A Long, Cold Winter by Max Gladstone & Lindsay Smith

The witch who came in from the cold, Book 1

Synopsis: Through a haze of cigarettes and vodka there lies a version of Prague in the heart of the Cold War, where spies practice sorcery in their games of intrigue. While the political lines may be as clear as the Iron Curtain, the battles of magic seldom stay clean and the combating forces of Ice and Flame dance across boarders and loyalties.

Tanya Morozova is a KGB officer and the latest in a long line of Ice witches and sorcerers; Gabe Pritchard is a CIA officer and reluctant Ice recruit. Enemies at one turn, but forced into alliances at the next, their relationship is as explosive as the Cold War itself.

Review: I’m not necessarily a fan of serials and it’s true that I prefer to avoid them as much as possible. It’s not that the formats are bad, but I do not necessarily have a good memory and I find it difficult to keep in mind the events of one week to the next. I often prefer when the serial is finished to thereby read all at once. But it is true that by reading the summary of this new story, I was quite intrigued. How not to be? A novel in the heart of Prague with a different atmosphere, the Cold War, the KGB, all that with witches and clans clash. Yes, I was curious to see how all that was going to be!

I enjoyed the novels by Max Glastone I had read before, and even though I do not really know his sidekick, I was curious to discover this new writing. The first thing that struck me is the complexity of the created universe and it is true that with this first episode, it is quite difficult to understand exactly where it falls and what happens because we are ultimately a little lost. I think this is intensified by the fact that the characters aren’t really presented and we can quite quickly see two POVs put forward, including two that are not necessarily linked yet. Aside from that, I found interesting ideas of the authors with the warring factions, the witches of different clans or the period during which all this happens. After, I think that the sequel will probably enlighten us on the different fuzzy points found here. Yes because even if we find a story written on a few pages, it is something dense that is offered and like a series, it does not actually end, but we wait for the following story.

In any case, it was interesting to see these two characters, and the people working with them and although I am still full of questions, all is well done enough. I’ll be curious to discover what will happen next. A very intriguing and different introduction from what we can usually find.

3-5

mellianefini

 

27 thoughts on “A Long, Cold Winter by Max Gladstone & Lindsay Smith

  1. I don’t particularly like serials, but there are some that have caught my eye. It is best to wait until all the pieces have been laid out. I like the cover and synopsis, so it’s definitely got me curious.

  2. I prefer to binge read serials too although it’s convenient when I’m on a slump. The setting is interesting, Prague? I don’t think I’ve read a book set in that country yet

  3. Serials are tough for me too Melliane, unless they’re only a week apart instead of months. I have a tough time remembering events as well, so I spend all my time trying to recall the previous installment:) Seems like this was pretty solid though, and hopfully the next one is even better!

  4. This definitely sounds like something different, I love the premise.

    On a self imposed ban as far as the beginning any more series goes unless I am sent them by the author/publisher. Way too many new authors out there to discover without getting bogged down in a series and especially when so many can go on and on and on, easily amounting to ten + books.

  5. I’ve been reading some serials from Serial Box and I’ve learned something about myself – I am not good at keeping up! I think I’ll grab all the episodes once they’re all out and binge read. That said, I definitely need to read this one – some awesome authors there!

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