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Roc, Feb 2003, 6.50, 368 pp.
ISBN 0451459113
It has been over five hundred years since the Great Cold has descended on the land, isolating the North from the South. Now with the Thaw arriving, the Railway People are constructing a railroad under the Aldemar Forest but the project is not going smoothly. People disappear and are never seen again; the Soul Men, insane shamans whose minds work in a gestalt fashion, kill others.
Yuda, a very powerful Shaman, along with his two children Annat and Malchik, is assigned to work undercover as a doctor in the town of Gard Aldemar to figure out what is going on. Both Yuda and Annat feel the power of the woods. When Malchik disappears, they determine that he has been spirited away to the shaman dimension of La Souterraine. They are able to ride the train into La Souterraine, gathering allies as they hope to free a city and rescue Malchik without any of their party falling prey to the Cold One.
Harriet Klausner
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 10% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy world/fantasy past
Political power play
Yes
Political plotlets
- saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow
Mental/magical powers focus
Yes
magical powers:
- clash between evenly matched magical power(s) (fantasy)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Religious overtones?
Yes
Family relations
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- mage/magician
Age:
- 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mage/magician
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Earth setting:
- during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue?
- significantly more dialog than descript
