grow to like Elfwyn and Aewyn, but it took a while, and in the meantime I spent a lot of time wondering just what the point was of everything that was happening. Yes, it did come together in the end, but I still felt like there was a lot of empty space in the middle where things were happening, but I didn't know why they were happening or why they even mattered. I think that if I had read this as a standalone, without reading the previous four books, I probably wouldn't have cared for it at all. My fondness for the other books in the series definitely biased me to like this book more than I might have otherwise.

[Jo Rhett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent follow-up to the original four books. It is kindof an appendix in ways, but also a unique story in itself. Tristen appears for some crucial bits, but it's really a story about Cefwyn's sons.

One thing is that they actually spell out clearly much of the magic and who is really who in a way that is confusing and vague in the original 4. In short, Tristen is at the height of his knowledge and power and can relate to you in clear words what is happening, although again he does not have the central viewpoint.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the latest in a series I've been reading for awhile. It's a fantasy series and I think it's a good one. Better than the average. Cherryh is an author who conjures worlds with a lot of detail and atmosphere. If you enjoy fantasy novels about wizards and magic, then you should give Cherryh a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. But start from the beginning with this series (Fortress in the Eye of Time).