Product Description
The Ice fell upon the world nearly a hundred years ago, and if civilization didn’t rightly collapse, it surely staggered and fell ill a while. In the small town of Moline, Virginia, folks struggle to survive, relying on hybrid seed sent by the faraway Department of Reintroduction and Agriculture and their own faith in God and hard work. But when a mated pair of dragons starts hunting the countryside, stealing sheep, and attacking children, the townsfolk quickly learn that they don t have the weapons or the skills to fight off such predators.
David Anderson is a farmer’s son who has explored the world through books. When he meets the new healer in town, Callan Landers, he doesn’t quite know what to make… More >>
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One of several books that have come out from independent publishers that just doesn’t qualify for literary notice. Slow, trite, boring are three really good words to describe this. A hundred pages in to this story and you are still asking what the hell is going on. There is so little detail of this world written, that you come away feeling cheated and pissed at the ignorance of the two dimensional characters. This would have done better as a short story in an anthology.
Rating: 2 / 5
That I didn’t hate it is about all I can really say about this book. Overall it doesn’t generate much emotion. The characters are likeable and there are moments when I really felt for them, and the language of the book flows but there really is nothing special about it. It is not a book I would ever read twice or that I wil probably remember 5 years down the road. So – maybe something you’ll wanna try if bored but nothing that’s a page turner. I almost didn’t finish it.
Rating: 2 / 5
As a love story, this book is sweet and authentic, and it also explores themes such as family, intolerance (and family intolerance), and loss of faith with honesty and without straining the bounds of reality or human nature to force a happy ending (though the ending is by no means tragic; it strikes a satisfying medium). However, the secondary plotline (the one with dragons that aren’t very well explained, but seem to be part of a convoluted plot by sinister powers to drive the farmers from their land) never really meshes with the romance. There are times when it seems literally put on hold while the characters further the relationship–an example would be when they come across a town that had recently been attacked by dragons, and in the next chapter spend a romantic evening together with little or no thought about the attack. I’m not saying two young people in love are incapable of forgetting everything else, but it seemed a little odd. And lastly, the treatment of intolerance in the story strikes me as a bit heavy handed in some places (and heartbreakly real in others, it’s true). I like to think the United States of the future, even with the chaos and disruption brought about by a second ice age, will not go back to flogging people, or killing them, for sodomy. But perhaps I’m too optimisitc. In any event, the flogging and its preceding courtroom drama formed a very long digression from the (say it with me) dragons.
All the same, it remains a vital love story, and for those who care more about the romance than the speculative elements, I’m sure it would make a very satisfying read. As it was, I certainly don’t regret buying it, though I remain a little disappointed.
Rating: 3 / 5
This is one of the best gay romances I’ve read. The two main characters, David and Callan, are believable, very sympathetic, and thoroughly fleshed-out. This novel has much more to it than the usual sex-every-two-pages gay fiction that dominates the market. There’s an original story here, with a wealth of involving characters. Most importantly, the fresh, intelligent story draws you in and makes you invest emotionally in David and Callan’s success. That, to me, is the mark of a solid romance novel.
Some spoilers to follow, so don’t read further if you want to remain unspoiled.
The novel is set in the future and the author does an interesting job of creating a world we could easily imagine finding ourselves in if we continue down our current path of self-destruction. David’s world is a cold, harsh one of brutal winters and cool summers, made even more difficult because he and his family live a very basic farming existence with 19th century tools and equally primitive knowledge, despite the fact that in other parts of the country, more advanced knowledge still exists.
Callan possesses some of it and brings his education and sophistication into David’s world, putting into David’s eager hands and mind a world of new ideas from books, which have become precious commodities.
This novel has a definite emphasis on romance, which I liked (and wish there was more of in gay fiction). What charmed me especially was David’s head-over-heels falling for Callan essentially at first sight. Such a tactic in romance novels is not always believable. But this was so well-written, I believed it here. David’s struggle to understand his feelings for Callan is one of the most appealing aspects of David’s character. And Callan is drawn so attractively, the reader empathizes with David’s reaction completely.
And while David and Callan were unalike in many ways, I had no trouble picturing them together. David’s innocence was a sweet contrast to Callan’s more sophisticated outlook; and yet Callan had his innocent moments, too, being unprepared for the rough, cold world, and he found a support and sympathy with David that made their love all the more credible and only strengthened this reader’s affection for them.
The plot itself was intriguing, but as others have stated, there are too many loose ends left at the story’s close and it is not entirely satisfying because of that. I presume a sequel is in the works, because some major plot questions were not answered, which was rather disappointing. The sex in this novel was not as graphic as in some gay romances, which was fine with me. It was still quite erotic and very romantic–and thoroughly true to the characters, which matters the most.
In fact, the characters behaved in believable and very human ways throughout the novel–except for one instance, which very nearly ruined the story for me. I didn’t buy that David’s mother would have allowed her five-year-old out of her sight, let alone have permitted David and his brother to take the little girl with them to meadows where they would be out in the open and vulnerable to the dragon attacks. Especially considering that one small girl had already been killed within yards of her own home–dear God. No mother in her right mind would let her baby out of her sight while the dragons remained a threat. I had considered Mam a good mother up to that point. I think it would have been far more believable if Almond had been just outside the house when the incident occurred; it would have had the additional effect of showing how desperate the hungry dragons were for food. And it would have kept me from disliking Mam throughout the rest of the book. Perhaps Almond might’ve run outside before anyone could catch her…even that would have made more sense to me.
I think the author made a grave mistake in having Mam put responsibility for Almond into David’s hands, especially knowing that their weapons were ineffective against the dragons. David, Benny, and Almond might have all been killed. I know the incident was necessary to the storyline. But the way in which it was done damaged my belief beyond repair. I finished the book because I did like David and Callan both and wanted to know how things came out for them. There are many good things about this novel and maybe other readers can overlook that one issue. It just really rang false for me.
The novel is well-written and well-edited (another rarity in gay romance novels) and has a nice tension that leads up to an exciting finish. The romance is one of the most original and appealing I’ve read in a long time. Despite the one issue I had with it, I still do recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance. Readers of straight romance could easily enjoy this novel without being squicked by the sex, I believe. Go ahead and give it a try. Then come here and add to the voices clamoring for a sequel.
Rating: 4 / 5
This is definitely not a new release and in fact it’s even been re-released by Lethe Press and rumors abound that the author has written a sequel. So why it’s taken me so long to read my favorite genre (post-apocalyptic urban fantasy), I can’t exactly say but I’m glad I finally did. A Strong and Sudden Thaw is masterfully written and contains some of the best prose and flow that I’ve read. The characterization is solid and the world building incredibly dynamic, which gives some stunning moments to this book. Unfortunately the praise is offset by the disjointed and occasionally preaching subplots which have little cohesion and are often too obviously contrived. A much tighter plot driven book would have succeeded in making this one of the best books I’ve ever read – as it is though, it’s very good and worth recommending.
The book is set 100 years in the future after a catastrophic natural event called the Ice, which has frozen the world and set civilization back to the pioneer times. Here the world building is stunning with the level of detail and continuity that is offered. From the subtle nuances of lack of light switches to the more obvious affects of dialogue, speech, and lifestyle, the world building is an intricate and important part of the book that never lets up or missteps. There are almost no jarring moments when technology and the dated time exist until close to the end. This is both good and bad. On the one hand, the deft handling of the world building creates an atmosphere that immediately emerges the reader into the experience but on the other hand the details are incomplete. The story offers no reasoning for the reversion to pioneer times in an isolated village when clearly technology is resuming elsewhere. The story treats technology as if it never existed, which makes no sense given the future date. Almost no one questions the lifestyle even though they are not so far removed from a more advanced time. I would have liked more explanation about the world and what happened after the Ice to the technology. Did it just freeze? How did so much knowledge, history, and advancement simply disappear? How does a civilization fall so far backwards without more explanation? These questions were left unanswered and ultimately combined to help keep what is still a thorough world building somewhat incomplete.
Additionally, the summary gives a good indication of the book but the plot is offset by the numerous subplots which leave the real focus of the book undecided. There is a threat to the town from dragons, which may or may not have some tie to the government. There is also the coming of age story for the character of David as he understands his sexuality and what it means for his life and future with a forbidden romance. Then there is the government conspiracy and missing townspeople tied into a subplot of corruption and religious involvement. Each one of these plots could have been the main driving story and produced a compelling, thought provoking, and well written book. As it is the various storylines do come together to give a well written and wonderfully entertaining story, yet the lack of focus is clear and disappointing. The dragon threat is very easily resolved with an almost disappointing ending and the government corruption is never fully explained or resolved. The religious problems are almost preachy with the anti-gay sentiment and how evil and wrong such is, painting the characters as stereotypes and lack real depth.
However for these faults the story still manages to be intense, absorbing, and enthralling. Part of this is due to the great prose and dialogue which set a pace and flow that keeps interest and attention through all the various side plots. Another great aspect is the characterization. The character of David is a young adult, forced to be a man earlier than he should be due to circumstance and society. His slow understanding of himself and the world around him is riveting. He makes numerous mistakes and shows his immaturity several times, but this only serves to give a well developed young man. His strength and maturity grow throughout the course of the story and paints a picture of a likable and intense man. His relationship to Callan is a minor sticking point due to their difference in ages but the sweet and temperate nature to their love helps overcome this. The various secondary characters give the story breath and texture for the most part with a few very classic evil doers.
The ending is left hanging with some very big unresolved issues so it’s not too surprising there is a sequel. Given the great writing and potential within this offering and the amount of time to work on the sequel, I have extremely high hopes for any forthcoming book. If you haven’t had a chance to read this, be sure to pick it up at Lethe Press. It’s well worth your time and money.
Rating: 4 / 5