I didn’t know what to expect from Kirsten Imani Kasai’s debut novel Ice Song. To be honest this is not the type of book I usually go for when at the bookstore. When Ms. Kasani offered to send me a copy to read I thought would go ahead and take a chance. Wow, I am glad I did as this a truly incredible and totally unique novel. Books like Ms. Kasai’s are why I like having a book review blog as it gives me a chance to read novels that normally I would pass on.
Summary
The plot is relatively simple. Sorykah Minuit’s twin children have been kidnapped and she is on a mission to rescue them from their abducter, The Collector. Sorykah is as a Trader or a person who has the ability to switched sexes. Unlike other Traders, Sorykah’s ability happens at inopportune times and she/he retains no memory during the switch. The male version is named Soryk and he really has had a difficult time. The few times he introduced in the novel he does not even know that he has two children or how he ends up in some very strange places.
Review
The interesting aspect to this universe is the Somatics. The Somatics are individuals whose DNA has been crossed with an animals, insects, etc. They retain some of their humanity but also have the instincts of their animal portion. This really makes for some interesting characterizations and Ms. Kasani takes full advantage by creating some very unique people that populate her novel. The Somatics are hated in this universe and at times, are hunted for sport by the normal humans.
At the beginning of the novel we learn that Sorykah has taken a job to mine frozen Fossil Water for The Company. She has planned to rendezvous with her children in the frozen land called the Sigue. After several days pass the nanny who is bringing the children does not show up and the worst is feared. It is discovered that her children have been taken to be used in experiments by the maniacal Collector. It is well known in the Sigue that The Collector takes Somatics to be used in his wicked experiments and they are never seen again, expect with their heads sitting on pole outside his mansion. Sorykah puts together a dog sled team together and begins her desperate race across the frozen tundra to rescue her children.
For me, this is when the novel became very captivating and Ms. Kasani does do not fall into the normal trappings of high adventure stories. For example, there are not endless pages of Sorykah traveling and camping before she comes to her destination. The plot is kept tight and focused and more importantly moving forward. She also explores the backgrounds and motivations of each of the main players. This was the highlight of the novel as it made all of the characters more complex and their motivations not so simple. There is nothing that is strictly black and white in this world as everything is a shade of gray, as it is in the real world.
The only quibble I have with the story probably has more to do with me being a male than anything else. There are numerous passages describing breast feeding in detail and after awhile it somewhat become tiresome.
Last Word
For some reason, this novel was published without much fanfare when it should have been be on everyone’s radar. Ms. Kasai has written a truly extraordinary novel that I had the extreme pleasure of reading. Her imagination is astonishing but is balanced by well crafted plot that will have you thinking about this story for years to come. I eagerly await future novels from Ms. Kasani and hopefully future volumes in the same universe.
My Rating
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