The Ice Is Coming
core novel 1977 The Book of Wirrun
Record
| First published | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.03 (133 ratings, collected 2026-09-05) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780091291501 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
The Ice Is Coming (1977) is the first novel in Patricia Wrightson's The Book of Wirrun trilogy, drawing on Aboriginal Australian mythology and folklore. Wirrun, a city-raised Aboriginal man, discovers that the Ninya, ancient ice-spirits, have begun advancing across the Australian landscape, intent on spreading ice over the entire continent and bringing on a new ice age. Recognizing the danger, Wirrun sets out to stop them, aided along the way by the spirit being Mimi and carrying a sacred talisman entrusted to him by his people. As he travels through the country, both Wirrun and the Ninya seek out the Eldest Nargun, an ancient being said to hold the power to summon fire, each hoping to use that power for very different ends.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Book of Wirrun
- Series: The Book of Wirrun core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Patricia Wrightson
Awards (verified)
- Children's Book of the Year Award (Older Readers), 1978: won
Notes
- From the series record (The Book of Wirrun): Completed mythic-fantasy trilogy (1977-1981) following the Aboriginal hero Wirrun of the Wind as he confronts spirits and beings drawn from Australian Aboriginal oral tradition (including the ice-spirits called the Ninya). Landmark work in drawing directly on Aboriginal mythology for children's high fantasy; the opening volume won Australia's Children's Book of the Year Award for Older Readers.
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 Book of Wirrun: position 1 of 3: next The Dark Bright Water (1978)
Sources
← The Book of Wirrun dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.