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Darkness on the Ice
It was World War II, and the Nazis had found the perfect weapon...
Wolff, a Nazi SS officer, had an innate talent - and thirst - for killing. As he sliced the throats of enemy sentries, his strength and stealth allowed him to drain and drink their warm blood with ease. Now, his new assignment at a Nazi weather station in the arctic left Wolff basking in the darkness of the winter days, yet a need for blood consumed him; and with a scarcity of enemies, Wolff would have to make some desperate choices...
Two Weather Groups had already been taken prisoner by the U.S. Coast Guard, and Luftwaffe Captain Martin Dietrich was glad to see Wolff arrive at his Greenland weather station. Yet there was something sinister about the SS officer, something that reeked of death and terror. And when his men started to disappear, Dietrich sensed a waking nightmare was about to begin...
Wolff, a Nazi SS officer, had an innate talent - and thirst - for killing. As he sliced the throats of enemy sentries, his strength and stealth allowed him to drain and drink their warm blood with ease. Now, his new assignment at a Nazi weather station in the arctic left Wolff basking in the darkness of the winter days, yet a need for blood consumed him; and with a scarcity of enemies, Wolff would have to make some desperate choices...
Two Weather Groups had already been taken prisoner by the U.S. Coast Guard, and Luftwaffe Captain Martin Dietrich was glad to see Wolff arrive at his Greenland weather station. Yet there was something sinister about the SS officer, something that reeked of death and terror. And when his men started to disappear, Dietrich sensed a waking nightmare was about to begin...
286 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 27, 2016
If you like your horror novels dark, dark, DARK, and relentlessly bleak, this may be up your alley. You the reader are basically stuck in an arctic wasteland where the sun never rises for the entirety of the novel. Taking place during WWII, a group of Americans and a group of Nazis are each trying to set up and operate their own weather stations in Greenland in the midst of winter. Not only do they have to deal with the torturous conditions, but there's a vampire in their midst, and they're his only food source.
The setup is great. I dig "isolated and hunted"-type horror stories, but throw in ice and snow and endless night and I'm basically in love. The problem is that these are some of the most unlikeable, emotionless characters I've come across in fiction. If I'm rooting for the vampire, then I'm not scared. If I'm not scared, or at least uneasy, then it's not a successful horror novel, imo. The chapters from the vampire's perspective were much more engaging than the humans'. He was pretty cool, actually, unlike his potential victims. This may well have been the author's intent, but it takes any sort of tension out of the story, at least for me.
I did like the desolate, frozen atmosphere, but overall I need a little more character development if I'm going to be stuck with these characters for 300 pages or so. Your mileage may vary.
2.5 Stars.
The setup is great. I dig "isolated and hunted"-type horror stories, but throw in ice and snow and endless night and I'm basically in love. The problem is that these are some of the most unlikeable, emotionless characters I've come across in fiction. If I'm rooting for the vampire, then I'm not scared. If I'm not scared, or at least uneasy, then it's not a successful horror novel, imo. The chapters from the vampire's perspective were much more engaging than the humans'. He was pretty cool, actually, unlike his potential victims. This may well have been the author's intent, but it takes any sort of tension out of the story, at least for me.
I did like the desolate, frozen atmosphere, but overall I need a little more character development if I'm going to be stuck with these characters for 300 pages or so. Your mileage may vary.
2.5 Stars.
June 2, 2018
Stuff some garlic in your ice skates, because it's Nazi Vampires on Ice!
March 15, 2024
Nazis and vampires? I'm in! While this has a preface and postscript in the now (circa 1995), the bulk of this exists in Greenland circa 1944. The Nazis are desperate to establish a weather station in the Artic as that is key to the weather in Europe, but the allies work very hard to thwart this. In Darkness on the Ice, the Nazis did manage to set up a weather station in Greenland and the SS, along with Hitler, sent Wolff, a vampire, to protect it from the Americans, who had a base a few hundred miles down the coast.
Not sure if this was supposed to be scary, for it really wasn't, and Tilton did little to reinvent standard vampire tropes. Yet, the ice-cold setting and the cat and mouse hunting involved made it pretty gripping nonetheless. The Nazis at the base really do not take to Wolff, who comes posing as an SS officer in charge of security. The cold just does not seem to bother him, and he never seems to eat or sleep; Greenland, when he landed there, was just beginning its long winter night after all! So, we have the Americans seeking the German base with dogsled teams and a lone vampire out to stop them (and feed).
I liked the atmosphere and that was perhaps the most redeeming part of this little tale. I was actually rooting for the vampire although I think I was supposed to root for the Americans 😎. Really, Tilton did a good job humanizing the Germans at the base (all were from the German air force) and the Americans as well. Wolff, the vampire, however, was one cool character! 3 toothy stars!!
Not sure if this was supposed to be scary, for it really wasn't, and Tilton did little to reinvent standard vampire tropes. Yet, the ice-cold setting and the cat and mouse hunting involved made it pretty gripping nonetheless. The Nazis at the base really do not take to Wolff, who comes posing as an SS officer in charge of security. The cold just does not seem to bother him, and he never seems to eat or sleep; Greenland, when he landed there, was just beginning its long winter night after all! So, we have the Americans seeking the German base with dogsled teams and a lone vampire out to stop them (and feed).
I liked the atmosphere and that was perhaps the most redeeming part of this little tale. I was actually rooting for the vampire although I think I was supposed to root for the Americans 😎. Really, Tilton did a good job humanizing the Germans at the base (all were from the German air force) and the Americans as well. Wolff, the vampire, however, was one cool character! 3 toothy stars!!
April 13, 2014
This was a surprising find. Like The Keep, it's the story of WW2 soldiers dealing with a vampire in an isolated setting. In this case it's a vampire who made a deal with the SS that had him flown to Greenland to protect a Nazi weather tracking unit from an invading US force. Complications arise when the German soldiers realize that their SS guest is something more than they bargained for. If you dig arctic horror stories like The Thing there's a good chance you'll like this. The writing is top notch. I wish Tilton wrote more horror but apparently she writes mainly fantasy and science fiction.
April 9, 2021
I like my vampire stuff gloomy as hell and it sure is. Reminded me a lot of 30 days of night. Which I fully enjoy. Constant cold and dark and the spookiness of the American team not knowing what was killing them was great. It really came through the fear everyone felt. Just suddenly someone would disappear in the blink of the eye. Wolff was my favorite character I enjoyed everytime we got his point of view and I still think he was the protagonist and antagonist of the book. This is a keeper. The vampire is a monster no romancing of them here but understandable in his needs and wants. Im a simple man you give me WW2 and vampires and I'm in love. Total keeper
3 1/2 stars👌
3 1/2 stars👌
July 23, 2024
This book had a great premise to it. It just didn't really live up to it. The desolation of Greenland and a Nazi vampire had a good ring to it for me. The problem was it was all to mundane. It went down a short path and then doubled back and went in circles.
Over and over again we here from both the Americans and Germans that Greenland is a cold unforgiving wasteland of cold. From the vamp we here how he must hunt and feed and how to control his want. Someone would disappear and die without much suspense. Then hit the reset button and do it all over again.
I saw the ending coming after the first couple pages. There was no surprise there. Not to be totally a downer, there was some things about this I liked. The barren frozen land was well described and put you in mind of the characters pitiful existence in this type of land.
Over and over again we here from both the Americans and Germans that Greenland is a cold unforgiving wasteland of cold. From the vamp we here how he must hunt and feed and how to control his want. Someone would disappear and die without much suspense. Then hit the reset button and do it all over again.
I saw the ending coming after the first couple pages. There was no surprise there. Not to be totally a downer, there was some things about this I liked. The barren frozen land was well described and put you in mind of the characters pitiful existence in this type of land.
February 17, 2020
4.7 stars!
Most underrated Vampire novel ever! WW II, Germans and Americans use North East Coast of Greenland for forecasting weather, for D-Day invasion. Mid winter, very little daylight. Germans make deal to give Vampire back his castle if vampire destroys American weather base. Evil, deadly scary vampire. Even the Nazis aren't safe from the monster's blood lust. Exciting, terrifying, at times humorous, fast read.
Essential addition to any serious vampire collection.
Most underrated Vampire novel ever! WW II, Germans and Americans use North East Coast of Greenland for forecasting weather, for D-Day invasion. Mid winter, very little daylight. Germans make deal to give Vampire back his castle if vampire destroys American weather base. Evil, deadly scary vampire. Even the Nazis aren't safe from the monster's blood lust. Exciting, terrifying, at times humorous, fast read.
Essential addition to any serious vampire collection.
July 12, 2011
This is horror, not urban fantasy. A fairly straightforward tale of Germans and Americans fighting a piece of WWII in desolate Greenland. Good descriptions of how difficult it was to survive in the land of the midnight sun. So add to the difficulty a vampire sent by Germans to defend the German weather station. Pretty bloodthirsty.
August 21, 2022
This is Lois Tilton's second novel centered on a vampire in an unusual location--in this instance, a Nazi weather station in Greenland as World War II draws to a close. It holds up well against her previous novel, Vampire Winter (1990).
In a frame device set in 1995, Americans discover the remains of a Nazi base along with a frozen corpse they promptly thaw. After this brief opening interlude, the action shifts to late 1944.
One looking for subtlety in this book will find very little as Tilton quickly establishes the vampiric nature of Wolff, the sometimes central character of the main narrative posing for personal reasons as a member of the SS. Despite the lack of ambiguity about Wolff's nature, the book nonetheless builds tension and uncertainty among the Americans and Nazis trapped on Greenland with Wolff.
To develop her story, Tilton splits the first half roughly equally between the opposing groups with the death count rising steadily, usually but not always because of Wolff.
As things progress, much as in the movie The Thing (1982) and its source story, Who Goes There? (1938)--which likely served as an inspiration--paranoia and tension mount with the second half featuring increasing conflicts on the almost apocalyptic wasteland of Greenland in winter.
Probably the strongest aspect of the story is that Tilton develops many of the characters, including Wolff, strongly and gives them believable motivations for their actions. We genuinely come to feel emotions for them within the context of the story and understand why they act as they do.
Much as in her previous novel, Tilton gives a more naturalistic explanation for her vampire than is generally the case in literature since Dracula (1897). Wolff does have some possibly supernatural aspects hinted at in his backstory, but like Blaine Kittredge, the vampire hero of Vampire Winter, can't transform while having to defend his Achilles heel--his heart--against damage from any object, not just a wooden stake, to avoid death. There are differences between the two in terms of how they can create other vampires, suggesting Tilton has a complex vision of her bloodsuckers.
The Prose is generally sparse with few purple expressions in it, as is appropriate for the kind of pared-down novel Tilton writes, though she gives us enough description to bring the setting and action vividly to life. This kind of writing has made me a fan even if Tilton is a somewhat obscure name among horror writers.
Tilton subverts expectations masterfully by killing off characters I expected to be central to the climax. This part I greatly enjoyed as I found surprises where I wasn't expecting them in the narrative. Ultimately she gives us a muted climax which leads into the close of the frame--with another subversion of expectations that made sense despite what I expected to read in the closing chapter.
Darkness on the Ice is better written and paced than Vampire Winter, indicating Lois Tilton had improved her writing style in the years since her debut novel. It has flaws, particularly in Wolff's backstory, which, despite developing him strongly as a character, could have used some fleshing out. Despite these minor objections though, it is a breezy, compelling read that gives us a somewhat open-ended conclusion enabling us to imagine events that occurred after the main action.
I recommend it for people who like unusual takes on one of the most numerous types of characters in horror fiction.
In a frame device set in 1995, Americans discover the remains of a Nazi base along with a frozen corpse they promptly thaw. After this brief opening interlude, the action shifts to late 1944.
One looking for subtlety in this book will find very little as Tilton quickly establishes the vampiric nature of Wolff, the sometimes central character of the main narrative posing for personal reasons as a member of the SS. Despite the lack of ambiguity about Wolff's nature, the book nonetheless builds tension and uncertainty among the Americans and Nazis trapped on Greenland with Wolff.
To develop her story, Tilton splits the first half roughly equally between the opposing groups with the death count rising steadily, usually but not always because of Wolff.
As things progress, much as in the movie The Thing (1982) and its source story, Who Goes There? (1938)--which likely served as an inspiration--paranoia and tension mount with the second half featuring increasing conflicts on the almost apocalyptic wasteland of Greenland in winter.
Probably the strongest aspect of the story is that Tilton develops many of the characters, including Wolff, strongly and gives them believable motivations for their actions. We genuinely come to feel emotions for them within the context of the story and understand why they act as they do.
Much as in her previous novel, Tilton gives a more naturalistic explanation for her vampire than is generally the case in literature since Dracula (1897). Wolff does have some possibly supernatural aspects hinted at in his backstory, but like Blaine Kittredge, the vampire hero of Vampire Winter, can't transform while having to defend his Achilles heel--his heart--against damage from any object, not just a wooden stake, to avoid death. There are differences between the two in terms of how they can create other vampires, suggesting Tilton has a complex vision of her bloodsuckers.
The Prose is generally sparse with few purple expressions in it, as is appropriate for the kind of pared-down novel Tilton writes, though she gives us enough description to bring the setting and action vividly to life. This kind of writing has made me a fan even if Tilton is a somewhat obscure name among horror writers.
Tilton subverts expectations masterfully by killing off characters I expected to be central to the climax. This part I greatly enjoyed as I found surprises where I wasn't expecting them in the narrative. Ultimately she gives us a muted climax which leads into the close of the frame--with another subversion of expectations that made sense despite what I expected to read in the closing chapter.
Darkness on the Ice is better written and paced than Vampire Winter, indicating Lois Tilton had improved her writing style in the years since her debut novel. It has flaws, particularly in Wolff's backstory, which, despite developing him strongly as a character, could have used some fleshing out. Despite these minor objections though, it is a breezy, compelling read that gives us a somewhat open-ended conclusion enabling us to imagine events that occurred after the main action.
I recommend it for people who like unusual takes on one of the most numerous types of characters in horror fiction.
December 24, 2017
One would think that the threat of either the supernatural or Nazis alone would be frightening enough, but ever since F. Paul Wilson's "The Adversary Cycle," horror fans have been gluttons for this kind of combination of human and extra-mundane evil. Way before "Dead Snow" was a thing, there was Lois Tilton's "Dead Ice," a far more nuanced, and less broad look at an undead Nazi. In fact, Ms. Tilton's handling of the material, and her forsaken character is nuanced enough that I'm not even sure if it would be accurate to call the book's antagonist-protagonist Wolff a Nazi in anything but name.
The book follows the fatalistic quest of a vampire baron to preserve his castle's dignity by backing the Germans in their war against the Allies. He wears an SS uniform and (grudgingly) helps the Nazis fend off the Americans in exchange for being allowed to drink the blood of those GIs he kills for the Fuhrer. When a higher ranking SS man gives Wolff orders to go to a remote weather station in Greenland, the vampire is suspicious, but goes anyway. Darkness ensues.
The author does a good job of controlling the tap on the bloodletting, not descending into splatter-punk (popular at the time) and relying on old-fashioned suspense and her solid skills at describing life in the unforgiving winter to create a credible and believable story of a vampire making common cause with a perhaps greater evil in order to stave off the unknown ("Vae victis" and so on). The book is perfect reading for a cold winter night, and like John Carpenter's "The Thing" it uses the harsh majesty of nature and the grimness of life well beyond civilization's edge to create a primal tale of survival. Recommended.
The book follows the fatalistic quest of a vampire baron to preserve his castle's dignity by backing the Germans in their war against the Allies. He wears an SS uniform and (grudgingly) helps the Nazis fend off the Americans in exchange for being allowed to drink the blood of those GIs he kills for the Fuhrer. When a higher ranking SS man gives Wolff orders to go to a remote weather station in Greenland, the vampire is suspicious, but goes anyway. Darkness ensues.
The author does a good job of controlling the tap on the bloodletting, not descending into splatter-punk (popular at the time) and relying on old-fashioned suspense and her solid skills at describing life in the unforgiving winter to create a credible and believable story of a vampire making common cause with a perhaps greater evil in order to stave off the unknown ("Vae victis" and so on). The book is perfect reading for a cold winter night, and like John Carpenter's "The Thing" it uses the harsh majesty of nature and the grimness of life well beyond civilization's edge to create a primal tale of survival. Recommended.
September 13, 2015
2.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews