The Iceman: A Novel of Otzi

by Jeanne Blanchet

In 1991, hikers in the Italian Alps made an extraordinary discovery: the mummy of a man exposed by a retreating glacier. Entombed in ice for 5,300 years, "Otzi" began to reveal hidden truths taken to his frozen grave as the circumstances of his death and the artifacts surrounding him sparked worldwide fascination and excitement.
Today, award-winning author Jeanne Blanchet draws on established facts about Otzi's life and times to weave a suspenseful tale of intrigue and murder. Surviving an avalanche, captivity, and other trials, Otzi was relentlessly stalked by enemies intent on taking down the one man capable of revealing an earth-shattering secret which would revolutionize society.
Vivid and realistic, The Iceman is a thrilling revelation of one man's saga in Europe's Chalcolithic Age.

312 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1991, hikers found an amazingly preserved body on an icy mountain peak in Otztal of the Italian alps. Leading archaeologists flocked to the area. They expertly released the body from the ice and began researching all they could learn about when he lived, how he lived, how he died, what he wore, what he carried, etc. Taking hundreds of facts as background, Ms. Blanchet wrote a novel about this mystery man from centuries ago. Her writing is not only fascinating but ingenious. Her deft character development drew me in and made me care very much about the primary characters, especially the protagonist!
I have given Ms. Blanchet a nickname: Michener Lite. I've enjoyed reading Michener but when he goes on describing background facts for 30-40 pages at a time in his 1000+ page novels, I sometimes skipped to the next point in the plot. Blanchet does excellent research for her novels, but mercifully manages to keep the page count less than half what Michener churned out.
You must buy this book and read this. It is a book you will devour and never forget.

[Reader Views · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeanne Blanchet’s “The Iceman: A Novel of Otzi” is a fictional imagining of the life of Otzi, a 5,300-year-old mummy which was discovered preserved in ice in 1991 in the Italian Alps. Upon his birth, a shaman foretold of a glorifying prophecy: he would travel far, learn, and disseminate new knowledge to many cultures, and endure throughout countless generations. Gisla, Otzi’s mother, made it her mission to impart this vision to her son to inspire him to rise to accomplish the glorious things the shaman perceived. Struggling to emerge out of his older brother’s shadow as a young boy, Otzi falls under the tutelage of his uncle, Frizi, and becomes a skilled tradesman. During his resplendent career he meets numerous peoples of different tribes and regions, learns of new materials, and has children of his own. Otzi will also face strife, however, as he begins to feel the beginnings of arthritis in his bones as a young man, endures avalanches and even is taken captive. Overall, his passion for trade will kickstart his destiny and, therefore, make the old shaman’s prophecy a reality.

“The Iceman: A Novel of Otzi” immediately called to me. I studied Anthropology and Archaeology in college, so I am quite familiar with Otzi and the events surrounding the mummy’s discovery. Historians, archaeologists, and cultural anthropologists have been working to piece together this mysterious man’s life for decades now, with very few artifacts and evidence to go on. Though the glacier he was entombed in for 5,300 years helped preserve Otzi’s body wonderfully, nature still, unfortunately, likely erased a lot of clues that might have further helped establish who Otzi really was, where he came from, and how and why he truly died.

“The Iceman: A Novel of Otzi” is quite a realistic imagining of who this man might have been. Little is known still about a lot of the early humans who inhabited the lands of Europe in pre-historic times, so it was important that the author both invent a compelling character while also trying to stay true to the history that is known. The idea that there was a wide network of tribes across the Italian Alps that, though spread far apart and speaking different languages, still functioned as a successful trading enterprise is one of the most fascinating aspects of this period of history. In modern times, language barriers can often become hard-stops in business, and even casual, negotiations. The fact that ancient peoples and tribes could interact peacefully and tactfully in order to create mutually beneficial trading relationships shows that as long as humans strive to try to work together and find common ground, understanding can be found pretty much anywhere.

I did find that sometimes the pacing in “The Iceman: A Novel of Otzi” felt inconsistent in some places. There were some instances where several chapters would span the course of a few months or a year, whereas in others one chapter might encompass several years at a time. This made it hard at times to discern where Otzi was in his lifeline: child, teenager, or adult. For instance, it was a little jarring when Otzi started discussing his desire for children, because at the time I thought he was still a very young teenager. It wasn’t difficult to find my bearings, but some readers who rely on distinct timelines might have trouble.

Overall, “The Iceman: A Novel of Otzi” is really a phenomenal example of how history and fiction can fit well together. When a historian or an archaeologist look at notes and evidence, a lot of what we do sometimes feels like piecing together pieces of a story. History is a narrative in and of itself, which means that sometimes turning to fiction as a mode to flesh out ideas may actually help in furthering historical research and discovery. I am glad to see this niche of the genre blossoming more in the last several years and would recommend Blanchet’s book to any avid history lovers out there.

[Arnold Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having recently been entranced “meeting” Otzi at his eternal resting place in the archaeological museum of Bolzano, Italy, I sought out more reading material about him and stumbled across this book. While providing some potential insights into his life and times, as a historical fiction novel it unfortunately fell short with little plot and disjointed writing but was nevertheless a short and worthwhile read.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who like anthropology. This is a fictional account of Otzi's life. Otzi is a skeleton found in the Alps between Austria and Italy and is from 3300 B.C.E. This is prehistoric fiction, so the author is basing her story on cave paintings and what we know about the Age of Copper, right before the Bronze Age.