Iron Winter

by Stephen Baxter

Overview

Praised as “not only a gifted storyteller but also a master of speculative fiction” (Library Journal), bestselling author Stephen Baxter brings his epic Northland trilogy to a close as a once-thriving civilization faces winter without end....
 
Many generations ago, the Wall was built to hold back the sea. A simple dam, it grew into a vast linear city, home to scholars, builders, and merchants. Northland’s prosperity survived wars and unrest—and brought the whole of Europe together.
 
But now darkness is falling. Days grow shorter, temperatures colder, and in the wake of long winters come famine, destruction, and terror. As a mass exodus to warmer climes threatens to fracture Northland, one man believes he can outwit the cold, and even salvage some scraps of the great civilization—before interminable gloom settles over the land; before the fires of war lay waste to an empire; before the ice comes....
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101617687
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/05/2013
Series:	The Northland Trilogy , #3
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	512
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Stephen Baxter was born in Liverpool, England, in 1957. He holds degrees in mathematics, from Cambridge University; engineering, from Southampton University; and business administration, from Henley Management College. He’s a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the British Interplanetary Society.

His first professionally published short story appeared in 1987. He has been a full-time author since 1995 and is currently Vice-President of the British Science Fiction Association.

His science fiction novels have been published in the UK, the US, and in many other countries including Germany, Japan, France. His books have won several awards including the Philip K Dick Award, the John Campbell Memorial Award, the British Science Fiction Association Award, the Kurd Lasswitz Award (Germany) and the Seiun Award (Japan) and have been nominated for several others, including the Arthur C Clarke Award, the Hugo Award and Locus awards. He has also published over 100 sf short stories, several of which have won prizes. He can be found at stephen-baxter.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for the Northland Trilogy  

Iron Winter
 
“A journey that has not only thrilled, but enchanted me...a series that generated one hell of a ride from start to finish.”—Falcata Times
 
Bronze Summer
 
“An interesting world and a compelling narrative.”—Solar Bridge
 
Stone Spring
 
“A great piece of fiction...a strong, thought-provoking novel.”—Syfy (UK)
 

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the Northland Trilogy  

Iron Winter
 
“A journey that has not only thrilled, but enchanted me...a series that generated one hell of a ride from start to finish.”—Falcata Times
 
Bronze Summer
 
“An interesting world and a compelling narrative.”—Solar Bridge
 
Stone Spring
 
“A great piece of fiction...a strong, thought-provoking novel.”—Syfy (UK)
 

From the Publisher

2013-10-01
Final entry in the alternate-world Northland trilogy (Bronze Summer, 2012, etc.). Once again, stunning worldbuilding is the order of the day. In 1315, Extelur, originally built thousands of years ago as a wall to hold back the encroaching seas, has expanded into a vast linear city housing the most powerful civilization in the world. To the east lies the Hattusan (Hittite) Empire; to the south, Carthage, having destroyed Rome in the Punic Wars, occupies North Africa and Iberia; the Mongols hold sway in Asia; in the Americas, three sprawling civilizations have arisen. As the story opens, old scholar Pyxeas studies the behavior of glaciers in Coldland (Greenland). He returns to Extelur with a young Inuit companion, Avatak, and bad news: The current bitterly cold weather is but a harbinger of a new Ice Age. But Pyxeas' understanding of the forces and processes behind this is yet incomplete, so he plans to travel to Cathay to consult the scholars there, meanwhile warning Extelur's fractious leaders of what is to come. Few, of course, believe him--until another heatless summer is rapidly followed by a winter of unprecedented ferocity. As Pyxeas and Avatak make their way to Cathay, they observe civilizations in the throes of collapse. The Hattusans, menaced by Scand and Rus hordes fleeing the north, make a fateful decision: uproot their entire empire and sail south to challenge Carthage for control of the agricultural wealth of Egypt. All this is brought to vibrant life in a series of fine character studies and interactions, even if the plotting is far less probable than the densely woven backdrop. The drawback is Baxter's tendency to drench everything in detail, all too frequently slowing the narrative to a crawl. Impressive and worthwhile, but even committed readers will be tempted to skim at times.

Kirkus Reviews