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207th out of 1,142 books
—
4,666 voters
Winter of Fire
Elsha is one of the Quelled: a branded people, doomed always to mine coal to warm the ruling class, the Chosen. But Elsha has strange visions that set her apart - and a strong spirit that condemns her to death. Her life is saved when she is called to be Handmaiden to the Firelord, the most powerful being on the planet. Elsha is the first of her kind ever to be so honored -...more
Mass Market Paperback, 321 pages
Published
January 1st 1995
by Scholastic
(first published January 28th 1992)
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Nov 30, 2010
Mariel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
just the same but brand new
Recommended to Mariel by:
laughing with a mouth of blood
Boy cockatiels will freeze out a girl cockatiel if she sings. I find that to be the most depressing thing ever (I'm shooting dirty looks at my cocky buddies Lester the Molestor and Hey Jude as I type this. They never even attempted to do a Lauren Bacall whistling lesson for me!). There's a scene in the film Clueless when Breckin Meyer (can't believe I just mentioned THAT name) tells Brittany Murphy (or that one) that boys do those dangerous stunts and girls don't so they'll have something to imp...more
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One of my favorite things in the world is finding a good book that I've never heard of, and Winter of Fire defiantly filled those requirements. Even after finishing it this afternoon, I am still finding myself thinking about the amazing world and wonderful characters that Mrs. Jordan created. The main character is Elsha, one of the enslaved race called the Quelled. She is chosen by The Firelord to be his handmaiden and Elsha begins on a quest to bring equality to her world. While the whole 'slav...more
I was actually slightly disappointed in this book. I liked the spunk of the main character, Elsha, but all of the other females in the book seemed to be just tacked on so that the male to female character ratio wouldn't be so overwhelmingly male. None of the other female characters had anywhere near the level of interest that the surrounding male characters did.
And, the ending seemed almost like a Deus ex machine - where everything was wrapped up almost too neatly by the people learning how to "...more
And, the ending seemed almost like a Deus ex machine - where everything was wrapped up almost too neatly by the people learning how to "...more
Creates a world set in the future that is divided into two races-—the Chosen and the Quelled. The world is in a state of extreme cold and firestones need to be continuously mined to keep the population alive. The Chosen force the Quelled to be their slaves, branding them and taking forcing them into a submissive state. Elsha, the heroine of the text, is Quelled but she is taken as the Firelord’s handmaid—a great honor as the Firelord is the highest position available in this world. This breaks m...more
Few YA novels are are well-written enough to be just as compelling when read as an adult - much less read as an adult for the first time, and not just revisiting a loved story from one's youth, with all the fond memories and nostalgia we bring to a re-read. But that is how I've just read this book, and I was extremely impressed.
The parable of slavery and repression is a familiar one; whether we consider the idea of women being subservient to men, or one people enslaving another - both of which a...more
The parable of slavery and repression is a familiar one; whether we consider the idea of women being subservient to men, or one people enslaving another - both of which a...more
This is a pretty decent fairy tale/fantasy with a little hint of post-apocalyptic goodness going on. Elsha is a sixteen year old girl and a member of a race of people who are "Quelled" - forced to work in mines all day with little food or shelter while suffering abuse from their wealthy, spoiled overlords (the Chosen) who brand them and believe that they can't speak and don't have any intelligence or souls. Elsha has always had a fiery spirit and likes to rebel. She also seems to have prophetic...more
One of the signs of a good book is its ability to grow with the reader. I read this book a long time ago and was caught up in the characters, emotion and the energy of the story, but it has been one of the few novels that has moved with me as I have changed. It couples simple entertainment with thought provoking themes seamlessly. There is something in the soul of this book that resonates with who I am.
Tamar - I will admit that I was a little dubious when you handed this over to me, and told me I would like it. Maybe it was the early-90s style cover or the blurb that ends "Elsha must learn the hard way that you can't play with fire without getting burned," but I was not excited to read this book and put it off for several months.
I'm sorry I judged this book by its cover. This is a fantastic story...I don't know where to begin. With strangely dystopian roots (reminiscent of Klein's disaster cap...more
I'm sorry I judged this book by its cover. This is a fantastic story...I don't know where to begin. With strangely dystopian roots (reminiscent of Klein's disaster cap...more
I loved this book, and I'm so sorry it's out of print! I thought Elsha was an amazing character, and I had a lot of sympathy for her. It's true, one reviewer said, that she's very reckless sometimes, and does some stupid things. But, to me, that made her character more vivid and believable.
The book does have one or two problems. Definitely, Elsha relies a little too much on men, and I can see how her relationships with them might bother some readers -- though I think they are very true-to-life,...more
The book does have one or two problems. Definitely, Elsha relies a little too much on men, and I can see how her relationships with them might bother some readers -- though I think they are very true-to-life,...more
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In a chill world in which no one has seen the sun, humanity is divided into two groups: the chosen of God and the quelled of God. The quelled must spend their lives underground, mining firestone for the chosen. Elsha, a child of the quelled, is called to serve the firelord the day she turns 16. Although one of the chosen, her lord is a good man who dreams, like Elsha, of changing the cruelties of their world. But her calling and her dreams are even higher than that -
A vivid and haunting book abo...more
A vivid and haunting book abo...more
Elsha is one of the Quelled, a race of slaves who are branded with marks on their foreheads, marked forever as those who will mine coal for a frozen world. The coal warms those of the privileged race. Elsha, however, has a gift that may lead not only to her own salvation, but that of her people, and even the world.
I read this book when I was in junior high, and I adored it. I tracked it down recently and bought a copy to read again. Although as an adult I saw the plot as a little more obvious, I...more
I read this book when I was in junior high, and I adored it. I tracked it down recently and bought a copy to read again. Although as an adult I saw the plot as a little more obvious, I...more
Nov 03, 2012
Delicious Strawberry
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sherryl-jordan,
science-fiction
I remember reading this in high school (on my own, not for class) it was a book I had accidentally stumbled across in the library while I was browsing for something to read. i was so moved that a few years later, I read it again and found myself no less moved.
Part of me craves a sequel to this fantastic book (or a prequel) and part of me is happy the book was left the way it is. It's even more fascinating when you realize that the author implies that this dark world is what ours is in the future...more
Part of me craves a sequel to this fantastic book (or a prequel) and part of me is happy the book was left the way it is. It's even more fascinating when you realize that the author implies that this dark world is what ours is in the future...more
Hands down one of my favourites of all time. OF ALL TIME.
Everyone needs to read this book forever.
Everyone needs to read this book forever.
FINALLY. Thanks to Rachel, I was able to track this book down again. I'm pretty sure I read this in 1997, because I have it linked with Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" for some reason, but memory is a funny thing. Anyway, I have been looking for it for ages, but couldn't remember the title or anything more than a few details of the plot, but this is definitely it.
It's no wonder I loved it so much when I read it originally. It's a Scholastic Point book. Those were always awesome. Every man Elsha meet...more
It's no wonder I loved it so much when I read it originally. It's a Scholastic Point book. Those were always awesome. Every man Elsha meet...more
Sherryl Jordan's young adult books don't condescend to the reader, and that really attracted me when I was young. They're less "fantasy" and more "kinda-supernatural-alternative-world-fiction." Her female characters are strong without that annoying "Young girl comes of age in X culture" feminism that is sooooo overdone in young adult fiction. Definitely for teens.
This was one of my absolute favorite books as a kid. I must have read it once a week for at least two years. I even wrote the author o...more
This was one of my absolute favorite books as a kid. I must have read it once a week for at least two years. I even wrote the author o...more
A young adult book with a lot of high ideals about things that are right, about curing injustices and about happily ever afters. A bit sweet at times, the heroine is still is a likable girl. Yes, the transition from slavery to freedom for the society was greatly simplistic, but I'm pretty sure this isn't meant to be societal commentary on the issue of slavery. It's more about holding beliefs and believing in ones' self regardless of what others think of you. Which is still an important message f...more
I re-read this one after having loved and read over and over as a teen. I almost didn't find it, but memory (and our library's excellent teen librarian) served me well. She couldn't believe she hadn't read it - this book covers a lot of the popular plot themes of the last decade: female empowerment, environment, post-apocalypse, etc. The only disappointment I had was with the "mind over matter" bit at the end. Still, I can't say I would have done better!
Seriously, this book needs to be shared....more
Seriously, this book needs to be shared....more
As a whole, the story was good. I found the main character a little stoic and unrelatable. I couldn't quite understand what everyone liked about her so much. Pretty much every guy that met her was instantly taken, but her personality was virutally non-existant.
The plot was simple but solid, with one overarching goal and no side stories lacing into it (I enjoy side stories so this was a bit of a negative for me). At first, I was pulled into the story. The conditions in the mines and the lifestyl...more
The plot was simple but solid, with one overarching goal and no side stories lacing into it (I enjoy side stories so this was a bit of a negative for me). At first, I was pulled into the story. The conditions in the mines and the lifestyl...more
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I first read this as a young adolescent, and hadn't been able to track it down until recently (with the help of the Goodreads group "What's the Name of that Book?").
It definitely has an early-90's "grrrrl power" vibe to it. Elsha is powerful and defiant, and every male she encounters falls in love with her not because of her looks, but because of her fiery spirit. She, however, has much more important things than romance to deal with, and doesn't spend her time mooning over attractive men like t...more
It definitely has an early-90's "grrrrl power" vibe to it. Elsha is powerful and defiant, and every male she encounters falls in love with her not because of her looks, but because of her fiery spirit. She, however, has much more important things than romance to deal with, and doesn't spend her time mooning over attractive men like t...more
I read Winter of Fire for the first time in sixth grade ten years ago. I devoured the story, and it never really left me. Unfortunately, Winter of Fire is out of print, but every time I went to a used book sale I searched for it, until I finally found it for cheap on Amazon a few years ago. This was my third time reading Winter of Fire, and I have to say, it never gets old.
Winter of Fire is definitely a middle-grade book, which was a little hard to get used to after reading so many young adult b...more
Winter of Fire is definitely a middle-grade book, which was a little hard to get used to after reading so many young adult b...more
My roommate and I were sitting around talking about kid lit. And she was like "have you read that one....with the quelled people? And the firelord? And the stuff that's like coal but isn't called coal? I can't remember the title!" And I was like "honey, the word 'quelled' is rare enough that I'm sure you could Google it." And, voila! I liked it and it definitely kept me reading, though I agree with some others that the main character is not particularly endearing so I gave it a very solid 3 star...more
Dec 09, 2010
Amanda
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
girls who love fantasy
Shelves:
4-and-5-stars
One of my favorite books as a kid, and a great way to spend the afternoon today. There were a lot of aspects that i didn't really get fully when i was younger, and reading it now it is TOTALLY ALL ABOUT FEMINISM AND CLASSISM OMG but at the time, it was just an awesome adventure story. It's still a fun adventure story, but now some of the things Elsha does seem a little... stupid and foolhardy, and she reads as younger than 16. But i still had a lot of fun reading it!
Another one for the nostalgia shelf. I had a sudden memory of the bare bones plot of this and was wracking my brains to remember the title. I headed to the 'What was that book' LJ community, and lo and behold, this was #4 or so on the 'frequent searches' list!
I guess this was a plot that stays with you for a long time!
I never realized that this was by Sherryl Jordan, author of 'The Juniper Game' which was one of my other favorite books at the time.
I guess this was a plot that stays with you for a long time!
I never realized that this was by Sherryl Jordan, author of 'The Juniper Game' which was one of my other favorite books at the time.
Elsha and her Quelled family mine coal all day for the Chosen. . .until she is selected by the Firelord to be his hand maid. This breaks with all tradition as Quelled are considered to be less than animals in the eyes of the Chosen. Elsha discovers that the Firelord is not the only one in the world who can divine where coal is located in the earth; she can do it too. She feels she's destined to rescue the Quelled from their slavelike state.
My favorite childhood book. I first read it in 6th or 7th grade when I stumbled upon it in the school library. I love the main character Elsha and she gave me courage during my middle school years. It's a really good read and I recommend that everyone should at least give it a chance! It teaches important life lessons and values all the while getting you hooked into a good story that has you non-stop reading until the very end!
I’m afraid I just can’t quite warm up to Jordan. We read her Juniper Game a few months ago and I had a similar feeling about it. She has some good ideas, but I find myself wrinkling my nose at the characters: too self-consciously fey, too clever, too talented, too unreal. This was a read-aloud (daughters 10 and 13) and by the end we were all snickering at the main character’s talent for attracting gorgeous, devoted men.
This book is one of my favorites! The story of the slave (I'm really not sure what else to call her) woman becoming one of the most important people upon their planet may be one of the most timeless of ideals but this book puts a magical spin upon the idea and ramps it up for me in a way that I wouldn't have thought possible. Good book. Good read. Definitely something to pick up if you haven't read it already.
Winter of Fire was another book that I could put down. I found it at a library sale, and was pleasantly surprised. I was fascinated and intrigued by the world she lived in. I first read this book when I was 11 years old. And I have re read about 4 or 5 more times. Each time, I discover something new I hadn't noticed. She was a very strong brave character. I admired her as a young child, and still do.
I suppose being a young adult book, I can't be too hard on this story. However, I've ready many in that category, and still find it difficult to give more than two stars. The story is written as though for small children with content fit for audiences a bit older. It was interesting but not compelling. I found myself annoyed with the protagonist as often as I would a real girl of this age (in fairness, teenage boys annoy me as well). It was not a particularly deep story, though it tried to be. T...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: SOLVED: Book at least 18 years old, adolescent girl is m/c, eternal winter, no sunshine [s] | 14 | 95 | 19. Juli, 17:08 Uhr |
Award-winning New Zealand author Sherryl Jordan began her writing career with picture books, but soon moved on to novels for older readers. Her breakthrough came with Rocco, published in the United States as A Time of Darkness, and since that time she has gone on to pen many more titles for young adult and juvenile readers that have been published both in her native New Zealand and throughout the...more
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