| Title | : | The Coldest War (The Milkweed Triptych, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published January 17, 2012 |
Twenty-two years after the Second World War, a precarious balance of power maintains the peace between Great Britain and the USSR. For decades, the warlocks have been all that stand between the British Empire and the Soviet Union-- a vast domain stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the English Channel. But now each death is another blow to Britain's security.
Meanwhile, a brother and sister escape from a top-secret research facility deep behind the Iron Curtain. Once subjects of a twisted Nazi experiment to imbue ordinary humans with extraordinary abilities, then prisoners of war in the vast Soviet effort to reverse engineer the Nazi technology, they head for England.
Because that's where former spy Raybould Marsh lives. And Gretel, the mad seer, has plans for him.
As Marsh is drawn back into the world of Milkweed, he discovers that Britain's darkest acts didn't end with the war. And as he strives to protect Queen and country, he's forced to confront his own willingness to accept victory at any cost.
The Coldest War (The Milkweed Triptych, #2) Reviews
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I'm blown away. Although I read the first book a couple years ago, the story was so urgent and surely written that I hadn't forgotten the questions I'd had at the end of it. This has been a long, slow reveal that really hit in the last few chapters of this book. The feeling of dread is present at all times, a hopelessness increased by the scariest villain I've read in a long time, made even scarier by how she's kept in 3rd person and only viewed through other character's eyes. But! The dread is like, like...you're removing a giant gauze bandage to dress a wound. You start peeling back the tape carefully, trying not to agitate the raw wound that's below. As the edge is slowly turned back, you see inflamed red skin. You brace for a view of a bloody mess, half-wincing in sympathy. Slowly, slowly,...and then you see what looks like the inked drawing of a gun barrel. In surprise, you rip off the rest of the bandage to see that it was covering the tattoo of a muscled unicorn with a lazer strapped to its horn, holding machine guns with a rainbow coming out of its butt and a plate of bacon next to it. Awesome! Not as tacky as I've presented! I'm eager to see how the story pulls out of this!
My one guff is that the female characters seem near useless, mere props for the men. Besides the one scary woman, the others are supporting accessories. They're presented in brief sketches and are just reactions to the acts of the men.
This book has one of the sexiest applications of math ever. Damn. I hope it's as good for everyone as it was for me.
After spending much of my teen years reading SF&F series, I think my impatience with them now is mainly the wait between books. Back when I was gleaning from library shelves, for series that had long been written, it wasn't too bad because the next book was generally readily available. The cliffhangers and dangling threads from the previous book were immediately picked up again. However, now that I tend to read series that are currently being written, the pause to wait for the next is unacceptable. I get impatient. I lose interest. But this one! The long wait due to some dumb behind-the-printing-press stuff didn't matter. The story picks up years later, long enough that the characters have changed, their lives have settled into a rut, and there's a sense that your wait matches theirs. You rejoin them for the next flurry of action and wow does this deliver. Daniel Abraham's superb fantasy series, The Long Price Quartet, had a similar feel between books. I think I love that. -
The only thing I don't understand is why the Milkweed Triptych doesn't get more attention. No Wikipedia entry. No wild fan sites. This is an outstanding series and I wait with excitement to read the conclusion and have that usual feeling of dread at its concluding and leaving me with no more. Good thing Tregillis is signed to do a new book after the last Milkweed one. Even if it's not in the same universe, I know I'll snap it up.
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Wow, did that seriously just happen?! Those were the words running through my head when I reached the very end of this book. Just when I thought this series couldn't get any crazier with its genre-bending goodness, it decides to throw me for another loop (which in the context of talking about this book is a rather clever pun, now that I think about it. I'm just a little miffed now because I can't explain it without spoiling anything!) The way I see it, as far as those shocking "I-NEED-to-know-what-happens-next" cliffhangers go, Ian Tregillis just raised the freakin' bar.
If I had to go back and talk about the first book of the Milkweed Triptych, Bitter Seeds, I'd probably describe it as an alternate history World War II novel with both fantasy and science fiction elements, mostly due to its main premise involving Nazi Germany's lab-raised soldiers with superpowers versus the British's warlocks and their demons. This second book still has all of that, except it takes place some twenty years later, and even though the war is over, Great Britain now finds itself locked in a precarious power struggle with the USSR.
Now Project Milkweed is threatened when they find out that Britain's warlocks, the country's greatest defense in keeping their enemy at bay, are being killed off by an unknown assassin. Meanwhile, a pair of super-soldier siblings who fought for the Nazis in WWII escape their Soviet prison and make their way to England. One of them is Gretel, the psychopath pre-cog who is still obsessed with manipulating the life of British agent Raybould Marsh. Even after more than two decades, she is still pulling the strings, nudging the future towards her own mysterious agenda.
By all accounts, I should have liked this book more, and I think I would have if it weren't so utterly bleak. I know "Super soldiers vs. Warlocks" sounds like an interesting and unbelievably fun premise -- which it most certainly is, don't get me wrong -- but part of me is still having trouble getting over how dark this series can be sometimes. While I'm no stranger to dark fiction with dreary themes, there's just something about these books that unsettle the heck out of me and chill me to the bone.
I suppose depending on who you are, that can be seen as a good or bad thing. For example, in Bitter Seeds, I found that the disturbing ideas in the first book really worked in giving the story the hard edge it needed. I was able to transform those feelings of dread into suspenseful anticipation which kept me turning the pages, and also because I felt pity for the poor characters who have had such terrible things happen to them or are forced to make these awful decisions.
Unfortunately, my sympathy for the characters ran out and was largely absent for the most part in The Coldest War. The main players were mostly the same, but in the twenty-two years since the events of the last book, many things have happened to turn even the "good guys" into pretty despicable people in my eyes. While the main antagonist Gretel is still as evil as ever, I nevertheless had a difficult time bringing myself to muster up any enthusiasm to root for Marsh or Will this time around. There are no truly upstanding characters in this book, which normally isn't a problem for me; I find I can be drawn to even the most morally corrupted of characters if they are written well, but I honestly couldn't find anyone particularly likeable in this book, with the possible exception of Klaus, Gretel's brother.
Story-wise, though, I am absolutely floored. The ending alone was probably worth all the frustrating moments the characters put me through, not to mention the next book presents the perfect opportunity for many of them to redeem themselves. That last line in the epilogue has got to be the most effective two words in the history of book endings. I can't wait to pick up the third book for the finale, I MUST find out how it all ends.
More reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
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http://dms.booklikes.com/post/382131/... -
Warning: This review contains spoilers for book one, Bitter Seeds.
This is one epic, high-stakes alt-history series. After reading
Bitter Seeds, I thought book two would pick up where book one left off, at a turning point in World War II. Instead, it skips forward two decades and we're now in 1963 and the height of the Cold War.
But it's a very different Cold War. In Bitter Seeds, Britain unleashed the power of the Eidolons, vastly powerful demonic beings who live in the cracks in time and space, in order to stop the Third Reich and their supermen. When we last saw Klaus and Gretel, two of those Nazi supersoldiers, they had been captured by Soviet troops.
The Coldest War begins twenty-two years later. Britain won the war, but at a horrific cost. While the nation has completely bought into the myth of "Britain's finest hour" and how the brave people of England beat back the Nazi hordes with sheer determination, people like Raybould Marsh and William Beauclerk know better. Britain beat back the Nazi hordes by sacrificing thousands of innocent people to pay the Eidolons' blood prices. Following the collapse of the Third Reich, the USSR spread uncontested across Europe and now controls the entire continent.
Now the Soviets are trying to kill off Britain's warlocks while preparing to take over the world with their own army of supermen. If Britain can no longer summon Eidolons, nothing will stop the USSR from swallowing the last bit of independent Europe.
(Where is the U.S. in all this? Pretty much off-stage. Nixon is President and there are mentions of race riots, but Americans apparently played no part in World War II and play no part in this book.)
The alternate history here is interesting, and the book is rife with moral dilemmas. Pretty much everyone does horrible things for what they perceive to be the greater good; some have an easier time living with their conscience than others.
Ironically, Klaus, the former Nazi assassin (though he was never really a Nazi, just a tool raised and used by the Nazis) is one of the most sympathetic characters. He realizes he just wants the "normal" life he's never had, and is willing to engage in heroics to get it.
But his sister, Gretel, is the dark heart of this book. Gretel is a mad genius who can see the future, with an accuracy that verges on omniscience. No matter what anyone does, it turns out to be something Gretel planned. So the big question looming over the course of the last two books has been: what is Gretel's long game? She let Germany lose the war, she let herself and her brother be captured by the Soviets, and it looks like she's going to let the world end.
At the very end of this book, we find out what Gretel's game has been, and the pieces on the board get rearranged in a big way. I am ambivalent about what to expect from the next book: in a way it seems like a cheat. But this is a brilliantly plotted story arc, with elements of alternate history, time travel, and of course, "superhero" battles and eldritch horrors. Characterization gets more attention in this book, but the action is still fast-paced and violent.
4.5 stars: highly recommended. Sci-fi/fantasy adventure with spies, super-soldiers, warlocks and demons in a grim alternate history. -
The story is getting more impressive. We're moving away from traditional hero types and we're getting a lot more flip-sides. Sure, we've scooted a couple of decades into the future and everyone has gotten a little flabby, but what can you expect in an upside-down world where England is pretty darn evil, the Soviet Union saved the day from the Nazis, and Cthulhu is knock knock knockin on heaven's door. I've still got that image of Greta with pigtails, and she's just as charming and as odd as ever, for a raving lunatic hell-bent on destroying the world. (Or so we're lead to believe.)
I'm enjoying these stories so much that I'm prepared to risk wetting myself because I can't be bothered to put the book down a moment. Shame on you, Mr. Tregillis. It's ok, perhaps I'll rearrange my entire life so that when I was 17 I got into such a large car accident that I had to be fitted with a permanent catheter just so when I finally get around to reading this novel I'll have found that I don't actually need to get up to use the restroom and so therefore all things are copacetic again.
Did I really expect a time travel novel? No, but I'm thinking it works in a hell-ya kinda way.
Maybe I should get some sleep? Nah, it's time to start the third novel. -
Absolutely fantastic ! A great sequel to Bitter Seeds in which we rejoin our characters 20 years after the end of WWII and the British Empire and the Soviet Union are adversaries in an alternate Cold War. The Coldest War is more of a slow burn for at least two thirds of the book which explodes into amazing action towards the end. I can't say too much as any sort of explanation of the book would seriously spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the first book. On reading this book, you start to realise just how good Ian Tregellis is in how he's plotted this story ; random appearances by mysterious characters and seemingly innocuous dialogue from the first book take on huge significance in this second volume. I also like how he developed the characters in The Coldest War and how the author is prepared to make our 'heroes ' unsympathetic and then to make the reader empathise with the 'villains '. You really need to be reading this series:great action and use of magic and superpowers,keeping you gripped to the brilliant pay off at the end. A must read for all Fantasy fans and I can't wait to read the next one.
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Novela poco amigable, con personajes amargados, no hay nada “bonito” en ella…y sin embargo me ha tenido pegado a sus páginas.
Si la primera de la trilogía tenía lugar durante una II Guerra Mundial alternativa, de solo tres años, esta tiene lugar 20 años más tarde en una Guerra Fría tb alternativa. Los personajes, los mismos. Su evolución, ninguna. Y sin embargo ya he empezado el tercero. ¿Masoquismo? Ni idea, pero tengo que seguir con la historia.
Ya estoy con el tercero. -
Ja sākumā šķita, ka šī grāmata man nepatiks, tad uz beigām jau biju pagalam aizrāvusies un gatava zemes spert gaisā par to, ka grāmata beidzās ar tādu cliffhanger. Autors ir meistarīgi kāpinājis spriedzi un atrauties bija grūti.
Biju sajūsmā par to, ka lasītājam beidzot ir dota iespēja pamatīgi iepazīties ar Grētu un nekā nespēju saprast, kāpēc grāmatas anotācijā viņa tiek saukta par vājprātīgu. Viņa taču ir absolūti ģeniāla un, ņemot vērā viņas mērķi, es viņu īsti pat par ļaunu nespēju uzskatīt.
Patīkami arī tas, ka šinī grāmatā varoņiem beidzot ir dzīvāki raksturi un viņi vairs nav tikai kartona lellītes.
Gribētos teikt, ka pirmā grāmata bija sarakstīta skaistākā un pievilcīgākā valodā un vispār noskaņas ziņā bija pievelkošāka, tomēr šī grāmata ir ļoti labs sērijas turpinājums un es nevaru vien sagaidīt, kad savā ķepiņās dabūšu trešo grāmatu. -
... I loved this book. There really isn’t anything more than that to say. It’s a wonderful installment in a brilliant trilogy and I’m anxiously waiting for the third book. Here’s the bottom line: If you haven’t read the Milkweed Triptych yet, you need to. The Coldest War isn’t just a book it’s an experience.
Read my full review here:
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2012/07/... -
Двадцать лет назад британские чернокнижники большой кровью превозмогли гитлеровских электросуперменов, но теперь мир ждет новая опасность – в Арзамасе-16 советские ученые выводят новую породу суперменов, в разы злее и опаснее прежнего, как и положено хорошему сиквелу. Но и англичане все эти годы не стояли на месте – в темных подвалах они выращивали младенцев, с рождения изучающих языки демонов вместо родной речи. В альтернативной Европе начинается альтернативная Холодная война!
Сразу должен сказать, что несмотря на этот клюквенный заход, книга крайне хороша – она в основном не про битвы супергероев, а про то, как сложились судьбы героев первой части "двадцать лет спустя". Тут Трегиллис разворачивается во всю мощь своего мрачного психологизма, так что местами просто уже больно читать, нельзя же так издеваться над любимыми персонажами, так ломать им жизни и характеры, хоть что-то человеческое можно было им оставить?
При этом читается не скучно, много экшена, много напряженных сцен, финал вообще из категории "перевернем все с ног на голову и уйдем в принципиально иной жанр". Причем переворот исполнен просто мастерски – когда мы наконец узнаем, ЧЕГО добивалась все эти десятилетия видящая будущее психопатка Гретель, это просто мурашки по коже.
Трегиллис очень, очень талантлив. -
Šī ir Asinzāles triloģijas otrā grāmata, kā jau otrajās triloģijas grāmatās pienākas, galvenie varoņi tiek izvietoti uz laukuma lielajam finālam. Rit 1963. gads, karš ar Vāciju ir beidzies, Padomju savienība ir iekarojusi visu Eiropu. Tajā tagad atrodama "draudzīga" sociālistisko valstu saime. Lielbritānija ir kļuvusi par izolētu salu un tās impērija lēnām grūst. No Ivanu iebrukuma viņu glābj tikai to bailes no burvjiem, taču arī šī problēma ir atrisināma. ASV, jau četrdesmit gadus slīgst depresijā un ne ar ko neatšķiras no Latīņamerikas valstīm. Tomēr ledus ir sakustējies un krievi acīmredzot ir gatavi pacelt karu jaunā fāzē.
Iepriekšājās grāmatas varoņu dzīvei ir izmainījusies Vils nodarbojas vadot fondu, kas stiprina attiecības ar Padomju valsti un mēģina aizmirst pagātni. Māršs nodarbojas ar dārzniecību un alkoholismu, šķiet viss ir beidzies. Taču pēkšņi uzrodas Grēta ar savu dvīņubrāli Klausu un viņi atkal kļūst vajadzīgi valstij.
Salīdzinot ar pirmo grāmatu, šī ir kļuvusi mērķtiecīgāka un tās varoņi detalizētāk izstrādāti, nedetalizācija mani pirmajā daļā kremta.
Grāmata ir trilleris un bojeviks un esmu patiesi pārsteigts, ka autors atkāpjas no žanra klišejām, labi izstrādājot savus tēlu. Parasti, jau šādās grāmatā pa burzmu neviens i nepamana, ka galvenais tēls ir tikai kartona dekorācija. Šeit galvenie varoņi ir ar pagātni, pārdomām, saviem iekšējiem dēmoniem. Tas viss ietekmē viņu plānus un rīcību, katrs no viņiem grib kaut ko sasniegt, aizmirst un, protams, izdzīvot. Vismazāk mēs uzzinām par Grētu, taču, ticiet man, tam ir nopietns iemesls, kura dēļ vien ir vērts lasīt šo grāmatu.
Otrs lielais pluss ir sižeta attīstības spriedze, kas tiek uzturēta visā grāmatas garumā. Ja tu viņu iesāc lasīt, tad atrauties ir grūti, grāmatu dabūju īpašumā pusdienas laikā un pusnaktī jau biju izlasījis. Tāpēc uzmanīgi.
Trešais pluss un reizē mīnuss ir grāmatas beigās (viss notiekošais pēkšņi maina perspektīvu) un lasītājs paliek ar to ko sauc par clifhanger nobeigumu.
Grāmatai lieku 9 no 10 ballēm, cerot ka trešā dabūs visas desmit.
PS. Lai Google Chrome deg elles liesmās, jo pirmo grāmatas apskatu pazaudēju ar visu uznirstošo logu, pēc tam, kad noklikšķināju tam blakus. -
Book 2 of the Milkweed Triptych, and holy hot damn, what a follow-up. Twenty-odd years have passed since the (alternate) end of WWII. Marsh endures the tortured wreck of a marriage. Will has a wonderful wife who dragged him back from the brink of self-destruction. Klaus has spent two decades as prisoner/consultant of the Soviet empire. And Gretel continues to spin her sadistic and impenetrable web around all three of them.
The middle book of the trilogy reads like a spy-adventure novel. Marsh and Will are drafted back into Her Majesty's service to match wits against the KGB and their new Arzamas shock troops, vastly improved versions of Klaus and his peers in the REGP. The British now have monstrous child warlocks, fluent in Enochian in a way that the Bitter Seeds warlocks could never hope to achieve. It's like the transition from Alien to Aliens: there are more good guys and more bad guys, and EVERYONE has more firepower.
You can tell that Tregillis is a friend (protégé?) of George R R Martin from the way he cheerfully wrecks the lives of his protagonists. He’s more focused than Martin, though; the story surges forward but he always maintains control of the plot. And that’s in spite of the precog character trying to gum things up. I was duly impressed.
Tregillis keeps dropping tantalizing bits of alternate history into the narrative. I wanted him to explore those further but the author was having none of it.
Tregillis: The collectivist French wines suck compared to South American wines.
Me: Ah, so the Iron Curtain stretches all the way to the English Channel now. Cool. Let’s talk about that some more.
Tregillis: No. And the American Depression is now in its fourth decade.
Me: Ooh! That! Tell me about that! So you’re saying that it WAS the war that pulled the America out of the Depression? Or was it dropping the bomb? And what else have they tried?
Tregillis: Dunno. The Soviets have a functioning space station in 1963.
Me: Wow, let’s—
Tregillis: No.
Me: GAH!
It’s frustrating but it does help the book maintain its breakneck pace. -
Even better than the first book! Smarter, faster, more complex. More cliff-hanging. Can't wait for book three. -
Review of The Coldest War, (Book two in the Milkweek Tryptich) by Ian Tregillis
(No big spoilers, except for a few minor ones that regard the set-up)
I just finished The Coldest War, book two of three in the Milkweed Tryptich cycle by Ian Tregillis. I devoured it.
I read book one, Bitter Seeds (now out in mass market paperback by the way) in about three days and the same applies to book two. I would have read faster if I’d had the time.
I'm so blown away right now from finishing this fantastic novel. Mr. Tregillis has created a brilliant book, and I concur with the blurb from Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin blurb, “A major talent,” indeed.
The ending was so awesome, and redeems the grim nature of this book. More on that later . . .
The same characters from book one are back, and it’s about twenty years after the end of an alternate history World War II, and is now 1963, the height of the Cold War. The Soviet Union appears to have all of Europe, even France.
The alternate history is fascinating, but that is not the point of the book. This is a character novel and focuses very tightly on the protagonists, so we get three main point of view characters. There is very little detail given about the wildly divergent world so different from what happened after World War II in our world, but the details we do get are tantalizing, especially for history buffs.
Raybould Marsh, the British super-spy, is now a broken down middle-aged man with a terrible home-life and he’s working as a gardener after getting fired from all his other jobs. His journey is incredibly bleak and sad, the most depressing of all the storylines. He should have listened to his warlock friend, William from book one, but he didn’t, and Raybould and his wife, Liv, had another child. BIG MISTAKE.
William Beauclerk is also back, he was the warlock in Bitter Seeds who helped the British Empire fend off the Nazis who had super-human warriors. British warlocks negotiate with the eidolons (think demons) and accomplish feats of magic that boggle the mind, but the cost is high. Think . . . a blood price, and/or the souls of unborn children. William is no longer doing what he did before and has recovered from some of the horror of what he had to do during World War II, and he has the happiest life of all the characters. However, Will is still traveling down a very dark and dangerous road that is leading him toward a terrible confrontation.
Klaus, the former Nazi superman warrior is also back, but he is a pale reflection of who he was before, when he was at the peak of his power. After twenty years in a Soviet research camp he is incredibly broken and his storyline is so sad and very often quite poignant. I felt so bad for him, as he has been abused his entire life.
Raybould, William, and Klaus are the three main point of view characters, although there is one other with minor scenes, Reinhardt, another former Nazi superwarrior.
The most fascinating character is still Gretel, who is the sister of Klaus. She has the power of precognition and is so devious and brilliant. Tregillis gives us a look into her thoughts at the end of the book, which is worth all the dreary sadness of what went before. All the groundwork Tregillis did in book one (and two) paid off big time at the end. Wow, standing ovation.
Gretel can manipulate the time-line and might just be in charge of the future, but can she change it, or just delay things with her actions? You’ll have to read this book to find out.
***Look for the short story available on Kindle, about Gretel that precedes this trilogy, “What Dr. Gottlieb Saw,” and learn more about her as a teenager. It’s a great short story and worth the 99 cents, and you don’t need a Kindle to read it. You can read it on your browser while you’re on Amazon.com. Read it after you’ve read Bitter Seeds, not before, as it kind of gives things away.
Overall, The Coldest War had a lot of tension, brilliant, razor sharp prose, and some pretty amazing action. There were so many great chapter endings and twisted moments. Tregillis is a master of the complicated and awesome plot, and I’m stunned at the foreshadowing he did in book one, which came out in book two. It’s a must, in my opinion to read these books in order, as the sequel builds on book one big time. There is some recap about what happened in book one (thankfully), but I think readers would be a little lost had they not read Bitter Seeds.
Strangely, as I read Coldest War, I felt like the book was too perfect sometimes, meaning: "How the heck did Tregillis pull this off and make this book so great?!" It just felt like there was nothing wrong, and that bugged me a little. I kept thinking, “I'm going to see a chink in the armor here somewhere,” but it never materialized.
The only real negative of this book was that it was so dark and depressing that some people will find it hard to take, but as long as readers get to the ending, it will all be okay. My feeling that the book was too depressing was erased with the fantastic ending of course. I’m not going to spoil it here, but suffice it to say that it will leave you floored and wanting book three, Necessary Evil (April 2013) really bad.
So, yes, the book was harsh and depressing most of the time, but Tregillis kept the tension up so much that no matter the sadness I felt for the characters, I could still face reading on about them, as I wanted to find out what was going to happen. That is the mark of great writing.
I’m just so impressed with this series and feel like Tregillis succeeded big time. I have no doubt that book three will be a triumphant conclusion to a great series.
Five Stars, Highly Recommended
Paul Genesse, Author of the Iron Dragon Series and Editor of The Crimson Pact anthology series -
Coldest War takes place in 1963, almost twenty years past the aftermath of World War II. Due to the events of the first book, the world map has changed considerably. The Soviets control all of Europe, but the United States isn't a world power, which leaves it to the British to foil the Reds with covert spy operations. The Cold War is played out in this alternate universe, but with super-men controlled by the Reds and magic wielding sorcerers on the side of the UK.
The novel picks up on the surviving characters from the first book. Most of them have suffered: Klaus and Gretel were imprisoned by the Soviets, who have dissected their powers and battery packs; Raybould Marsh, who left the government after his son was born with severe defects; Will Beauclark has recovered from his addictions but still haunted by the blood sacrifices made with the mystical entities known as the Eidolons. As the book opens, the sorcerers who saved Britain in World War II are being picked off by Soviet assassins--super-men powered by Gotterelektron 2.0, able to wield multiple powers instead of just one. At the same time, Gretel and Klaus make a daring escape from Russia and travel to the United Kingdom. Even more unnervingly, Gretel's power to see in the future doesn't appear to require the Gotterelektron. Gretel's playing an elaborate chess game with all the characters--a bombing operation conducted in the 1940s spurs Marsh out of exile and back into the operations of Milkweed, the British agency that manages the mystical war against their enemies. And there is a second generation of sorcerers, even more dangerous than the first one.
I enjoyed reading this book even more than the first. Tregillis' writing and the pacing have matured and by the time I was halfway through, I had to keep reading until I finished it. The first half of the book works extremely well as a spy novel--if you have ever read or watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy you will enjoy it. The second half of the novel pays off this tension with some terrific action scenes. By the end, the characters are boxed into a corner so tight it seems like they can't get out of it. But if you remember Bitter Seeds, there was a scene in that book where a mysterious stranger appeared for one scene. That dovetails into the ending of The Coldest War and it illuminates Gretel's master plan.
I wish I could read the third book right now! -
When a colleague introduced me to the series, he said that the second book was what really sold it to him and he couldn't wait to read the third one. After reading the first book in the series, I was skeptical about that statement. Surely, Mr. Tregillis couldn't make the story more interesting. Alas, I was wrong. The character development, the plot twists, the everything. Just, wow. Certainly one of the best books I've read this year.
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This book continues several years after the first book of the trilogy "Bitter Seeds" ended. The second world war was won but then a new threat in the form of Communist Russia evolves. This leads to the 'cold war' period of history. The British continue to fight using magic, although in much more subdued way that in the first book. Some former foes are now on their side too.
I enjoyed the majority of this book quite a bit more than the first one. It was a real page turner right up to the end. But, then the ending had me wanting to throw this book in the bin. (If it wasn't a library book I probably would have.) Minus one star for ending.
The third and final book in the trilogy is sitting on my shelf and I will read it hoping that it all pulls together in the end. -
The Coldest War is the follow up to Ian Tregillis's debut alternate history come fantasy war drama Bitter Seeds and the Milkweed trilogy will conclude with the third novel Necessary Evil.
The series is an original take on the events and the aftermath of the World War II period of history and Britain's fight against Germany and Russia.
Set over 20 years after the events in Bitter Seeds, Europe is a vastly different place, Russia is the controlling entity and an uneasy truce remains in place.
Gretel and Klaus, for me the two outstanding characters from the first novel have been prisoners for 20 long years in Arzamas-16, a large and heavily guarded research facility, a secret city formerly known as Sarov.
The Russians have reversed engineered the Götterelektron (battery powered) technology and made massive strides improving there 'supersoldiers' to eclipse anything the Nazi Doctor Von Westarp's Reichsbehörde project could produce.
Incarcerated for 20 years its finally time for Gretel to initiate their tricky escape and restart the gears turning to bring all her plans to bear as they make their way to Britain. During these events Klaus has been growing in awareness of what Gretel is capable of, he realises with horror that she talked Heike into suicide all those years ago simply to use the glass jar that contained part of her brain as a glass for the guards to get drunk and aid in their escape. The sheer callousness bought new depths to Gretels amazing foresight and the insight into his sister brings a fear to Klaus like nothing before.
Raybould Marsh, the former British spy, is now a broken down middle-aged man with his marriage hanging by a thread and a depressing life with nothing to look forward to. Flitting between jobs, he works as a gardener, fuelled by alcohol and a temper that keeps getting him into trouble. His wife Liv seeks escape but they are bound by a son who is mentally ill, a child without a soul. As Gretel and Klaus reach London, Marsh is called from his enforced retirement to once more serve his country and serve he must as he is vitally important to Gretel's plan.
The warlocks are dying, a mysterious assassin who deals death that looks entirely natural, the Milkweed team has a traitor and once more Gretel whose aim is now seemingly to assist the government pulls the strings and the traitor is caught on film but to what ends.
A stunning read, Tregillis raises the bar with The Coldest War, a tension filled jaunt with some surprising twists and turns. All the characters are excellent but once again Gretel steals the accolades and as her plans slowly reveal it is captivating and fascinating. She is one of the most memorable female characters in all the books that I have read, incredibly realistic, devious in a spine chilling way.
Gretel's ability is the power of precognition and her plans revolve around what she has seen but these plans have taken seed right from the start of the series and the author skirts around this wonderfully, never quite revealing enough until the end. And the ending is done superbly, can Gretel manipulate the future or simply delay the inevitable. -
Pēckara gados turpinās nacistu pārcilvēku piedzīvojumi. Kā galvenie varoņi figurē Grēta un Klauss. Arvien vairāk fascinē Grētas pareģošanas spējas. Acimredzami viņai ir kāds grandiozs plāns, bet par to nav drošas versijas. Aģentam Māršam nākas atgriezties Admiralitātē saistībā ar Grētas nonāksānu angļu spiegu rokās. Bey pagaidām lielākās cīņas Māršam jāizcina ģimenē.
Un grāmatas sižeta gaitā izrādās, ka nozīmīgs ir ik katrs sīkums, ikvienai mazākajai detaļai ir nozīme un pat ne maza. Ļoti detalizēti pārdomāts darbs.
Grāmatas lasīšanas gaitā no vēstures fikcijas tā pārtapa par fantāzijas grāmatu, varētu pat teikt vēstures fikcijas fantāzija. Dažādu stilu sajaukums aizraujošā darbā, kurš vienaldzīgu neatstās.
Pēc šīs daļas izlasīšanas parādās duālas vēlmes: pārlapot iepriekšējo daļu un, protams, turpināt lasīt trešo daļu. Ģeniāla triloģija ( trešo daļu vēl neesmu lasījis). Otrā daļa ieskicē darba grandiozumu, taču tas ir tikai kā miglā tīts Everests, lai apjaustu patiesos apmērus, ir jāiet tālāk (jālasa trešā daļa).
Vairāk laikam nedrīkst stāstīt ...
Citāti:
Māršs prātoja, kā dažkārt to mēdz darīt, par laika ritumu. Gadi Līvas reiz tik mīļos un erotiskos vasaras raibumus bija pārvērtuši par vecuma plankumiem, kas viņu atbaidīja. Laiks bija nežēlīgs alķīmiķis.
Tu esi mācījies vācu valodu, tieši tāpat kā mēs mācījāmies runāt angliski. Ienaidnieka dabiskā simetrija.
Senāk viņš būtu sadevis pa muti jebkuram, kas tik rupji runātu ar Līvu. Laikos, kad viņi bija pāris. Mīlnieki. Pirms mīlestība bija saskābusi apātijā, bet pēc tam sarūgusi etiķainā naidā.
Taču, pirmkārt, viņš izdomās, kā izglābt Agnesi. Izglābt Līvu, izglābt savu laulību. Kāda jēga glābt pasauli, visu pasauli, ja viņš nevar sev iegūttik mazu tās daļiņu? -
"Una trama sorprendente, una subyugante ambientación y, sobre todo, personajes fascinantes. Esta novela es un ejemplo de la mejor -y más apasionante- historia alternativa que he leído jamás. Bravo." Lo dice Cory Doctorow en boingboing.net y así se recoge en la propia contraportada de esta segunda entrega del Tríptico de Asclepia... y está todo tan bien dicho y con tanta razón de ser, que poco más se puede hacer que darle la razón y callarse.
Esta segunda entrega, si bien no se puede decir que sea mejor que la primera, pues después de todo se ha perdido ya hasta cierto punto el factor sorpresa que encerraba la ecléctica mezcla de elementos que constituye el argumento central de estas novelas, ciertamente mantiene a la perfección el ritmo y el tono narrativo establecidos en la primera parte, a la par que la historia avanza con adictiva rapidez hacia un desenlace épico... el mismo que sienta unas bases perfectas para la tercera y última parte de la serie, para la que no habrá que esperar demasiado (afortunadamente).
Tregillis sigue fiel a la ambigüedad de sus personajes, en verdad fascinantes y ofrece momentos únicos con una forma de narrar casi cinematográfica. Alimento para la mente tampoco falta, con esas paradojas del momento Gretel-Liv que invitan a estrujarse el cerebro, a la par que se nos brindan también escenas de las que estremecen (esos niños...).
En resumen, altamente recomendable, como ya dije en su día de la primera parte... supongo que, al fin y a la postre, la recomendación sirve para el tríptico en su conjunto. -
Following Bitter Seeds, The Coldest War, is the second installment of the Milkweed Tryptich, which focuses on an alternative history of WW II by virtue of paranormal intervention. This second installment nicely ties into the first, with a set-up for the third part which I found very intriguing. I’m about to dive into that one next.
The Coldest War takes us back to the characters of the previous installments, but it’s set some twenty odd years later. The main characters are largely the same, but somewhat scarred due to the events of Bitter Seeds. Summoning demons has fallen somewhat by the wayside, but after the fall of the Third Reich a new adversary has arisen in the USSR. At the end of the first book we learn that some of the German “psychics” have been captured by the Red Army. In this book we learn that the Soviets had their own programme for creating supernatural abilities. This book is about the British trying to figure out how strong that threat is, and the coming confrontation. Lead characters Marsh and Will have to figure out what devious plans Gretel, the evil oracle, has implemented.
Without giving anything away, I breezed through this book the same as I did with the first installment. The writing is good and fast-paced, and the characters come through fine. The plot requires some suspension of disbelief, but for fans of fantasy this should definitely be worth a try. -
I really liked the concept for Bitter Seeds (first in the series), but was slightly disappointed in its execution. Granted, it can't be easy to fully develop the idea of super-powered nazis versus British warlocks while still firmly grounding it in 1940s Europe. The sequel more than makes up for it though. The Coldest War actually meets and exceeds the high hopes I'd had for Bitter Seeds.
Normally I hate the idea of precognition, but the concept of a precognitive sociopath is too intriguing to pass up. Think about that for a minute. A person who is incapable of guilt or regret and who can see the ultimate results of every decision she makes. Gretel is definitely an uber-villain, her machinations deeper and more callous than those of Moriarty. But when we begin to see the ultimate motive for her seemingly inexcusable actions, while still completely selfish, it's also...well any hint of explanation would be a major spoiler. Get through Bitter Seeds, revel in The Coldest War, and join me in eager anticipation of the third volume. -
Now this is how you write the second book in a trilogy. No wheel spinning here, no siree.
Set 20 years after the events of Bitter Seeds, The Coldest War opens with one of my favourite spec-fic themes, what happens to the heroes after the great battle. I found Marsh stuffy, priggish and reckless in the first novel, so I was sort of psyched to see that things had gone to shit for him and turned out pretty well for Will. Of course it all got a little more complicated than that as the story unfolded.
Twenty years also means that this alt history has diverged more from our time line. It's diverged in interesting but logical ways, which are handled fairly subtly when they don't impinge on the main plot.
The ending is utterly fantastic and sets things up beautifully for the final volume, which I cannot wait to read. -
The first one was campy, in a good way, and very fun to read. It was very character driven with some cool ideas. This second book is much more story oriented and much more mature. Like Straub's Blue Rose Trilogy you have subtle hints that are so unassuming in the first book that are suddenly monumental plot points in the second. The cliffhanger ending sets up what is hopefully a satisfying conclusion in book three.
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Otrā daļa ir psiholoģiski detalizētāka un ļoti laba. Varoņi, kas nav tikai labi vai slikti, un problēmas viņu personīgajā dzīvē padara romānu krietni interesantāku par parastu fantastikas/spiegu/alternatīvās vēstures trilleri. Ļoti patika Klauss - tik apjucis un cilvēcīgs. Tregillisam jau otreiz izdevās mani patīkami pārsteigt.
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Akjel, akjel.
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Don't know if I can ever finish this.
