Winter of Fire
{{Short description|Book by Sherryl Jordan}}
{{about|the fantasy novel|the book about General Dozier|Winter of Fire (non-fiction)}}
{{Infobox book |
| name = Winter of Fire
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = Winteroffire.jpg
| caption =
| author = Sherryl Jordan
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = US
| language = English
| genre = Fantasy
| publisher = Scholastic
| release_date = 1992
| media_type = Print (Hardcover)
| pages = 321
| isbn = 0-590-45288-6
| congress= PZ7.J7684 Wi 1992
| oclc= 25247228
}}
Winter of Fire is a young adult fantasy novel by New Zealand author Sherryl Jordan, set in a bleak future environment. It was first published in 1992.
Plot summary
Elsha is a teenager living in a bleak, cold future where world-wide cloud cover has permanently blocked out the sun. Humans have split into two classes - the Chosen and the Quelled, of which Elsha is the latter. The Quelled are doomed to spend their lives in servitude to the Chosen, mining "firestones" - the only means of warmth on the planet. The Firelord is the leader of the Chosen, said to be a great and powerful man.
A rebellious girl, Elsha causes trouble for herself - even going so far as being considered for execution - until she is met by a Chosen man named Amasai, Steward of the Firelord, and given the highest position available to a woman - Handmaiden to the Firelord. The Firelord's life is not known to the Chosen, but he actually made better lives for many Quelled when he was younger. He became Firelord when he was old so he could call upon a young Handmaiden to continue his previous work. On her journeys with the Firelord, Elsha meets Teraj, later revealed to be the Firelord's son, with whom Elsha forms a romantic relationship. Elsha uses her unlikely position to fight the stigma and oppression of her people, eventually inheriting the title for herself after the Firelord's unexpected death and changing the course of the planet's history for the better.
Republished by Scholastic New Zealand Ltd July 2019. {{ISBN|978-1-77543-598-3}}
Reception
A review by Kirkus Reviews wrote "The emotion is affecting here, but relationships are confused rather than complex; loose ends dangle from the long, predictable story, and Elsha is unchanged by her experiences."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sherryl-jordan/winter-of-fire/ |title=Winter of Fire |date=1 January 1993 |magazine=Kirkus Reviews |publisher=Kirkus Media LLC |accessdate=5 December 2021}}
It has also been reviewed by Publishers Weekly,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-590-45288-5 |title=Winter of Fire |quote=With a spare and effective style, Jordan brings Elsha's chilly world into sharp focus with a minimum of description. |date=1 February 1993 |magazine=Publishers Weekly |publisher=PWxyz LLC|accessdate=5 December 2021}} New and Notable: Books For The Secondary School Library,{{cite journal |date=May 1993 |title=Fiction |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/20733799?search%5Bpath%5D=items&search%5Btext%5D=Jordan+--+Fiction |journal=New and Notable: Books for the Secondary School Library |author1=Dianne Moffitt |author2=Rob Finlay |author3=Mary Lenny |publisher=Kohia Teachers' Centre |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=3, 4 |accessdate=5 December 2021}} Locus,{{cite magazine |author=Carolyn Cushman |date=May 1993 |title=Review: Winter of Fire |url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?323687 |magazine=Locus |volume=30 |issue=5 |page=58 |accessdate=5 December 2021}} The ALAN Review,{{cite journal |year=1994 |title=Winter of Fire by Sherryl Jordan |author=M. Jean Greenlaw |quote=The saga of how Elsha becomes Firelord and exposes the myth that led to her people's slavery is one rich in texture, but a bit slow in pace. Jordan's tale is feminist in outlook but avoids stridency. |url=https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall94/Clip_and_file.html |journal=The ALAN Review |publisher=The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents |volume=22 |issue=1 |accessdate=5 December 2021}} and The Evening Post.{{cite news |author1=Lynn McConnell |author2=Ian Wedde |author3=Ann Packer |date=23 Apr 1993 |title=Books |page=5 |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/20737781 |newspaper=The Evening Post |accessdate=5 December 2021}}
It is a Bank Street College of Education Best Book,{{cn|date=December 2021}} and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.{{cn|date=December 2021}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/25247228 Library holdings of Winter of Fire]
- [https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/01-07-2019/rejoice-the-best-book-in-the-world-is-being-republished-today "Rejoice! The best book in the world (Winter of Fire) is being republished today"]
Category:20th-century New Zealand novels
Category:Coming-of-age fiction
Category:New Zealand fantasy novels
Category:Novels set in the future
Category:Post-apocalyptic novels
Category:Young adult fantasy novels
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