The Cry of the Icemark discussion

Ok.......no offece to the people who like this book (and the author) but I really hate this book. It makes no sence!!!!!

I like this book okay, but it isn't such a Page-turner as I hoped it would be.

I have to agree, it's not that much of a page turner and the author spends more time explaining the surrounding area then he does the people. I'd have prefered this book much more if it was in first-person. That would make it a more interesting read by any stretch of the imagination.

I liked it, but i agree it wasn't very personal. I think it was more battle tactics then a story.

Totally, I agree w/ Starr and Ashley. It really needed to be more personal.

I had such high expectations, but I find the characters unbelievable, and the story predictable. It's too battle-oriented and the races alternate between the bizarrely mythological (vampires and werewolves...really? We can't be more creative than that?) and the utterly ripped off evil "Romans".

I'm going to stick with this book for another 20-50 pages but I really don't expect I will like this book any more than I do now.

Ashley wrote: "I liked it, but i agree it wasn't very personal. I think it was more battle tactics then a story."


I agree wholeheartedly!

I can't say I liked this book at all. The characters were without any distinct flavor or personality that distinguished them from their archetypes, and I don't think any of the good guys managed to avoid a heavy dose of Mary Sue. The bad guys were irredeemably evil with few other traits besides that, and it only gets worse as the series progressed.

The jokes, such as they were meant to be, are tired and repeated a dozen times over the course of a single book (and some make it to the last book of the series). I might have smiled once to a reference to an eating contest, but doing it every time simply makes it boring.

The book itself is predictable as it can get. Not at one point are you even the slightest bit worried about the characters (who you can hardly relate to anyways), because you can see the ending long before you finish the first couple chapters, and there are literally no twists in between.

Even the battle tactics were slim and barely brushed over. I play tactics games, and I found most of the parts of the war to be glossed over to the point of absurdity. I understand the need to tone down violence for the sake of a young audience, but it lacked any intelligence in this area at all.

The pacing was off too. The character easily surmount one challenge after the next at a speed that makes one wonder how they ever fall into their required depressions. The typical Final Choice Between Light and Dark for one of the characters barely lasted two paragraphs, and seemed absolutely forced and absurd.

All in all, this might be a decent introductory book into fantasy for a child around the age of 11, but anyone who has read more than a couple novels will find it more than a bit tedious and boring.

i like this book. thought it was creative and the author used alot of his imagination. yes it is not intense nor is it personal but i appreciated the change in scenery

I like the story. Just as @Ashley, I don't find it very personal, and maybe exactly that was what I found nicely refreshing about the story. It much about battle and tactics, which is pretty much what the family is all about.

I may not be very picky when it comes to reading material. I don't feel the need of being educated by any book I reed, I simply need the entertainment and the escapism. And I felt the book did that just fine for me. That I found it a pageturner, may therefor not be a suprise. I didn't find it borring at all, even though I have read several novels by now. It does though take some time to get into - the beginning of the book isen't very chatching.

It might be true, that the story tends to be predictable as far as you know certain character will be neded in the story, and therefore can't die. But I don't really find that to be a problem. There are still outcomes that dosn't go as planned, and still characters, who are to be consideret "importent" that dies. Besides, I like happy endings. Its all part of the escapism.

i totally agree Janni. as long as the book provides entertainment and escapism, i am also not too picky about the rest.

This is one of my favorite books--I do a lot of reading of kid lit and adult lit and I particularly enjoyed this story and was thrilled to find there were several more. I found the characters to be refreshing and fun. They were not your normal vampires, were wolves, and king's daughters. I liked how Hill brought all sorts of places and traditions in and tweaked them a bit. Yes, it was predictable. But not exactly! I loved the little bits that made it personal. The king's fuzzy slippers, Primplepuss, the comment by the vampires that the enemy were so 'spicy' (and then he burps!). It was good entertainment and I escape to the Icemark often. They are all good folk to hang out with cuz they don't bog you down in where fors and what sits. It is a story which does its job well.

Deesix wrote: "I can't say I liked this book at all. The characters were without any distinct flavor or personality that distinguished them from their archetypes, and I don't think any of the good guys managed to..."

I'm sorry you couldn't relate to any of the characters. I often saw someone I knew somewhere in one or two of them. Even the jokes which you felt were old too soon, reminded me of families where the same stories were dragged out over and over. I see the Icemark as a fictional land where anyone and anything can do what is imaginable. I often felt fear for characters because some of the 'good' guys you didn't expect to die did. And yes, the war was not detailed like a history book, although there is a bit of historical fiction used within it. All in all, it was a very fun read and even my history buff military vet son considers it one of his favorites. Escapism is good for the soul and when we can do that in the company of people you wouldn't mind hanging out with, well...that makes it even better!

I had never heard of the book till four years ago. I picked it up off the shelf thinking it would be fun to read. That was before the sequel even came out. I actually really enjoyed the book because I happen to be a history fanatic lol :) I love history... I also love mythology... And this book did an amazing job of capturing Druid mythology(personally did not like the vampires though...) It has historical fiction and mythology also at the time I became attached to the characters and the whole story! Though I won't spoil if you haven't read all three books but throughout the series you get very attatched to Thirrin and Everyone around her... In the last book I really did not expect that person to die.... So sad... :'(

Kristen wrote: "Escapism is good for the soul"
I like that quote - its true ^^

I love all three of the books, and frequently re-read them. I felt that I really got a sense of the characters' feelings, and was always worrying about their survival. I'm eighteen, so please don't try to say that these are kids' books. Yes, it might be aimed at a younger age group than me, but I still enjoyed them. I felt the battle scenes were full and energetic and believable, and I thought that Oskan's constant struggle between Light and Dark was enticing and revealing - it didn't 'only last two paragraphs', it continued as a major theme throughout the trilogy. I felt that I could really relate to the characters as well, especially Thirrin and Charlemagne. The fact that it was obviously based on the time of the Ancient Roman Empire didn't make it worse; I actually felt it made the story better, as I loved picking out the little historical details. The addition of werewolves and vampires in such a world was a delight, and really fleshed out the character's experiences. All in all, this is a good book, and hopefully others agree with me, since this book is rated over 4 stars on this websites. I sincerely hope the nay-sayers are in the minority of the readership - for it to be otherwise would be a disservice to such books as these.

This book was so good that I've decided to re-read it.

R wrote: "I love all three of the books, and frequently re-read them. I felt that I really got a sense of the characters' feelings, and was always worrying about their survival. I'm eighteen, so please don't..."

I agree with you!

Emma wrote: "R wrote: "I love all three of the books, and frequently re-read them. I felt that I really got a sense of the characters' feelings, and was always worrying about their survival. I'm eighteen, so pl..."

I'm glad someone does! I was beginning to feel like I was an uncomfortably tiny minority!

I loved these books... read book one and two rather quickly and am very impatiently waiting for the third one from the library :) I am interested to see what Medea is up to in the last book!

Leamereyes wrote: "Ok.......no offece to the people who like this book (and the author) but I really hate this book. It makes no sence!!!!!"

You don't make any *sense* either.

I wonder if I will ever read the rest of the series. The story seemed so generic to me that sometimes it was hard to swallow. I do appreciate the care for which the military terms and the etiquette were adressed, but sometimes it was just too much.

I love this book, but I can definitely see why others do not.

I love this book! :)

It was a great book with good humor in it!

It was a great book. Perhaps a bit too easy a read but an enjoyable one and it left me feeling good.

I do.

Hell yes I do! It's a grand, glorious old-school fantasy novel that couldn't be published today because it focuses on action, friendship and awesome fantasy cultures rather than having to choose between two interchangeable hunks. I don't get all of the hate for The Cry of the Icemark, but to all the haters, I have just one thing to say: "OUT! Out! Out! OUT! Out! Out! OUT! Out! Out!"

Deesix wrote: "I can't say I liked this book at all. The characters were without any distinct flavor or personality that distinguished them from their archetypes, and I don't think any of the good guys managed to..."

The characters didn't have any distinct flavor? How could you possibly not like Tharaman-Thar or Their Vampiric Majesties?

no, it's shit.

Compare The Cry of the Icemark to any of the crappy excuses for YA fantasy that come out nowadays. You'll never find Icemark's epic scope and thunderous battles in Red Queen or Throne of Glass.

Not crazy about this book series, but it was an Accelerated Reader selection that my son needed for school. I read all three books in the series in 2 weeks with my son. I like that there are strong female leaders and warriors. However, there are parts that are just too weird. All the talking leopards, werewolves, vampires, tree warriors, ice demons, and witches are just too much. The evil empire is predictable. There is medieval feel to the story, but the author uses way too many modern phrases. But still, I did enjoy reading these books and recommend them to YA readers.

Rachel wrote: "Emma wrote: "R wrote: "I love all three of the books, and frequently re-read them. I felt that I really got a sense of the characters' feelings, and was always worrying about their survival. I'm ei..."

Don't worry, a fellow Icemark fan is here! Sadly, we are in the minority. Aside from the disturbing anti-science subtext, these books are great-- exciting, epic and filled with great characters.