Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
88th out of 100 books
—
306 voters
The Wolf of Winter
by
Paula Volsky
From the panorama of history and legend, Paula Volsky weaves a spellbinding tale of magic, conspiracy, and desire in the frozen land of Rhazaulle, where the living and the dead live peacefully side by side...until now.
Of all the excesses indulged by the decadent Rhazaullean nobility, only one is forbiddennecromancy. It is to these black arts that Prince Varis is addicted,
...morePaperback, 500 pages
Published
December 1st 1994
by Spectra
(first published November 1st 1993)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
398)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Um. Fantasy Russia, with necromancy.
I had trouble with the prison library. I mean, I'd quite like to live there. Regular meals, routine, infinite quantities of books, tutors to help you study anything and everything, impassioned debates about footnoting. . . Not to mention benign necromancy in the cellar. Paradise! So it was hard to sympathise with Sharri's dislike.
Did the practice of necromancy invariably destroy a person's moral sense? Volsky didn't seem to have made up her mind. Varis had th...more
I had trouble with the prison library. I mean, I'd quite like to live there. Regular meals, routine, infinite quantities of books, tutors to help you study anything and everything, impassioned debates about footnoting. . . Not to mention benign necromancy in the cellar. Paradise! So it was hard to sympathise with Sharri's dislike.
Did the practice of necromancy invariably destroy a person's moral sense? Volsky didn't seem to have made up her mind. Varis had th...more
This felt, obviously, very Russian, in setting and theme. The royal family consists of three brothers, the youngest of whom, Varis, is weak and sickly in a land that all but exposes weak and sickly children. Again, it's a world where magic - here, necromancy - is despised, and again the main character ("hero" he ain't) turns to the forbidden for, in part, revenge. The story reminded me a little of a movie I saw around the same time, Perfume; Varis is a lot like Grenouille, in a way. He wants wha...more
The thing that captured me was the characterization of the art of necromancy, which I haven't seen done quite this way before: an esoteric magic requiring dangerous mind-expanding drugs that have unpredictable side effects, and which has an addictive, corruptive effect on the practitioner. The entire portrayal of the manipulated spirits as metaphysical lackeys and infinitely mutable ectoplasm was a unique take on the subject.
I'm not sure where Volsky was going with this theme. Varis succumbs to...more
I'm not sure where Volsky was going with this theme. Varis succumbs to...more
This book gave me mix feelings.. I like Varis, the main protagonist. He started out as a very sympathetic character who was always bullied by his older brothers. I like his characterization and his gradual descent to addiction and necromancy. He was really well written. Some parts of the book was boring and dragging but over all, the writing was really good. The ending was not typical and makes the reader think. I wish there was a sequel. It sort of felt incomplete.
The strength of the book lies in its early characterizations. There is a lot of setup for what seems to be an interesting political drama in a fantasy setting. Unfortunately, every time a scene is set up, it's resolved very quickly with most of the characters disappearing from view. Then there will be a new setup, which might be interesting except you're still reeling from the disappointment of the previous abrupt conclusion and then that one wraps up. Volsky likes to work in shades of gray wher...more
I LOVE the beginning of this book, but always felt that the second half was still too rushed. I still believe that, and privately suspect that Ms. Volsky should have been given/taken more time to really delve into the heroine all grown up, but multiple rereadings have found quite a bit of satisfaction in the details we DO have. Well worth reading!
Feb 26, 2009
Amanda
added it
Last read this in high school/grade school. I saw it in a used book store a couple of weeks again and decided pick it up for amusement. So far it's not as good as I remember one of her other books (_Illusion_) being.
Update: Eh, it's something different, but didn't really enjoy one of the two main characters.
Update: Eh, it's something different, but didn't really enjoy one of the two main characters.
I would give this book a 4.5 if possible. I liked how Varis and Shalindra's stories wove together to continue the plot. The imagined world is really interesting and that kept me interested in the book. The ending left me strangely sad, too.
A lot of the names (people & places) were hard to pronounce, even in your head making this book more difficult to read than it needed to be.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Set in the same world as Illusion, which was a fantasy-version of the French Revolution, this book takes place in that parallel world's version of "Russia." I liked the story quite a lot, especially the very interesting take on necromancy, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Illusion, largely because the characters were not nearly as likeable.
I did not like this book. I could not sympathize with the characters. There is only have one real character for the first third of the book and he's evil, simply. Then the second character you get after the first third of the book is is not amazing either & poorly integrated with the first. Also, the writing is often at times awkward.
what Illusions did for the French Revolution, this one does for the last days of Tsar rule in Russia...
If this is the book I remember it continues in Volsky's (unnamed) world, overlaying fairly limited magic onto the history of the world. This focuses necromancy. I remember worrying about the main character enough that it distracted me from work.
Necromancy can be addictive.
May 21, 2013
Louise Gray
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Libby Curry
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Christine
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2013
Leah
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Paula Volsky is an American fantasy author. Born in Fanwood, New Jersey, she majored in English literature at liberal arts college Vassar in New York State. At the University of Birmingham, England, she received an M.A. in Shakespearian studies. Before writing fantasy, she sold real estate and also worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Illusion, The Wolf of Winter, The Ga...more
More about Paula Volsky...
Illusion, The Wolf of Winter, The Ga...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
