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Cavern of Black Ice: Sword Of Shadows Book 1 (Paperback)

by J.V. Jones (Author)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

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3 new from CDN$ 39.89 16 used from CDN$ 3.01

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Product Details

Paperback: 960 pages
Publisher: Warner Books (May 4 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446608173
ISBN-13: 978-0446608176
Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 10.7 x 4.1 cm
Shipping Weight: 386 g

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #249,963 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( J ) > Jones, J.V.

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This is item 1 in The Sword of Shadows Series.

Product Description

From Amazon.com

A Cavern of Black Ice opens J.V. Jones's Sword of Shadows trilogy. (Her first novel was The Baker's Boy.) The story is set in a land divided among small warring clans of hunters and more sophisticated southern cities whose lords covet the clan territories.

Young clansman Raif has a touch of "old blood" magic that guides his arrows to the heart. Bad times come when a hunting party that includes his father and clan chief is wiped out by a supernaturally aided attack, and Raif's open suspicion of the brutal new leader eventually drives him into exile. Meanwhile, Iss, overlord of Spire Vanis city, keeps a chained-up sorcerer whose powers he channels by revolting means, and has unexplained but shuddersome plans for his "foster daughter" Ash--herself an unwilling focus of dread forces. Raif and Ash find themselves fleeing together through wintry, hostile clanlands, pursued by Iss's vilest henchmen, seeking the dubious goal of the Cavern of Black Ice.

What lifts this tale far above routine quest fantasy is Jones's deft characterization, relentless intensity, and unsparing depiction of pain and slow-healing injury. She has a flair for memorably horrid images. Here a sorcerer gloats over one of his nastier tricks: "A man could not fight when his corneas were snapped from his eyes like badges from a chest."

This hefty volume is over 800 pages long, but the narrative grips hard once it's gained momentum, and the pages turn increasingly fast. Strong meat. Next comes book two, A Fortress of Grey Ice. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The first volume of Jones's (The Barbed Coil, etc.) new trilogy is set in a sub-arctic land so vividly realized that it contributes notably to the book's suspense and emotional impactAeven as it almost overpowers its characters. Ashd March, the adopted daughter of a nobleman; Raif and Dray Sevrance, two accomplished archers; and Angus Lok, a once formidable warrior, are becoming increasingly aware, through alarming signsAa camp of murdered men, a recurring nightmare of ice and blood, an ominous call to armsAof a magical evil coming their way. The destinies of these four, particularly of Ash and Raif, become progressively entwined, even entangled, as the novel lumbers toward its inconclusive ending. Throughout, Jones skillfully mixes bits borrowed from history, folklore, religion (her shamans are particularly well done) and other fantasy works, but her attention to these details and her determination to introduce every element of her trilogy at once slow the pacing and sometimes create more confusion than clarity. Nonetheless, Jones has a real gift for evocative description, and the novel will satisfy most saga lovers. Agent, Russ Galen.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

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Front Cover | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

36 Reviews

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocore at best..., April 26 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Cavern Of Black Ice: Sword Of Shadows Book I (Hardcover)

Well... let's start at why i even voted
WARNING
BEFORE YOU READ THIS
TAKE HEED!
IF YOU ARE INTO FORMULATIC GENRE WRITING THIS IS YOUR TYPE OF TEXT
BUT BE WARNED...IT TRIES THE PATIENCE OF MANY READERS AT ITS SLOW TO DEVELOP AND THE RESOLUTION IS SOO QUICK IT LEAVES YOU CHECKING THE BOOK FOR ANY SIGNS OF MUTULATIONS ...ANY SIGNS THAT SOMEONE, THE LIBARIAN PERHAPES...ANYONE! COULD TEAR OUT THE LAST 10 OR SO PAGES...I've checked...No one did
The begining was quite catching, Jones' introduction to the tantalising and very unique world of ...[well..ive quite forgoten... a sign that this was NOT a FaBuLoUs prize] hmm. Let's just say where the introduction capitvated me instantly with not only its setting but intriguing characters of ASH, RAIF and etc... and left me racing through the book, desperate to find out more...but by the end I still raced through the book...only now desperately in determination to FINISH the damned book. WHAT A RELIEF! However the BIGGEST flaw in Jones' novel is the inconsistancy of the events, and by that i mean 10 chapters or so on the quest and like a compacted 5 pages on the resolution. IF you're been sitting on your arse for 7 hrs reading this book only to be cheated out of that long anticipated wait with 5 pages of what a child's conclusion...well you'd be pretty damed pissed.
ie ME

TOOO LONG on non significant things
which left VERY VERY rushed resolutions

and most importantly...
it was SOOO boring towards the end...
i was praying ...
for..
the end!

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1.0 out of 5 stars Arrrrrggggg, Dec 30 2003

By	JM (CA USA) - See all my reviews

I loved the Book of Words trilogy and The Barbed Coil. Which made trying to force my way through this book even more frustrating. I finally gave up after 200 pages and the 4th or 5th time a major character refuses to do what they know they should do, with the expected DIRE CONSEQUENCES <insert ominous music here>. From her past work I really thought more of Jones. She's quite capable of advancing a plot without forcing her characters to act like idiots, but for some reason she chose not to here. Stay away from this one.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Story Well Told, Nov 9 2003

By	"david_winger1" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cavern Of Black Ice: Sword Of Shadows Book I (Hardcover)

I remember when I first got this book. I had really enjoyed reading the Master and Fool trilogy, particulary because its dark tone and often quite twisted characters made the world seem as real to me as anything I had read since The Lord of The Rings. Its one weakness, I felt, was that the conclusion was not entirely satisfactory.
In A Cavern of Black Ice, Jones builds off her earlier work, creating a dark and utterly believable world. Here, magic takes a back seat to brute force as clans and cities struggle for control of a dangerous artic land. Jones shifts between her different characters with amazing skill, showing different sides to each conflict. There is no black-and-white good versus evil here, atleast not on the surface.
It is true that, while humans struggle for dominance over eachother, only the Sull seem to see the true danger, as truely evil beings struggle to be freed from their prison. Yet Jones does not create any true "good" to withstand this evil, as central characters kill and torture those in their way, each for their own reasons. The hero here, by his owns actions, is more traitor than saint, but yet he is a very strong character who the reader can sympathize with. Jones is brilliant at using this moral gray zone to bring out the humanity in each character, and tieing them all together. This book, along with it's sequel, stand out as great pieces of literature, period. I can only hope that the conclusion to this saga matches the first two in quality. For those of you waiting for the third and final volume, it's coming out in April at uk.amazon.com. I for one can hardly wait.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, heavy, but good
Like a good stout, I guess. The book is undeniably dark in tone. Characters smile less than once per chapter, and even most of those smiles are of the nasty kind. Read more

Published on Jul 14 2003 by J. Darcy

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but originality?
I really loved A Cavern of Black Ice. The plot was interesting and the characters were great. The only fault I found is how similar it is to the Book of Words books. Read more

Published on May 8 2003 by Amy

1.0 out of 5 stars Am I Reading the Same Book???
Am I reading the same book that is referred to by all these rave reviews? To put it succinctly (which the author knows not) this book is slowwwww..... Read more

Published on Feb 4 2003 by mmdude

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful: Even Better Than Harry Potter!
"Up came her arms to encompass a world beyond his own. Her mouth fell open and a terrible dark substance poured from her tongue and blasted against the ice. Read more

Published on Nov 25 2002 by mara_christensen