The Anvil of Ice
core novel 1986 The Winter of the World
Record
| First published | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.93 (1,419 ratings, collected 2026-10-25) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780356107493 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
The Anvil of Ice is the first chronicle of The Winter of the World, a history of ancient magic, mystery and enchantment, of light and darkness, a great quest with an epic conclusion, and a hero whose deeds would live on in myth and legend; a tale of the Powers that struggled endlessly for dominion. Set in an invented frozen world of the Ice Age and drawing on myths such as that of Wayland the Smith, it begins the story of Alv, the young smith who becomes Elof, in a war against the advancing Ice. First published by Macdonald in 1986, it is moody and atmospheric, with elements of horror.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Winter of the World
- Series: The Winter of the World core; position 1 of 6 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Michael Scott Rohan
Notes
- From the series record (The Winter of the World): Elof the Mastersmith and the war against the Ice.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Winter of the World: position 1 of 6: next The Forge in the Forest (1987)
Sources
- The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Michael Scott Rohan)
- Fantastic Fiction (bibliography)
- Macdonald/Orbit (publisher description, via Risingshadow)
- Reader reviews on the book's record
- Reader reviews on the book's record
- The Locus Index to Science Fiction (edition records)
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