Ice Prophet

Long, long ago, in fact 2000 years ago, something terrible happened and the planet's climate changed. Ice extended down from the North and covered the sea in an unbroken, hard sheet. The time of The Garden had gone; the time when man's life was easy and God smiled on him. Now the three churches dominate all life on the ice. There is the Church of Cornath, the Church of the Ezrian Brotherhood and the Sol Church. All three churches believe fervently that there variation of faith is correct and that the opponents must be exterminated. Many wars have been fought in the past 2000 years. Then recently the plague came exterminating much of the population. Almost every family had lost members to it. This is the world into which Michael Ormson is born. His immediate family were all killed by the plague and he was taken by his uncle, Archbishop Rifton, into the monastery of Cornathan Church. There he was raised almost in secrecy, knowing nothing of the world outside, and not even being aware of the political intrigue and struggles that occurred even within the Cornathian Church. Then one day Rifton's enemy, Archbishop Zimri, learned of Michael's existence and a trap was sprung to snatch the young man from his Uncle's cloistered hiding place. The wide eyed Michael finds himself on an ice cruiser heading to lands distant from Cornath, facing dangerous battles on the ice, and experiencing a broadening of his mind that will take him on a path that will put him at odds with many around him. This book is a strange blend of sc-fi, fantasy, church intrigue and swash-buckling sea yarn. It is certainly an original creation. Frank Herbert's The Dune Chronicles: "Dune," "Dune Messiah," "Children of Dune," "God Emperor of Dune," "Heretics of Dune," "Chapterhouse: Dune." (beginning 1965) is the only comparison I can think of, though that story is set in a technologically advanced world while this is much more reminiscent of the Middle Ages. The theme of religion is handled in a complex and interesting way. From the common people's uneducated perspective we see the church as a valid world-view, from Zimri's we see it as a cynically bureaucratic means to power and from Michael's doubting position we see it as perhaps empty myth. As a youth Forstchen was educated by Benedictine monks and even considered the calling of the priesthood. He has clearly thought a great deal about the subject and his musings are not trite. The sea battles between ice-ships are at first exciting, though I felt by the end of the book, that this narrative device had been a little over used. The fantasy/psychic element is only lightly touched upon, though it gives an interesting dimension to the religious theme. What, after all, is a prophet, but someone who knows things that apparently cannot be known. The character of Michael is complex and goes through several stages of development. This is unusual in a book which could be considered by some as pulp fiction. Unfortunatel

The author created a very probable future culture by extrapolating historic human behaviour. The characters are also very well modelled. In the novel are a few things wich don't seem logic to me, but my overall rating is a "well done"