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Dragonlance: Icewall #2
The Golden Orb
Brackenrock
Towering aloof and secure, the isolated fortress offers humankind a place to survive and flourish in the barren realm of Icereach. Even the elven Messenger Kerrick Fallabrine has made a home there, living among the humans and teaching them a multitude of skills. But the ogre enemies are always near, and they have developed a powerful weapon, a destructive magic encased within a sphere of solid gold. Its existence forces the humans to confront the threat of extinction that lurks outside their walls.
In the second book of this epic trilogy that began with The Messenger, Douglas Niles carries the reader into the heart of an unknown realm, where the world beneath the Icewall trembles with threats of war, slavery, and greed.
Towering aloof and secure, the isolated fortress offers humankind a place to survive and flourish in the barren realm of Icereach. Even the elven Messenger Kerrick Fallabrine has made a home there, living among the humans and teaching them a multitude of skills. But the ogre enemies are always near, and they have developed a powerful weapon, a destructive magic encased within a sphere of solid gold. Its existence forces the humans to confront the threat of extinction that lurks outside their walls.
In the second book of this epic trilogy that began with The Messenger, Douglas Niles carries the reader into the heart of an unknown realm, where the world beneath the Icewall trembles with threats of war, slavery, and greed.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
6 people are currently reading
560 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Niles
175 books235 followersDouglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game. He currently resides in Delavan, Wisconsin with his wife, Christine, and two Bouviets, Reggie and Stella. He enjoys playing his guitar, cooking, and visiting with family.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 28, 2020
I said in my review of the Messenger that the vocab was simple, and the style easy to read, but toward the beginning of the book, at least, Niles tried to change that, to his detriment. The voice and tone of the first few chapters is inconsistent, though he did seem to settle on the simplistic style for the rest of the novel.
I also mentioned, in my last review, that Grimwar was refreshingly nuanced, but he seems to have lost most of that in this book, becoming just a caricature of the ogre he had been in The Messenger (at one point even saying something along the lines of "we'll be back in thirty and ten and ten days" which was pretty bad). I'm also beginning to realize that one of the questions I had in the first book (if the Icewall keeps the Sturmfrost at bay, and the Sturmfrost is just as bad for ogres as it is for humans, why do they break the wall) is probably not going to get answered in this series at all.
Furthermore, I had issues with the Alchemist's reveal. From the beginning I suspected I knew who he was, but only because the idea of Kerrick's father being alive and The Alchemist were introduced at the same time, and not because of anything actually present in the story. I think I would have liked just a little more hints that came before the last couple of chapters, though the parallel of the father's and son's addiction was nice.
Finally (as far as criticisms go), I had a couple logistic questions. Namely, how does one "burn" gold for fuel? Wouldn't it just melt? How does that help with a steam engine? Magic, I guess, but gnomes don't really use magic do they? Maybe I'm just not super knowledgeable about the properties of gold as a fuel source. Also, who on earth would think lighting an enclosed fire on a small, wooden boat, in the middle of a storm with rough seas was a good idea? Tsk tsk, Kerrick. Tsk. Tsk. Lowkey, I wished Moreen had done more this novel too.
Still, no one reads obscure Dragonlance books for a high literature experience, and this book is a lot of fun. Gully Dwarves and gnomes are entertaining, though I was surprised to see a gnomish invention that actually worked. I very much enjoyed the magic seafaring "battle" (where Stariz makes the wind go away, and our heroes call up a fog to hide in). Randall was a great character. It was nice to see Coraltop again, even if just for a scene. I thought The Alchemist predicting the solar eclipse and having Stariz use it to convince Grimwar to attack the humans early, without ever spelling it out to the reader was a brilliant move.
I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the trilogy!
I also mentioned, in my last review, that Grimwar was refreshingly nuanced, but he seems to have lost most of that in this book, becoming just a caricature of the ogre he had been in The Messenger (at one point even saying something along the lines of "we'll be back in thirty and ten and ten days" which was pretty bad). I'm also beginning to realize that one of the questions I had in the first book (if the Icewall keeps the Sturmfrost at bay, and the Sturmfrost is just as bad for ogres as it is for humans, why do they break the wall) is probably not going to get answered in this series at all.
Furthermore, I had issues with the Alchemist's reveal. From the beginning I suspected I knew who he was, but only because the idea of Kerrick's father being alive and The Alchemist were introduced at the same time, and not because of anything actually present in the story. I think I would have liked just a little more hints that came before the last couple of chapters, though the parallel of the father's and son's addiction was nice.
Finally (as far as criticisms go), I had a couple logistic questions. Namely, how does one "burn" gold for fuel? Wouldn't it just melt? How does that help with a steam engine? Magic, I guess, but gnomes don't really use magic do they? Maybe I'm just not super knowledgeable about the properties of gold as a fuel source. Also, who on earth would think lighting an enclosed fire on a small, wooden boat, in the middle of a storm with rough seas was a good idea? Tsk tsk, Kerrick. Tsk. Tsk. Lowkey, I wished Moreen had done more this novel too.
Still, no one reads obscure Dragonlance books for a high literature experience, and this book is a lot of fun. Gully Dwarves and gnomes are entertaining, though I was surprised to see a gnomish invention that actually worked. I very much enjoyed the magic seafaring "battle" (where Stariz makes the wind go away, and our heroes call up a fog to hide in). Randall was a great character. It was nice to see Coraltop again, even if just for a scene. I thought The Alchemist predicting the solar eclipse and having Stariz use it to convince Grimwar to attack the humans early, without ever spelling it out to the reader was a brilliant move.
I'm very much looking forward to the next book in the trilogy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2024
Bueno, de momento mantiene un más que decente nivel y esperemos que siga así para la última entrega. De ser así será una trilogía bastante aceptable dentro del mundo Dragonlance.
December 22, 2020
Same as the first, but with a gnome, and more explosions. I still enjoyed it.
August 11, 2017
After the first book in the trilogy had some interesting ideas and good storytelling, this one was just so predictable and used too many Dragonlance clichés. I was all ready to give this one 2 stars for its overwhelming mediocrity, when I was surprised by a twist (or perhaps revelation?) right near the end of the book. Perhaps I should have seen it coming, but I did not, so it gets bumped up a star for that. Now it is not such a great twist that I would really recommend wading through the first 95% of the book to get to it, but kudos to Douglas Niles for pleasantly surprising me.
January 31, 2019
4.5 stars. The pacing was great and the storyline developed well. I liked the alchemist and his story, and I thought the book ended well. The characters were a bit stagnate in their development, and there was defiantly a stronger focus on storyline than character. I'm excited to finish the series, it was great overall.
December 4, 2022
Possibly the worst in the Dragonlance series?
This was a painful read I endured only because I want to read all of the books. It was a unique experience, to be both annoyed with the bad dialogue, while also being bored with the flat arcs of characters I really couldn't care less about. The best part was the ending, and the worst part is there is one more book in this terrible trilogy.
This was a painful read I endured only because I want to read all of the books. It was a unique experience, to be both annoyed with the bad dialogue, while also being bored with the flat arcs of characters I really couldn't care less about. The best part was the ending, and the worst part is there is one more book in this terrible trilogy.
May 8, 2020
2nd book in series - very exciting with surprising plot twists
September 28, 2021
Probably one of the worst Dragonlance novels I've read.
January 26, 2024
Mejor que la primera entrega de la saga siempre y cuando te gusten las historias de grandes batallas contadas con detalle
June 22, 2024
This story just clips right along. One MC main personal quest done. Next book let’s see what the other does.
July 25, 2024
Not as good as the first book, but it's still pretty decent
I do miss the kender, though
I do miss the kender, though
May 25, 2015
This takes place in the Dragonlance world and is the second book of a trilogy. This is set eight years after the first novel and I recommend reading that one first. This book continues the conflict between the ogres and the residents of Brackenrock.
I have to admit I found more enjoyment in the first book of this trilogy. This book had plenty of action as there are two major battles and I believe that is the problem with this one. This book focused more on the action than the characters and their growth. From the first book there were hints of developing relationships between characters and this book didn't develop these story lines. Instead, it hinted more at them which frustrated me. I would like to know if these relationships come to fruition or they can move on.
I believe this book will be enjoyed by the action enthusiasts as the pace is very quick and the battle scenes are well described. To me, this book was like a plane in a holding pattern. There wasn't enough progression and I think this trilogy could have been condensed into two books. I am looking forward to the conclusion and hopefully receive the answers to the questions of the character's relationships.
I have to admit I found more enjoyment in the first book of this trilogy. This book had plenty of action as there are two major battles and I believe that is the problem with this one. This book focused more on the action than the characters and their growth. From the first book there were hints of developing relationships between characters and this book didn't develop these story lines. Instead, it hinted more at them which frustrated me. I would like to know if these relationships come to fruition or they can move on.
I believe this book will be enjoyed by the action enthusiasts as the pace is very quick and the battle scenes are well described. To me, this book was like a plane in a holding pattern. There wasn't enough progression and I think this trilogy could have been condensed into two books. I am looking forward to the conclusion and hopefully receive the answers to the questions of the character's relationships.
February 11, 2014
Douglas Niles begins the telling of the Icewall Trilogy with the story of a young elf who is cast out of his homeland, the Arktos who lose their home and many of their people and are forced to find shelter elsewhere, and the warring ogres who rule most of Icreach. This series is a great addition to the overall Dragonlance storyline. Niles' characters are well developed: the Arktos, the Highlanders, walrusmen, Ogres, an elf and a disappearing Kender. He fills out his story with vivid descriptions of the icy region, full of realistic details about glaciers, weather, and water. This series can be read without knowing much about the world of Dragonlance. I recommend it to anyone who is an avid reader of Fantasy.
June 14, 2011
Amazing trilogy, I'm going to rate and review all three books the exact same, because they were one of the best D&D based stories I ever read. I love Douglas Niles work at putting this story together, and the character development and growth was amazing. The richness of the setting, and the adrenaline of the action was astounding. I loved the protagonist and the antagonist.
September 11, 2008
Not as good as Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman of course, but still very enjoyable.
February 19, 2013
Book was fun for the most part. However, the alchemist in the book, well I could tell his identity as soon as they introduced him. first was still better. I am looking forward to the conclusion.
June 10, 2014
Really enjoying this trilogy thus far. I really love the characters and am enjoying Niles writing style. The alchemist's identity was obvious but I don't mind because the story is excellent.
July 13, 2015
Better than the first one, but still slow in parts. Interesting enough for sure to finish the trilogy with the last one, hoping it ends with an epic battle or two like this one had!
August 26, 2015
Second book of the trilogy our heroes must sail to a distant island to confront the alchemist and the weapon he is developing for the ogres.
April 22, 2016
One of the Awesome trilogy of dragonlance series.
October 22, 2021
Another great installment in the Dragonlance series. I like that ogre culture had more nuance and culture than the usual fantasy tropes.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews