Cry of the Icemark

After her father, the king, sacrifices his entire army to stop the oncoming invasion from the Polypontian Empire, it is up to 13 year old Thirrin Free Strong-In-The-Arm Lindenshield to stop the Empire from invading her kingdom, the Icemark. She must travel far and wide, seeking alliances to defeat the terrifying army that approaches, led by their fearsome general, Scipio Bellorum. Will she manage to save the Icemark, or will the Polypontians have more land to add to their name?

Author: Stuart Hill

Publisher: New York: The Chicken House, 2005

Reviews
Stones Rosemary Stones (Books for Keeps No. 150, January 2005) When King Redrought Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, Bear of the North, dies defending his kingdom, the  Icemark, against the first wave of the Polypontian Empire's invasion, his 14-year-old daughter Princess Thirrin becomes queen, responsible for leading her troops into battle and saving her country from subjugation to imperial power. At her side are her advisors, the scholar Maggiore Totus and Oskan, the son of a white witch, and it is clear that diplomatic as well as fighting skills will be needed to save the tiny kingdom. Thirrin's epic quest to forge alliances with the  Icemark 's former enemies (were-wolves and vampires) and neighbouring nations (snow leopards and peoples of the forest) before the snows melt enabling the forces of the Empire to attack once more is dramatically told and richly inventive with comic as well as tragic moments. Hill creates a most coherently imagined world reminiscent of the time of imperial Rome's battles against the Gauls -- the rational Polypontians versus the barbarian queen -- yet deeply based within the traditions of epic sagas and folklore. His battle scenes will have you on the edge of your seat. Hill's style, for all the formal flurries of diction demanded on a diplomatic mission when greeting fellow monarchs, remains conversational and colloquial. There are a few 'bloodys' and 'arses' which may trouble some adult readers. The epic scale of Hill's sometimes rather anthropological endeavour as Thirrin encounters cultures quite unlike her own, enables him to engage with deeper issues such as the nature of poer and male and female roles in different societies. The neighbouring matriarchy with its marginalised men provides an interesting contrast to the  Icemark  where male and female soldiers fight alongside each other. While his characterisation is not particularly deep, Hill nonetheless provides a convincing portrait of Thirrin, the uncertain teenager who grows in confidence not only as ruler and warrior but as a young woman. Fans of Meg Cabot will love this book but, in accordance with the times, this princess not only lands the nice young man (Oskan), she also wields a mean sword on the battlefield. A wonderful, swashbuckling read and an exceptional debut. Category: 10-14 Middle/Secondary. Rating: ***** (Unmissable). ...., Chicken House, 496pp, 12.99 hbk. Ages 10 to 14. (PUBLISHER: Chicken House (Frome:), PUBLISHED: 2005.)

Hamley Dennis Hamley (Carousel 29, Spring 2005) The  Icemark  is a tiny, frozen country. To the north are the Great Forests where the Holly King and the Oak King maintain their armies, beyond them the lands of the werewolves, then the Land-of-the-Ghosts where vampires reign and further still the legendary giant snow leopards. To the south is the great Polypontian empire, realm of reason, calculation, overweening ambition and military might, personified by the great General Scipio Bellorum. Sandwiched between the lands of myth and imagination and of cold realism, the  Icemark  is of both worlds yet neither and is beset by enemies on all sides. And Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-arm Lindenshield, a mere thirteen, is heir to the throne and soon is her country's queen and leader in its greatest struggle. How she enlists the aid of werewolves, vampires and the amazing snow leopards against Scipio Bellorum, how the stormy relationship develops with her greatest rock, Oskan the witch's son, how she succeeds her father Redrought and holds the unlikely alliance together makes a tremendous story, with epic action, wonderfully caught relationships - human, animal and supernatural - together with searing humour which is often used superbly to deflate the most fraught of moments in an almost Shakespearian way. A most satisfying, absorbing and compelling read. Category: Older Readers. The Chicken House, 12.99. (PUBLISHER: Chicken House (Frome:), PUBLISHED: 2005.)

http://www.clcd.com/#/bookdetail/1/0/pknnMNONnnJmKmnn/bdrtop

Activities
For interesting activities and more information on the book, visit:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/cry-icemark-debut-novel-stuart-hill

Other Links
Author website: http://www.stuarthillonline.com/

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rDU3PY4ipI