Cold Magic

Book 1 in the Spirit Walker trilogy by Kate Elliot

Wow. Just Wow. There is no other way to sum up Kate Elliot’s Cold Magic. During the past year, I’ve been drawn into Jim Butchers Furies of Calderon series and come out the other side regarding it as one of the best things I’ve read in terms of sheer creativity. I have read and loved Tale’s of the Ketty Jay, with another stunning world, excellent characters and dry humour lacing together an action sequence rarely rivalled. But Cold Magic… Well. Wow. I think the main reason is that the others are third person and give a wide view of the plot, but from an outsiders perspective. Cold Magic is written from the first person perspective of Catherine Hassi Barahal as her world is turned upside down and everything she knows is thrown into question. Alongside her personal journey, the wider world is thrown into revolution and fires as an oncoming industrial age empowers the people to challenge the Princes and Mages that have ruled them down the centuries. The book just get’s deeper and deeper as it runs, becoming more and more beautiful without ever becoming over complex, and always leaving you asking for more. The ending came as a shame, not because it’s a bad ending. It’s stunning and I couldn’t have seen it coming, and I’m usually good at that kind of thing! It just ends on such a high you want to know what happens next.

The blurb on the back of the book badly undersells the book. Whilst describing the content, you're left expecting a cliché “magic versus technology” brawl. No. No no no no no. The book isn’t cliché. Ever. The world is stunning. The characters are involving and the writing style is so different to anything else I’d ever encountered it just drew me in and left me feeling gobsmacked. Anyway. Now comes the hard part for me. How to describe the book without falling into the same problems as the blurb?

Well, the world is parallel in some ways to our own but is different enough that your'e never entirely sure what’s coming next, but still can locate places well enough to have some idea of the history. Catherine is part of the Hassi Barahal clan, part of a long lineage of explorers and mercenaries. However, Cat’s different. As is her cousin, Beatrice, with whom she lives after her parents died, leaving only faint memories and the instruction “tell no-one what you can see”. Cat can see the webs of magic in the world that no-one else can, as well as vanish into the background when needed. Bea sketches what she dreams:- Dreams which come true.

When a Cold Mage arrives from one of the great houses he takes Cat as his bride under a contract long agreed with the Barahals. As Cat is taken away however, the wings of revolution beging to beat, leading to trouble on the journey, all viewed from Cats perspective. The depth of emotion is excellent, Cat’s mixture of betrayal at being handed away by her family, outrage at being claimed like an item by the snooty young mage and fear as mobs assail their transport come across in ringing clarity.

During the ensuing journey, you visit the parallel spirit realm, meet other races (including the highly characterful trolls, totally different to any others I’ve ever encountered) and slowly learn the worlds history and that of the Barahal clan, the Ken’aani people and Cats place within botht. The way that it’s all weaved together though always leaves you happy with what you know, but open to being surprised by the next twist. And that’s why I love this book. I haven’t encountered anything like it. I only hope you get it , read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
Regards, Kerl.

P.S. This was written as a flow of consciousness after putting the book down. It doesn’t mention the airships. It doesn’t mention the date. It doesn’t mention the map I only just found (Doh!) putting the world into perspective compared to our own.It doesn’t really mention the titular cold magic or the Mage’s who wield it It just sums up what I can without spoilers, which is hard as everything could be a spoiler in such a rich book. Chekov’s gun has nothing on this.

Right. Anyway. I think I’ll calm down now and get back to my dissertation…..