A Cavern of Black Ice

In Spire Vanis, the lord commander's foundling daughter is haunted by nightmares of ice; in the Blackhail clanhold, two brothers find their kinsmen slaughtered by swords that draw no blood; at a remote farmstead, a hardened warrior leaves his family to follow a raven's summons...

And soon, in a deadly wilderness where nature and the gods have no mercy, two young fugitives must confront a millennial prophecy, as J. V. Jones takes readers on a journey deep into the stark beauty, cruel peril, and incredible magic of the Known Lands, in the first volume of a powerful new epic...

A CAVERN OF BLACK ICE

In the distant Northern Territories, fortress cities cling to barren peaks, fierce clans hunt the frigid steppes, arctic wastes are the last refuge of an enigmatic, ancient people – and an apocalyptic destiny has begun to unfold...

Once in one thousand years an innocent is born with the uncontrollable power and need to reach across the barrier of worlds, into the realm of the dead – and release the Endlords from their eternal prison, to annihilate all life.

Now, after a millennium of truce, war erupts between the cold giants of the far north. As the great and ancient clan of Blackhail brings war to the Dog Lord of Clan Bludd, two warriors are caught in the bloodshed. Raif and Drey Sevrance are brothers and clansmen alike, but soon the cold-blooded schemes of their new chief will tear them apart and brand Raif a traitor to his clan.

Meanwhile, in the cool limestone caverns of Mask Fortress, Ash March stumbles upon an old and terrible evil hidden away from the light. Penthero Iss, uncrowned king of Spire Vanis and the man who calls himself Ash's father, has discovered a monstrous way to steal magic from his captives. And Ash fears she will be next.

Suddenly, Raif and Ash are each helped to escape by Angus Lok, whose amiable manner belies his mysterious past. But Angus is acting on the raven-sent message of a distant shaman; there's nothing accidental about his intervention and his mission to guide Raif and Ash on a treacherous journey to A CAVERN OF BLACK ICE.

Passionately envisioned and filled with richly evoked new characters, this story is the beginning of J. V. Jones's most ambitious and accomplished work to date.

"A Cavern of Black Ice has vivid action, real characters, and a richly detailed setting. It's a splendid achievement." - David Drake