Not my favorite of the Snow Queen series, this book nevertheless has the compelling characters and atmosphere I expect from a Vinge novel. I was surprised by what a quick read it was -- I hadn't noticed the time passing, and then the book was over. ( )

I think this is one of the weaker books in The Snow Queen Cycle and I'm not sure it stands very well on its own two feet (metaphorically speaking, of course -- books don't have feet...). The events taking place here would probably feel unfinished unless you read the other books.

I still really liked this book. Its main draw for me was the major characters from The Snow Queen Cycle that put in appearances and even play significant parts. And the story itself is actually highly relevant to the things that happen in The Snow Queen and even later on in The Summer Queen. But nothing here is vital information, nothing I didn't already know from reading the other books in the cycle. It was worth reading because of the new characters I got to meet and their unique personal stories.

If you know The Snow Queen Cycle (which is The Snow Queen, World's End, and The Summer Queen) or are planning on reading it, this one's definitely worth the short amount of time it'd take to read. It's like a piece of a huge painting, really -- it's pretty interesting by itself, but you need to pick up the other books if you want to see the whole (amazing) picture. ( )

A departure from the epic length Queen books, this novel is also set on
Tiamat. BZ Gundhalinu features in what is basically a crime novel. The
city it is set in is where people come for their longevity drugs. A
young policeman is involved in a raid on an illegal technology store.

The Snow Queen wants the gear there, his police sergeant (a
character from the other books) thinks he is useless, and there is a
mysterious femme fatale type also making life more annoying.

A very dangerous mystery that at the end of it involves very high stakes.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2006/12... ( )

http://www.wsfa.org/journal/j00/c/ind... ( )

While this was a good adventure story, and while I'm always up for another novel set in the Snow Queen universe, this just didn't strike me as having the same depth and level of detail as Vinge's other novels. It's almost a police procedural-in-space, or an attempt at noir, and it doesn't always quite work, IMO. On the other hand, I did enjoy this, and I'll always jump at a new story with BZ Gundhalinu. ( )