The Cry Of The Icemark - Hardcover

Hill, Stuart

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439686261 ISBN 13: 9780439686266

Publisher: Chicken House, 2005

Synopsis

Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, a thirteen-year-old princess and warrior, while forging alliances and creating battle plans, must defend her kingdom--in the name of her father--no matter what the cost.

About this title

Review

As debut novels go, bookseller-turned-novelist Stuart Hill’s weighty book The Cry of the Icemark splashed down with an unusually large amount of pre-publication acclaim and even an early ‘fresh talent’ award to its name. It’s a big and bold read, fast-paced and exciting, stuffed full of fearsome battles and kingdoms lost and gained--the sort of book that young readers will consume with ease. Even at just under five hundred pages, it is certainly deserving of much of this initial fanfare.

Thirrin is the young, feisty princess who inherits the throne of Icemark--a small, northern ice-bound but proud country--when her father the king is killed after it is invaded by the army of a mighty southern empire. The invaders, who echo the style, names and conquering ambitions of ancient Rome, want nothing more than to annihilate Icemark's indigenous people and plunder its natural resources, and they quickly overrun the Capital city.

Thirrin grows up fast and takes her people further north to re-group and plan their return to power. The Young queen knows that she needs help to take back her country, and she moves quickly to bury the hatchet and longstanding animosities with Icemark’s neighbours. Her potential allies include the Wolf-folk, the Forest people, Vampires from the Land-of-Ghosts and snow leopards from the top of the world. However, it is difficult to defeat an army whose soldiers never stop coming at you, despite all their losses in massive battles, but Thirrin must risk everything to try and achieve just that.

Hill’s book has a readability that will make it attractive to a lot of young book lovers. Its powerful, yet familiar, narrative sweeps you along and it is quite easy to get lost amongst its many pages. Heroines triumphing in a strange and fantastical land is engaging stuff and it’ll prove difficult to put down and then to forget.

(Age 10 and over) --John McLay

About the Author

The Cry of the Icemark, Stuart Hill’s first novel is not only a remarkable debut but also a personal tribute. When he was a teenager, Stuart lost ?the real Thirrin,” his red-haired sister Kathleen, to leukemia. The story of the brave young warrior-queen who faces impossible dangers is dedicated to her. The Cry of the Icemark won the Ottakars Prize for the best new children’s novel, an award given by one of Britain’s leading book chains. Fox 2000 Pictures will turn the story into a major motion picture and foreign rights have been sold to over 14 countries.

Among his influences Stuart counts H. Rider Haggard, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Margaret Abbey?his former grade school teacher and a writer of historical novels. Before beginning The Cry of the Icemark, he asked himself what had grabbed his interest as a young reader. The answer? Heroes, magic, monsters, and talking beasts. From noble Snow Leopards to ancient Vampire royalty to ferocious Wolf-folk, the characters in Icemark are sure to spark the imagination of children everywhere, and Stuart is already at work on the sequel to Thirrin’s epic tale.

Stuart was born in Leicester, in the East Midlands of England, where he still lives today. His family background includes English, Irish, Romany, and Jewish blood. Although, as a student, his grades were average at best, Stuart was fortunate to have a teacher who inspired in him a lifelong love of reading. Since leaving school, he has worked as a teacher and archaeologist, and now balances life as both a bookseller and an author.

Edition details

• Publisher: Chicken House
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0439686261
• ISBN 13: 9780439686266
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 474