Happy Friday, my followers. Today, I’m reviewing Ice Homme by Vance Pumphrey. Check out my previous reviews of the first two books in the series in my earlier blog post.

I am pleased to announce this book is the second recipient of my Mithril Rating (five out of five stars) according to my own rating scale inspired by my post ,”Don’t Attack the Sundae.”

There is more than a little serendipity of Ice Homme receiving a five star Mithril rating and the precious mineral by the same name playing an important role in the story.  A good novel should keep the reader interested throughout the whole story.  A great novel should carry the reader throughout the adventure, as if the audience walks with the characters, experiencing the novel from the characters’ shadows.  Ice Homme is a great book.  

The action doesn’t stop.  From the most inventive way to brew coffee, to encounters with wolves, hoards of undead, a lich, and multiple dragons, Ice Homme is a beautiful symphony of battle, character growth, and emotion.  Every word serves a purpose, every scene builds on the one before, crafting what is, at this point, the best novel in the series.  

Appealing to both seasoned fantasy fans, as well as readers unfamiliar to the Dungeons and Dragons formula, this story propels the the reader into a world where traditional lines of Good and Evil are blurred.  Ice Homme isn’t just a great fantasy novel, but a novel which lingers in the   Reader’s thoughts, well after the story is finished, and makes the reader think.  Stories which make us think beyond the fantastic tale, turning our contemplation to inside ourselves, are rare gems.  Ice Homme achieves this goal with brilliance through themes of trust, friendship, and perseverance.  

As the novels in the series progress, the characters come together, relying and caring for one another more and more with each chapter.  At first, it evokes an almost intentional disjointed emotion within the reader.  Then the more the characters survive tribulations together, the closer the characters become, the more the reader becomes emotionally invested in the party’s interpersonal and epic success.  

The presentation of the story is flawless, and the author achieves a graceful balance of action, detail, dialogue, romance, and adventure.  This novel is the very stuff of fabulous vivid imagination made form.  

As a child I dreamed of dragons, sorcerers, fighters with great bows, and magic.  As an adult, my dreams are much the same.  In a mundane world, novels like Ice Homme, bring the magic of our dreams into reality, if only for a brief time.  Ultimately, if you’ve ever dreamed of riding dragons and casting spells, you have to read this book! 

Stay tuned! Soon. I’ll be reviewing the last novel in the series!