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Ice Land: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.02) - 476 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Unabridged ? 10 hours A beautiful epic of love, longing, redemption, and enchantment in the tradition of Marion Zimmer Bradley?s The Mists of Avalon.
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"In this book Betsy Tobin uses sparse and wintry prose to bring to life the gods and goddesses of Norse mythology. The setting is Iceland in 1000 AD in the weeks before the volcano Hekla is to erupt and a new religion (Christianity) is spreading across all of Iceland. The story follows Freya, the goddess of love and fertility, on her quest to posess a special gold necklace in order to possibly prevent the great eruption. There is also Fulla, an orphan being raised by her grandfather in the midst of a dispute over land with the neigboring clan of Skallagrim and Dvalin, a half-man/half-dwarf who through a series of circumstances comes into contact with Freya which changes the course of his life forever. The book is made up of chapters alternating between the viewpoints of Freya, Fulla and Dvalin with the exception of one chapter narrated by Vili, a young man from the Skallagrim clan. Over all, an amazing novel about the power of love, faith and the shadow of fate on our lives from a talented author."
— Catyche (4 out of 5 stars)
Ice Land Listener Reviews
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" Very good fantasy based on Norse Myths. "
— Donna, 2/16/2014 -
" The writing is filled with cliches and the plot is stolen from Tolkien and Shakespeare, but this is still a great read. Bonuses - a goddess takes a road trip with a dwarf and we get to find out how gods Odin, Freya and the gang react when people start worshipping Jesus. "
— Michele, 2/3/2014 -
" Beautiful story, but very slow "
— Irinak, 1/14/2014 -
" Read DT version. Interesting interplay of a sort of magical realism and historical fiction as the chapters alternate between the Viking goddess Freya and an Icelandic farm girl, mirroring the change in Icelandic culture from the Norse gods to Christianity. I'd enjoy a reread sometime. A bit of Freya's story escaped me, although it made a beautiful read nonetheless. "
— Betsy, 1/11/2014 -
" A bit of a disappointment. "
— Christopher, 12/27/2013 -
" I suspect i would have enjoyed it more if I read the print version. The audiobook did not captivate me. "
— Deb, 12/7/2013 -
" Its an amazing love story; couples, and human relationships - filled with wonderful reminesences of the Gods. I loved this book! "
— Asl4u, 11/14/2013 -
" The writing was beautiful--even a little lyrical--but the story never really grabbed me. "
— Erin, 10/28/2013 -
" I wouldn't recommend reading this because of any interest in mythology. But if you like cute love stories and a little nature writing, like myself, read Ice Land! "
— Brunvatne, 10/19/2013 -
" Very lite read but not bad. Very feminine feel throughout. "
— Robin, 8/21/2013 -
" A lovely book but it felt a bit rushed at parts. I would have loved for it to have been "fleshed" out a bit. "
— Sharlene, 12/24/2012 -
" It took me awhile to 'get into' this book, but the middle and end did not disappoint. It is a beautiful story about Iceland in the days of the Norse gods; Freya especially. My favorite quote, "Perhaps heaven is a place defined by man's absence." "
— Elisabeth, 11/13/2012 -
" I thought that the author created a beautiful picture of the landscape, but for me, the book lacked excitement and intrigue. "
— Lydia, 4/19/2012 -
" I am really interested in the country, and enjoy books about Gods, but was inspired by a good review (maybe just one word comment taken out of context by the book's publisher's) by Diana Gabaldon. Not the same level of engagement at all, but still new and fun and easy. "
— Melinda, 1/9/2012 -
" it's a little Norse mythology with a splash of Clan of The Cave Bear. "
— Natasha, 6/20/2011 -
" A very hard book to get into at first. I almost gave up, in fact. However, I kept going and the story wasn't as boring and finally showed some adventure and mystery. "
— Charity, 3/14/2011 -
" The writing was beautiful--even a little lyrical--but the story never really grabbed me. "
— Erin, 12/6/2010 -
" This was a really good book. It really makes me want to read more about Norse mythology. "
— Stacy, 10/11/2010 -
" This book is difficult to classify. In the spirit of Scandinavian-style sagas, Tobin tackles those places on the landscape where myth and history meet. "
— Erica, 9/11/2010 -
" This book has all the part that I love in a book; Magic or Magical Realism, interesting characters in an involved tale as well as a setting in a new or unusual location -11th Century Iceland! "
— Victoria, 8/22/2010 -
" This book was difficult to understand at first but then I really liked it. It seems to be setting up for a sequel so I look forward to that. "
— Dana, 8/15/2010 -
" Absolutely magical and enchanting. Easily my favorite book of the year thus far! "
— Crissy, 8/2/2010
About Davina Porter
Davina Porter has been enthralling listeners for over twenty-five years with her ability to mine the psychological depths of the characters she reads and bring them convincingly to life. In 2006, she won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Female Narration and in 2004 for Best Inspirational Literature Narration. She has been honored as an AudioFile Golden Voice and has won nineteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actress, she has appeared on stage at the Vineyard Playhouse and the Square One Theater, among others.