What do you think?
Rate this book
Rewilding Reports #2
The Ice Ghost
This second book in a cli-fi series from a nationally-recognized anthropologist explores a frozen future where archaic species struggle to survive an apocalyptic Ice Age
In the brutal Ice Age caused by the ancient Jemen war, many archaic human species, including Denisovans and Homo erectus, hover on the verge of extinction. There seems no way out, until the greatest Neandertal holy man, Trogon, has a vision. Legends say the truce that ended the old war left one hostage in the hands of the victorious rebels: the godlike Jemen leader known as the Old Woman of the Mountain. According to Trogon's vision, only one person knows the location of that burial cave. Trogon must capture young Quiller and force her to lead him there...for the Old Woman may not be dead. She may only have been in stasis for a thousand summers, and when reawakened she will save them from oblivion.
But according to the Denisovans--Quiller's people--Trogon is the most powerful witch alive. He's up to something evil that will surely spell their destruction. He must be stopped before it's too late.
Quiller's best friend Lynx must brave towering glaciers, dire wolves, and prides of giant lions to save her and stop Trogon.
In the brutal Ice Age caused by the ancient Jemen war, many archaic human species, including Denisovans and Homo erectus, hover on the verge of extinction. There seems no way out, until the greatest Neandertal holy man, Trogon, has a vision. Legends say the truce that ended the old war left one hostage in the hands of the victorious rebels: the godlike Jemen leader known as the Old Woman of the Mountain. According to Trogon's vision, only one person knows the location of that burial cave. Trogon must capture young Quiller and force her to lead him there...for the Old Woman may not be dead. She may only have been in stasis for a thousand summers, and when reawakened she will save them from oblivion.
But according to the Denisovans--Quiller's people--Trogon is the most powerful witch alive. He's up to something evil that will surely spell their destruction. He must be stopped before it's too late.
Quiller's best friend Lynx must brave towering glaciers, dire wolves, and prides of giant lions to save her and stop Trogon.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2022
13 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen O'Neal Gear
137 books711 followersMy professional life began in the dark basement of the Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles, where I was cataloguing three-hundred-year-old Guatemalan saint carvings. I quit this fascinating job and moved to Wyoming to work for the U.S. Department of the Interior as a historian and archaeologist. When I finally understood the error of my ways I moved to Wyoming and started writing books. Since then, I've authored or co-authored 54 novels and around 200 non-fiction publications.
I love writing. And buffalo. And hiking the wilds of Wyoming's backcountry.
I'm married (until he comes to his senses) to W. Michael Gear, the novelist and my co-author, and we live at the edge of the Wind River Indian Reservation in the Owl Creek mountains of Wyoming. We're contented watching buffalo and writing books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/kathle...
I love writing. And buffalo. And hiking the wilds of Wyoming's backcountry.
I'm married (until he comes to his senses) to W. Michael Gear, the novelist and my co-author, and we live at the edge of the Wind River Indian Reservation in the Owl Creek mountains of Wyoming. We're contented watching buffalo and writing books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/kathle...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 3, 2022
It's between a 3 and 4 stars. That's more exact. But I rounded it up for the incredible context convoluted with imagination.
Pondering this a bit and thinking about Sticks never being able to learn to read. So sad!
Also the role of the scientists who plied the big oops!
It's extreme and wild. Yet keeping it to so few characters make it, although complicated, more powerfully digestible. Skillful story teller if you are into wider science fiction and fantasy mixes. But go to this only if you have a super wide lens for bizarre description. And having a thorough knowledge of numerous ancient homo forms won't hurt either.
Pondering this a bit and thinking about Sticks never being able to learn to read. So sad!
Also the role of the scientists who plied the big oops!
It's extreme and wild. Yet keeping it to so few characters make it, although complicated, more powerfully digestible. Skillful story teller if you are into wider science fiction and fantasy mixes. But go to this only if you have a super wide lens for bizarre description. And having a thorough knowledge of numerous ancient homo forms won't hurt either.
February 8, 2024
I am going to rate this 48 out of 100.
First of all, it drags a lot on the treking in the caves and not that much development. IT suffers from being the middle book.
So, this story follows the previous novel , but several moons (months) have passed. The peace between SeaLion & Rust are gone and Rust has almost destroyed Sealion. Of 100 something there are now only 20. After a brief parley Torgon (of Rust) asks for Quiller to guide him to Lynx and in return they won't kill the remaining Sealions. She a accepts and their journey starts. Meanwhile we've got glimpses of Lynx living with the supposedly last Jermen alive but slowing dying (don't know why since he is still around 1000 years in the future).
I am not going to spoil everything but after meeting they then travel again to a caves where a old woman (another Jermen) lives. Stuff happen and the book end.
First of all, my main problem and to me it was too much was the pov. There are three pov now instead of two. We've got now Rabbitear and each chapter is around 3 to 5 pages. Each one is 1st person perspective and so at some point it just blends and got me confuse a lot... who am I reading now? This was disconcerting.
Then the plot is just as I've said middle book. You've got a couple semi answers and more questions let's hope book 3 wraps it up. I am going to read this month. It was to be one per month but to be honest I Want this to be over. We understand now a bit.. Scientists developed something that give birth to something that lives in the water and a ice age appear. (what are the giants that they talk about?) . Scientists (don't know why Jermen comes from that) battle and some development creatures that can adapt to cold. Basically Denisovans and neatherdals (the two branches before our current evolutionary state). Basically they are redoing the past and in x thousand years they will again change to current homo sapiens (who the heck know that would happen). This idea is basically focus on the theory that evolution is scripted go to a-b-c and so on.. but is it? That's why we've you've got all of this branches... Well let's see how Kathleen grabs us on book 3.
Overall, I didn't enjoy as much this.
First of all, it drags a lot on the treking in the caves and not that much development. IT suffers from being the middle book.
So, this story follows the previous novel , but several moons (months) have passed. The peace between SeaLion & Rust are gone and Rust has almost destroyed Sealion. Of 100 something there are now only 20. After a brief parley Torgon (of Rust) asks for Quiller to guide him to Lynx and in return they won't kill the remaining Sealions. She a accepts and their journey starts. Meanwhile we've got glimpses of Lynx living with the supposedly last Jermen alive but slowing dying (don't know why since he is still around 1000 years in the future).
I am not going to spoil everything but after meeting they then travel again to a caves where a old woman (another Jermen) lives. Stuff happen and the book end.
First of all, my main problem and to me it was too much was the pov. There are three pov now instead of two. We've got now Rabbitear and each chapter is around 3 to 5 pages. Each one is 1st person perspective and so at some point it just blends and got me confuse a lot... who am I reading now? This was disconcerting.
Then the plot is just as I've said middle book. You've got a couple semi answers and more questions let's hope book 3 wraps it up. I am going to read this month. It was to be one per month but to be honest I Want this to be over. We understand now a bit.. Scientists developed something that give birth to something that lives in the water and a ice age appear. (what are the giants that they talk about?) . Scientists (don't know why Jermen comes from that) battle and some development creatures that can adapt to cold. Basically Denisovans and neatherdals (the two branches before our current evolutionary state). Basically they are redoing the past and in x thousand years they will again change to current homo sapiens (who the heck know that would happen). This idea is basically focus on the theory that evolution is scripted go to a-b-c and so on.. but is it? That's why we've you've got all of this branches... Well let's see how Kathleen grabs us on book 3.
Overall, I didn't enjoy as much this.
July 4, 2022
Unfortunately I read this #2 of the sequence first - but I got the idea and plot well enough to understand it. Still, it was weak, a bit too quick on reasonings and opportune explanations to resolve people’s character. Obviously a science fiction of futuristic Earth gone bad due to ‘bad’ people.
Ya, just did not work for me - though I did finish it to find out the ending with numerous twists in it.
Ya, just did not work for me - though I did finish it to find out the ending with numerous twists in it.
March 24, 2023
I personally love this cli-fi series. I put off reading this sequel despite my appreciation for the first book (only because I had so many other books to read). I wish I had read it sooner. I truly enjoy the author's character and world building. Poking around in old dark ruins is one of my favorite plot lines and this book was full of it. Can't wait to see even more of the story unfold in the next one. If you've read the first don't put off reading this sequel. And, if you are like some reviewers and are tempted to read this without first reading book one just don't do it, read them in order, the story arc demands it.
June 19, 2023
This is a review of The Ice Ghost, by Kathleen O'Neal Gear (DAW) and The Ice Orphan, by Kathleen O'Neal Gear (DAW)
I previously reviewed the first of the “Rewilding Reports” novels (The Ice Lion) and I liked it (The Ice Lion, by Kathleen O'Neal Gear, DAW). The set-up is appealing: In the far future, an attempt to halt the Earth’s runaway warming resulted in a new, apocalyptic Ice Age with glaciers three miles high and a poisonous slime, “zyme” covering the oceans. As the planet descended into this frigid nightmare, the last scientists recreated species that had survived earlier Ice Ages: dire wolves, helmeted musk oxen, cave lions, and extinct, archaic human species like the Denisovans, Neanderthals, and Homo erectus. Remnants of the previous civilization persist in myths (about the godlike Jemen = G-men), an enigmatic scientist with an artificially extended lifespan, and a quantum computer spiraling into loss of function.
Some of the things I liked best about the first volume are here in the subsequent books. Foremost is the humanity, culture, and sensitivity, and poetic imagery of the pre-human characters. We moderns tend to regard our ancestors as dim-witted and lacking in social graces, although recent discoveries reveal such markers of cooperative culture as care for the injured and burial of the dead long before H. sapiens came along. Gear’s characters, although having much smaller brains, are nonetheless resourceful, compassionate, and thoughtful. The Dog Soldiers (H. erectus) may have had small, sloping skulls, but their understanding of ethical issues, not to mention their literacy and reverence for books, marks them as anything but “primitive.” In fact, the most advanced of the three species, the Rust People Neanderthals, are the most violent.
The Ice Ghost and The Ice Orphan continue the adventures of Sealion People (Denisovan) Lynx and Quiller, and members of Quiller’s family, as they struggle against an increasingly hostile terrain and new enemies. Legends mix uneasily with prophecies and dreams, as none of the pre-human species draws precise differences between poorly understood history, inspiration, and the visions born of mental illness or hallucinogens. The disintegrating quantum computer, called “Quancee,” is undoubtedly real, as is the reanimated Jemen general bent on destroying the computer’s autonomy and changing it into a weapon, and the brutal Rust People (Neandertal) shaman whose visions drive him to invade the Jemen stronghold and reawaken the ancient ruler. Who, of course, has an agenda of her own.
These next two volumes have many of the strengths of the first, including smooth prose, sympathetic characters, innovative world-building, and wonderful physical descriptions. The characters are portrayed through their experiences so that only occasionally are their physical appearances important. What matters is the quality of their characters, their courage, compassion, leadership, and honesty.
Each of the three books centers on a different but related quest, and therein lies not only the charm of the series and the independence of each installment, but a flaw in the latter two. The first volume of a series has a lot of work to do, establishing not only viewpoint characters, their goals and conflicts, but the world itself. In this case, the world’s history is critical to the story. To her credit, Gear does not bash us over the head with pages of exposition and backstory. History is gleaned from hints here and there, and the understanding of the characters. In this, Gear does a great job, even when historical facts have become distorted or even erased with time and the demands of survival in an increasingly perilous environment.
The problem I experienced was that, compared with the first volume (The Ice Lion), what comes next felt lightweight. They seemed more like novellas in the scope of the plot, stories fleshed out with too many repetitive descriptions and inconsequential or trivial events.
My second problem arose from the conflation of imaginary and real events. In books of this type, there’s an expectation that mysterious elements will be revealed (as opposed to fantasy, where magic need not have any relationship to the laws of physics), that the reader will be able to put together the pieces and figure out what the age-warped technology, historical events, and so forth really are. And how much were real technology, events, and so forth, versus how much the imaginative, often superstitious interpretation. Gear’s characters treat superstition as just as real as tangible physical articles, but we the readers lack the clues to distinguish them. Perhaps those clues will be revealed in a future volume. Alas, I for one found two novels too long to be befuddled. This was made worse by hand-waving technology, such as near-immortality antiaging tech, a way for the genetically modified prehumans to receive telepathic communications from a computer, and the dream quest of Quiller’s adolescent son, which left me wondering if he was spiritually “transformed” or actually dead.
I continue to recommend the first volume of this series for all the reasons cited above. As for the rest, other readers may find the same delight in them. The series looks to be continuing. As they say, “YMMV.”
I previously reviewed the first of the “Rewilding Reports” novels (The Ice Lion) and I liked it (The Ice Lion, by Kathleen O'Neal Gear, DAW). The set-up is appealing: In the far future, an attempt to halt the Earth’s runaway warming resulted in a new, apocalyptic Ice Age with glaciers three miles high and a poisonous slime, “zyme” covering the oceans. As the planet descended into this frigid nightmare, the last scientists recreated species that had survived earlier Ice Ages: dire wolves, helmeted musk oxen, cave lions, and extinct, archaic human species like the Denisovans, Neanderthals, and Homo erectus. Remnants of the previous civilization persist in myths (about the godlike Jemen = G-men), an enigmatic scientist with an artificially extended lifespan, and a quantum computer spiraling into loss of function.
Some of the things I liked best about the first volume are here in the subsequent books. Foremost is the humanity, culture, and sensitivity, and poetic imagery of the pre-human characters. We moderns tend to regard our ancestors as dim-witted and lacking in social graces, although recent discoveries reveal such markers of cooperative culture as care for the injured and burial of the dead long before H. sapiens came along. Gear’s characters, although having much smaller brains, are nonetheless resourceful, compassionate, and thoughtful. The Dog Soldiers (H. erectus) may have had small, sloping skulls, but their understanding of ethical issues, not to mention their literacy and reverence for books, marks them as anything but “primitive.” In fact, the most advanced of the three species, the Rust People Neanderthals, are the most violent.
The Ice Ghost and The Ice Orphan continue the adventures of Sealion People (Denisovan) Lynx and Quiller, and members of Quiller’s family, as they struggle against an increasingly hostile terrain and new enemies. Legends mix uneasily with prophecies and dreams, as none of the pre-human species draws precise differences between poorly understood history, inspiration, and the visions born of mental illness or hallucinogens. The disintegrating quantum computer, called “Quancee,” is undoubtedly real, as is the reanimated Jemen general bent on destroying the computer’s autonomy and changing it into a weapon, and the brutal Rust People (Neandertal) shaman whose visions drive him to invade the Jemen stronghold and reawaken the ancient ruler. Who, of course, has an agenda of her own.
These next two volumes have many of the strengths of the first, including smooth prose, sympathetic characters, innovative world-building, and wonderful physical descriptions. The characters are portrayed through their experiences so that only occasionally are their physical appearances important. What matters is the quality of their characters, their courage, compassion, leadership, and honesty.
Each of the three books centers on a different but related quest, and therein lies not only the charm of the series and the independence of each installment, but a flaw in the latter two. The first volume of a series has a lot of work to do, establishing not only viewpoint characters, their goals and conflicts, but the world itself. In this case, the world’s history is critical to the story. To her credit, Gear does not bash us over the head with pages of exposition and backstory. History is gleaned from hints here and there, and the understanding of the characters. In this, Gear does a great job, even when historical facts have become distorted or even erased with time and the demands of survival in an increasingly perilous environment.
The problem I experienced was that, compared with the first volume (The Ice Lion), what comes next felt lightweight. They seemed more like novellas in the scope of the plot, stories fleshed out with too many repetitive descriptions and inconsequential or trivial events.
My second problem arose from the conflation of imaginary and real events. In books of this type, there’s an expectation that mysterious elements will be revealed (as opposed to fantasy, where magic need not have any relationship to the laws of physics), that the reader will be able to put together the pieces and figure out what the age-warped technology, historical events, and so forth really are. And how much were real technology, events, and so forth, versus how much the imaginative, often superstitious interpretation. Gear’s characters treat superstition as just as real as tangible physical articles, but we the readers lack the clues to distinguish them. Perhaps those clues will be revealed in a future volume. Alas, I for one found two novels too long to be befuddled. This was made worse by hand-waving technology, such as near-immortality antiaging tech, a way for the genetically modified prehumans to receive telepathic communications from a computer, and the dream quest of Quiller’s adolescent son, which left me wondering if he was spiritually “transformed” or actually dead.
I continue to recommend the first volume of this series for all the reasons cited above. As for the rest, other readers may find the same delight in them. The series looks to be continuing. As they say, “YMMV.”
February 7, 2025
The first book was 3 & 1/2 stars, whereas this is a strict 3 stars...
Having enjoyed the first book in this series, The Ice Lion, I jumped right into this book, eager to continue the story. Each book is less than 300 pages, so they were quickly read, as if reading one novel. In the first book, I felt the story moved well, balancing the tales of the two main characters. In reading this book, I saw that I should have done what I tend to do and take a break between books in a series, to read at least one other book to ensure I don't burn out on any one tale.
What didn't appear to me in the first book became very apparent in this second book, so I offer only three stars. This story tends to get dry. It's as if the same person is speaking throughout, even though several characters are telling the story; each character offers their narrative in the same voice, offering no difference in personalities, which should be distinct. The lack of character development in the storytellers leaves the entire story to be read as if offered by only one character. It got old.
I will continue on and read book three, The Ice Orphan, but only after I have read a few other books so that I can separate myself from this story enough to enjoy it when I return.
Having enjoyed the first book in this series, The Ice Lion, I jumped right into this book, eager to continue the story. Each book is less than 300 pages, so they were quickly read, as if reading one novel. In the first book, I felt the story moved well, balancing the tales of the two main characters. In reading this book, I saw that I should have done what I tend to do and take a break between books in a series, to read at least one other book to ensure I don't burn out on any one tale.
What didn't appear to me in the first book became very apparent in this second book, so I offer only three stars. This story tends to get dry. It's as if the same person is speaking throughout, even though several characters are telling the story; each character offers their narrative in the same voice, offering no difference in personalities, which should be distinct. The lack of character development in the storytellers leaves the entire story to be read as if offered by only one character. It got old.
I will continue on and read book three, The Ice Orphan, but only after I have read a few other books so that I can separate myself from this story enough to enjoy it when I return.
May 23, 2022
Quiller is the victim of Trogan’s prophetic visions. While he forces her to find the Old Woman of the Mountain, Quiller’s husband RabbitEar and her friend Lynx try to rescue her. The adventure through the underworld will test everyone involved, reveal some of the Jemen’s secrets and raise more questions about how the people living in the current Ice Age came to be and what their purpose is.
God save me from religious leaders. Especially if the flock is kept ignorant. The mysterious leaders can make anything up! I’m talking about Trogan, who Quiller’s people believe is an evil witch. Evil is a pretty good description for him. High-handedness, threats and violence are not justified because Trogan, is being led by a ‘god’.
While Quiller and company are trekking through the underworld, her tribe, the Sealion People are threatened by the Rust People (Trogan’s tribe). Among the tribe is Quiller’s adopted family, which includes enigmatic son Jawbone.
I have found this evolving story to be fascinating. Between a post-apocalyptic ice age, human genetic manipulation, advanced human abilities, and the humanity of the Ice Age archaic peoples, I have embraced the story arc. To get the most out of this book, read The Ice Lion first, then pick up The Ice Ghost. The next installment will be highly anticipated by this reader.
Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book so that I could bring you this review.
God save me from religious leaders. Especially if the flock is kept ignorant. The mysterious leaders can make anything up! I’m talking about Trogan, who Quiller’s people believe is an evil witch. Evil is a pretty good description for him. High-handedness, threats and violence are not justified because Trogan, is being led by a ‘god’.
While Quiller and company are trekking through the underworld, her tribe, the Sealion People are threatened by the Rust People (Trogan’s tribe). Among the tribe is Quiller’s adopted family, which includes enigmatic son Jawbone.
I have found this evolving story to be fascinating. Between a post-apocalyptic ice age, human genetic manipulation, advanced human abilities, and the humanity of the Ice Age archaic peoples, I have embraced the story arc. To get the most out of this book, read The Ice Lion first, then pick up The Ice Ghost. The next installment will be highly anticipated by this reader.
Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book so that I could bring you this review.
May 19, 2022
The Ice Ghost
by Kathleen O'Neal Gear
She always out does herself. The young reader will be on the edge of their seat for the last half of the book. Continuing in an apocalyptic literature where science has gone wrong, Kathleen shows the nature of human ancestry. She pits Denisovans, Homo Erectus, and Neanderthals in a struggle against a man-made apocalyptic ice age. These species were brought back from extinction to attempt to last the ice age. The second book shows our beloved characters Lynx, Quill, and Rabbitear, reunited against the witch Trogon in a struggle to find what the Jemen have left behind. They find the path to the Old Woman under the mountain, and the secrets within. The story compares legends and verbal history, and we were told by Elder Arakie that both stories were true. The battle of culture, of history, and of survival pit one race against the other, making villain's of them all. Not only addressing the run away repercussions of science, but how we look at ourselves as human. Discussing this with a class takes the arguments of race out of the modern lexicon, and brings it to a focal point that may change minds, save hearts and lives.
by Kathleen O'Neal Gear
She always out does herself. The young reader will be on the edge of their seat for the last half of the book. Continuing in an apocalyptic literature where science has gone wrong, Kathleen shows the nature of human ancestry. She pits Denisovans, Homo Erectus, and Neanderthals in a struggle against a man-made apocalyptic ice age. These species were brought back from extinction to attempt to last the ice age. The second book shows our beloved characters Lynx, Quill, and Rabbitear, reunited against the witch Trogon in a struggle to find what the Jemen have left behind. They find the path to the Old Woman under the mountain, and the secrets within. The story compares legends and verbal history, and we were told by Elder Arakie that both stories were true. The battle of culture, of history, and of survival pit one race against the other, making villain's of them all. Not only addressing the run away repercussions of science, but how we look at ourselves as human. Discussing this with a class takes the arguments of race out of the modern lexicon, and brings it to a focal point that may change minds, save hearts and lives.
July 17, 2022
Nice sequel with complex world building and good character development and a good tease about the next one. We hear the story of the Denisovans Quiller, Lynx, & Rabbitear and their struggle to survive both the Neanderthal rivals and the struggle between the last remaining Homo sapiens. The “Jemen” faction’s legacies are complicated but more of their final days are revealed as events unfold. Trogan pursues his vision to it’s bitter end and the rest both suffer and enjoy the consequences.
November 7, 2022
Note to self: Read volume 1 of a trilogy first. I have a very shaky understanding of what I just read so either I’m dim or the book can’t stand alone on its own two legs. The story has an intriguing premise, but do I want to invest the time it’ll take to catch up? Meh. I think I’ll look for a synopsis of vol. 1 then maybe vol. 2.
October 7, 2023
It is weird, and (IMHO) objectionable, that several plot details, especially details about the back story, are given in the book cover flap.
The trek thru the tunnels, that makes up the last half of the book, was too long.
But the characters are interesting, as are the societies in which they live.
The trek thru the tunnels, that makes up the last half of the book, was too long.
But the characters are interesting, as are the societies in which they live.
July 13, 2022
Excellent Story
What's not to like? Kathleen O'Neill Gear tells a story like no other. Fact and fiction I love the characters. It makes it easy to imagine the hardships of the early times before we even existed.
What's not to like? Kathleen O'Neill Gear tells a story like no other. Fact and fiction I love the characters. It makes it easy to imagine the hardships of the early times before we even existed.
March 3, 2022
This second cli-fi book in the series is compelling. Quilled is taken by Trogan to fin the Old Woman in the Mountain. ARC from NetGalley.
May 24, 2022
Interesting story and very light, easy read.
June 16, 2022
Even better than the first one. Post apocalyptic fare with strong archaeological underpinnings. Reminiscent of A Canticle for Liebowitz.
January 8, 2023
Always want to know what's next...
I have always been a fan of Kathleen O'Neal Gear. This is a new direction for her and I love it!
I have always been a fan of Kathleen O'Neal Gear. This is a new direction for her and I love it!
Want to read
March 15, 2023Some mixed reviews here, despite the 4+ star average rating. On hand & Gear is an old pro, so I'll likely give it a go.
Bring back the Private Notes section, GR! What's hard about that?
Bring back the Private Notes section, GR! What's hard about that?
June 17, 2023
Are these books even good? I don't know! But I can't stop reading them!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews