The Snow Queen

Executive Summary: Slow at times, good at others. I'm a bit curious about what happens next, but not enough to continue on.

Audiobook: Ellen Archer was ok as a narrator. Some people in my book club complained about her bad accents but I found them useful to distinguish between characters. I probably would never have gotten through this book in text, so for me the audio was good enough.

Full Review
This book came on my radar a few years ago mostly because it was out of print and had won the hugo. It seemed strange to me that an award winning book would be go out of publication, but I suppose that's not as unusual as I'd think. With its return to availability Sword & Laser chose it for its November pick.

At times this book felt more like fantasy than sci-fi. There are elements of technology and space, but I guess since it was based on a fairy tale it's hard to completely move away from that fantasy feeling.

I didn't really connect with either of the protagonists. I didn't really care whether they succeeded or failed. Normally that would probably be enough for me to want to roll off on a book, but there was enough in the world building and story to keep me somewhat attentive.

I think the world building was probably the part that I enjoyed the most. I'm fascinated by the cycle of politics and technology. It still wasn't enough though. While I'd like to find out what happens next, I won't be picking up any of the sequels.