December 3rd- The Cry of The Icemark

The Cry of the Icemark contains highly visible references to the Roman invasions of Britain, which ground this fantastic fantasy novel in reality. Stuart Hill also reinvents various classic fantasy species, including Vampires, and ghosts, but also uses his creativity to create various new, wonderful creatures….

Published in 2005, The Cry of the Icemark is the story of how a young, 14 year old girl called Thirrin, ruler of the Icemark, must prevent her kingdom from being invaded by one of the mightiest empires in existence- the Polypontus. But her army is already weak, and all the Icemark is at war with many of the surrounding Kingdoms. She must make allies- but soon, and it is hard to break centuries of feuding tradition…

You may be wondering what the wintery/Christmassy thread is, and long story short, most of the book is set in the Icemark winter, a bitterly cold period of deep frosts and heavy snowfall, and festive yule tide traditions…

When her father dies in battle, fourteen-year-old Thirrin becomes Queen of the Icemark, determined to defend her tiny kingdom from the most terrible invasion her nation has ever known. This is the epic story of how she rallies her country and finds some extraordinary new allies: Vampires, Wolf-folk, giant Snow Leopards – and most precious of all, her friend Oskan, Witch’s Son.