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Where the Shadows Lie (Fire and Ice) by Michael Ridpath (view source)
Revision as of 13:30, 1 June 2012
, 13:30, 1 June 2012no edit summary
I've got an admission to make: I'm not a fan of ''Lord of the Rings'' or Icelandic sagas, but if you are then the book will undoubtedly appeal to you more than to me. I'll confess to having nearly fallen asleep whilst reading the lost manuscript, which, in fairness, is not that long. Apart from the fact at plot relies quite heavily on coincidence in a couple of places that's the criticisms out of the way.
It's a good story, with plenty of action, twists and turns and I really hadn't worked out the name of the killer until the metaphorical handcuffs were about ready to be applied. The Icelandic landscape plays a major part in the story, from some really quite lush area areas which I wasn't expecting through to the volcanoes with which we're all now rather too familiar, even if we can't always pronounce them. The plot too has its roots in fact and is a speculation on the problems which Tolkien had in linking ''The Lord of the Rings'' with his earlier novel, The Hobbit. It's definitely plausible.
This is the first in a series of books but reads perfectly well as a stand-alone although there are hints that the death of Jonson's father might feature in the future. I had slight personal reservations (3½ personal stars, or 4 if you're at least neutral about the sagas) about this book but I'll definitely be looking to read the next book in the series and I'd like to thank the publishers for sending ''Where the Shadows Lie'' to the Bookbag.