Review - Cold Magic by Kate Elliott (Orbit)

Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
Published by Orbit
Paperback - 528 pages
Published September 2010
Review copy given by Little Brown Books

Cold Magic is the first in a new trilogy by Kate Elliott, and it focuses around Cat, a nineteen year old girl living in an alternate Victorian England, who is forced to leave her home with Andevai, a Cold Mage. As she escapes the clutches of the mage, Cat learns that her life up until now has been a lie, but also that she must protect her kin at any cost.

Elliott really excels in not only her world building but her culture building. The alternative history set out in Cold Magic is the result of centuries of changed historical events, leading to cultural norms that are entirely different to our own. Every gesture, pattern of speech and though process is the result of centuries of history bearing down on the characters. It is this that makes the world familiar enough for the reader to recognise as their own, but different enough to lend a sense of uncertainty and surprise. It is so effective that events such as 'the salt plague' seem like real happenings.

I really enjoyed the characters and their relationships, which were again the products of the culture (though I did get annoyed with the constant cat metaphors when talking about the protagonist). The romantic element was well played and he changing relationship between Cat and Andevai is believable. You're able to sympathise with the antagonist without actually having to like him, which is a plus.

The pacing of the novel was done very well, especially at the climax. Any drops in the pacing of the story were quickly brought back to full speed, so there was a nice ebb and flow of action and suspense. There was only one scene that stayed in this 'low gear' in the middle of the story, but this focus on character development and didn't detract too much from the overall flow of the novel.

I was disappointed that there was a lack of steampunk in this novel, especially seeing as steapunk was the main selling point of the story. With the exception of an airship at the beginning and some factories at the end, industrial elements do not feature at all. Since the magic of the Cold Mages is weakened when faced with such technology, it would have been useful to have more confrontation this way. As it stood, a lot of the plot focussed on traditional fantasy tropes.

In short, Cold Magic has an excellent story that is set in an incredible world. Elliott knows her alternate world inside and out, and every nuance adds to the story. I'm hoping that the second installment sees more in the steampunk department, but as it stands it is a great fantasy novel set within this well crafted alternate universe.