Whatever you do, do not read the ending first. I found the wait almost unbearable, but very much worth it. And if you possibly can, read parts I and II first! I first read the book at a gulp, in one night, without breathing, gripped by the story as if by an iron vice. I read it again next day, more slowly, sitting down now and then in the middle of the page to enjoy the landscape. Our hero from the parts I and II has grown more powerful and therefore more tormented, and quite grim. His destiny - what a destiny! - he bears without even thinking of whining, only exploding a little now and then. We never really knew him, before. He is great. And the story is worthy of him.

This is the final chapter is the series (Winter of The World), and what a way to finish. On the front cover of the book, there is a quote that "the pages turn as if by magic". I have to agree. You just can't leave this book down. M.S. Rohan carries you to another time, another world, a place full of magic, honour, pain and joy. If you haven't read all three books, then stop reading this and start reading them.

This is the first book of Rohan's trilogy. Like so many others, I can't believe this is out of print. It's easily in the top third of the trilogies/series I've read. As some others have said, this series has 'everything' you look for in good fantasy.

Scott Rohan takes all the glitter of the ordinary fantasy novel and transmutes by solid smithcraft. This story starts with a thunderclap, storms off in fury and ends breathlessly, with the sequel looming like clouds in the distance. He is a very good writer with a style all his own, rich but not obscure, erudite but not pedantic. His hero becomes more appealing instead of more distant as his powers grow. The gods are truly fearful and unpredictable, playing and joking with destinies yet bound by destiny themselves. Of the vast and awesome landscapes, of the histories and myths, he shows us incredibly much in so few pages, and leaves us yearning for more. So: the Ice is advancing to blot all life off the face of the World. Neighbouring peoples, who could be brothers, wage war and do not see the freezing danger. Into these besieged lands is launched a young man to whom there is more than meets the eye. He has it in him to be a great hero, but he has also a fierce temper, plus impatience, foolishness, generosity and other faults in plenty to get him into trouble and to make him lovable. Don't wait: read it.

I read a lot of fantasy and SF. This is one series that really stands out. It's a real mix of european and north american myth, set in an ice age. The end of an age of magic,gods and myth, but with a solid 'reality' base.

I've read this series more than once, and I still think it's great. Pick it up if you can and read it. It's worth it.

The second installment of Michael Scott Rohan's trilogy progresses the story of the apprentice smith Elof. I am reading George RR Martin's _A Game of Thrones_ as I write this, and I cannot help but draw some parallels between the two novels. The strength of Rohan is in my opinion his wonderful use of the English language. The prose is rich, it is a wonderful book just because of it. And the story is very good. In the previous book, our heroes traveled through well-known territory, there was no tension and suspense from that point of view. In this book, they set out in search of a lost people through uncharted territory, and the reader follows their footsteps wondering what Elof and his band will stumble into next. However, Martin's book is tremendous in its characterization. Every character is very realistic, each one seems to be showing a facade to the people around him but is really much more intricate underneath. Although Elof, Rohan's main character, shows signs of progressing as a personality through the first two books, he really is the only one with any real depth. Otherwise, read this (if you are luck enough to find it) and enjoy the wonderful story.

The Winter of the World Trilogy (Anvil, Forge and Hammer) stands out as a classic in the Fantasy Genre. In my opinion MSR has succeeded very well to integrate nordic mythology in his writing. Especially the Smithcraft and the Powers wrought in the fire of a Mastersmith are cleaverly written. The Powers come from runes set into the metal. It's description and potential is one I like very much.

As one reviewer said before, MSR is highly underrated. His way with words surpasses many in the field. Highly poetic and --in writing style and tecnique -- matching Tolkien every step of the way.

As the one book of the trilogy yet to receive a review, I thought I'd write one, both out of tribute to M. S. Rohan, one of the greatest fantasy writers ever and certainly the most underaclaimed, and because the book merits it on its own. The Forge in the Forest leads the band of friends from the first volume into the great and uncharted forests of ancient powers in their quest to reach the East Coast of their continent. Every page is unbelievably well written in a style in the same echelon as Tolkein. In fact, Rohan's trilogy is in many ways Tolkein's equal. Only the vast scope of Tolkein eclipses this otherwise perfect trilogy.

Michael Scott Rohan weaves a fascinating tale over his trilogy. This first book introduces his world and shows the apprenticeship of a young man into the Smith craft. It's clear that Mr. Rohan did his homework on the details of smithing, and it's very wonderful to be there and watch the learning process. The story has mythic resonance in spades - mirroring the Hero's Journey in many ways, but not so much that you notice it heavily. What I loved about this tale is that the main character clearly changes throughout the story arc. There is romance, there is fantasy, but it isn't overwhelming. I recommend this book (and the series) because it brings out ancient wisdom and gives you a sense that you are connected to another time and world

Michael Scott Rohan has done a great job with this first book in the WOTW series. Combining fantasy elements with solid research, he follows in the footsteps of other Oxford-educated luminaries such as Tolkein and C.S. Lewis. Read this book.

Look, the fantasy books world divides into two divisions:
Those who keep you awake all night, and those who don't. The Anvil of Ice belongs to the first category. This is the first book in Mr. Rohan's trilogy: THE WINTER OF THE WORLD.
In this book you will be introduced to the unique world, and to the fascinating characters in the trilogy.

Michael Scott Rohan brings you into a very exciting world in a very descriptive way - that's the magic of the book - as you read you will feel you actually belong to that world. The world combines prehistory of Earth , ancient wisdom, and magic, combined in the mystic smith craft.
The story line and change of incidents are so rapid, you wouldn't want to leave the book, fearing you will miss something... the main character constantly changes, keeps you anxious to read more and more...

Mr. Rohan melts romance, fantasy, action, and smithery all together forming the perfect alloy, a work or art - The Anvil of Ice. Just like his most skilled Smith in the book would have done.

I can keep talking on this book forever, but I guess you should spend your time reading The Anvil of Ice rather than reading reviews on it.
So let me finish with the main point of this review:
I really enjoyed the first book of the trilogy, and I truly recommend it, because this book does to you what all fantasy books are meant to do - take you away from reality into a dream

A fun novel, recommended to me by Bob Gore, who knew that I liked pirates (especially as seen in Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides). Bob said that Chase the Morning wasn't as good, and he was right, but it was still worth reading, and worth examining to discover why it isn't as good.

First off, the story. Steve's a hollow young urban professional in some modern European city in which the residents speak English, visit pubs, drive nifty sports cars fast, and engage in shipping and receiving. Steve decides to chase a whim one night and finds himself rescuing a dimunitive fellow from the intent of three dark fiends. No fantasy involved however. The dimunitive fellow is just a short guy, and the fiends are simple muggers. Wrong. These people were using swords. Steve tries to shrug off the incident, although it is the most exciting thing that has happened to him in quite a long time. And he can't quite forget it, and finds himself again down by the shipyard. In no time, he finds himself involved completely, as he again saves the short guy's life, watches some kind of voodoo creature escape from a bail of hay, and then has his secretary abducted by the fiends (the "wolves").

It's not On Stranger Tides or A.A. Attanasio's Wyvern. There is a real sense of two different worlds colliding in Chase the Morning, rather than some alternate world (On Stranger Tides) or some new world that strangely resembles our own, but is consistent within itself (Wyvern). Chase the Morning is a fantasy novel in which someone from the real world finds fantastical things happening to them. This can be okay, except most readers are so familiar with the genre (which ranges from C.S. Lewis' "Narnia," to Stephen R. Donaldson's "Thomas Covenant"), that the new author should know what's been done. Rohan seems somewhat attune to the genre, but I think it's obvious that he missed the Donaldson books in particular, and that his work suffers from it. In fact, trying to compare Chase the Morning with Lord Foul's Bain better brings out the problems with Rohan's book than trying to compare it with Powers, in which the only things really shared there is an idea of a milieu. That's because Steve is supposed to be an anti-hero, like Donaldson's Thomas Covenant. It's tough to write a story in which your main protagonist is an anti-hero, because a reader's first inclination is to identify with the protagonist of the story, especially in a field like fantasy, where the hero is often a thinly veiled wish fulfillment character of the reader (see Orson Scott Card's widely successful "Ender" books for the clearest recent example of the same). Covenant works because he is an intensely unlikeable character; he is often so intensely unliked that readers can't make it through the first part of Lord Foul's Bain because they can't, and don't want to try to, understand Covenant. Donaldson overcomes the problem by allowing minor characters to become personifications of the reader: the mother of the girl he rapes in the third chapter (and who knows of his atrocity) takes Covenant to the lords not because of what he could mean to "the Land" but because she hopes that they will be able to punish him (which she is unable to do because of his "power") or because she hopes that something good can become of his evil deed (that the lords can use him to save the Land). This is complex stuff for a fantasy novel.

Rohan's Steve, on the other hand, is a likable character. Oh, sure, he's described as hollow, but I think most readers wouldn't necessarily find that a damning description. Steve's unlikable traits are always described (told) to the reader; when the action gets going, Steve's always doing the heroic thing (shown). The reader translates this as Steve's the hero, so when the plot rolls around to using the fact that Steve's a dweeb who is worthless as a human, the reader's inclination is to say, "What?" So Chase the Morning is a flawed book. Rohan is someone with potential, though, because he realized that without the anti-hero idea, his novel was just another rehash of the same ol' dropping the modern character in the fantasy world. That is, Rohan is at least trying to go beyond formula, and while he fails, one should applaud the effort.

What I liked about this story is Rohan creates a concept that has so many possibilities that he could write and endless series of books off it(here he has written 4 so far). I didn't know what to expect next in the story because it was totally different then any other fantasy I've ever read. Highly recommend though I would have rated it higher if it was easier to get a hold of the complete series here in the United States. I would more highly recommend his Winter of the World series, but this is definitely a great read too.

If you can get hold of this book, do. Rohan manages the difficult 'crossing of the line' between the real world and Fantasy with consumate skill. His wordsmithing is superb when it comes to crafting an 'almost visible' fantasy world. The book takes the reader into a world of tall ships and then into the blood and passion soaked heart of the 16th century Caribbean - and then into the heart of voodoo. The characters - such as Gyp the pilot and Mad Mall are vibrant. I loved it. The plot twists and shakes and allows us windows into the frailties which make us human. Yet it is a triumphal book. It's time it was reprinted.

The first two books in this trilogy were both in the 5 star category. Scott Rohan's weaving of the past, the mundane and the mythical into a wonderfully detailed and evocative magic-carpet is excellent. This sort of skill hasn't been seen since Zelazny. I found this book less entertaining than the the first parts of the trilogy, because Rohan has chosen Europe as his canvas. He does it well, but it is an overworked canvas, with nazi-villans, again. With the whole of history to draw on, there are plenty of other disgusting characters available. I preferred Fisher as a man still learning to come to terms with himself. The publishers have not re-issued the earlier parts of one of the best fantasy series of the last twenty years. These books have been inadequately publicised and have not recieved the degree of aclaim they deserve.

It's obvious that author Michael Scott Rohan has become very comfortable writing in the world of the "Spiral" that he's created. This is his third book he has written using this world and the same main character and it shows. This one definitely flows a lot more smoothly and his confidence is also reflected in the character of Stephen Fisher. No longer the self doubting hollow man (thank god) that he was, he is now the CEO of a major shipping company and can move between the "Core" and the "Spiral" with relative ease. Luckily Mr. Rohan has the imagination to come up with quite a challenge for his main character or it could've gotten boring watching Stephen Fisher swagger through life. One thing I did miss though was there wasn't the boat trips on old sailing ships that served as a catalyst in the first two books. Despite that though this book does seem to be an overall step foward for this series. I knew this was a good one when I kept being late because I just couldn't put the book down and wanted to read "just one more page". I hope this isn't the last we've seen of Stephen Fisher, the "Core" and the "Spiral". =: )

In the beginning of this book we learn that main character Stephen Fisher didn't settle down with the damsel in distress he rescued in his last adventure and live happily ever after. In fact he's become more obsessed with his career and has moved up the coporate ladder. This however has left him feeling empty and even more hollow than ever. Once again this leaves him open to the dangers of evil that plagued him in his first adventure. I realize this is an important foundation element for this story but in my opinion this also where Mr. Rohan almost sinks his own ship. In the fisrt third of this book there are so many examples, descriptions, etc, of how empty and hollow Stephen Fisher is you just want to shout "All right already, I get the point, get on with it already!" It got to the point where I was getting depressed reading about this poor hollow man and just about promised to myself that I'd make sure I never became very successful financially for fear that I may end up like this empty shell of a man. Luckily as the adventure began to heat up appearantly Mr. Fisher became too busy to think about how depressing his life was and the book became a lot more fun to read . Yes there is plenty of high seas adventure, fights (with humans and other mythic creatures), chases, romance and even a cameo from two of the characters from the last book. What more could you want from any sequel? Once again Mr. Rohan's writing style makes it real easy to slide into the world he's created which teeters between the hard reality of the modern world and that of the magical "spiral". In the end I was able to forgive the author for the rough start of this story and really ended up enjoying it. This book was kind of like a wild ship ride on an old sailing ship itself. In the beginning you're out to sea on a ship which has sprung a leak and you start to list. You finally get the hole patched when you're blown into a storm and all hell breaks loose. In the end you break free of the storm and are left slightly battered and bruised on a beutiful tropical island with wonderful soft breezes and you feel all is right with the world.

Michael Scott Rohan has created a beguiling world of mystery and subterfuge. As Stephen Fisher tries desperately to transport an irrigation system to the island of Bali, he comes up against some formidable and fascinating characters.

With a little help from his friends, including his shapely ex, a maori warrior and a sorceror called Ape, he battles the forces of evil to complete his mission.

The storyline rocks along and the characters are powerful and imaginative. The religious and mystical themes are well managed to give the story depth.

The only real failing I found was the author's errors in dealing with his maori character. He calls white men pakahes, instead of pakehas. His cloak is from the Tanaraki, instead of Taranaki and he calls women vahines instead of wahines. Little errors, but enough to grate on those who know (ie: the 4m or so people who are NZ residents or ex-pats.).

Good value for money and well worth a read.

Aside from his 'anvil of ice' series, this is the work of Michael Scott Rohan that I like the best. It's about a series of mis-matched characters who get together to save the world in an alternate reality.

I got to the end of this book and wished for a second book to read more of these characters, because the characters grow and change with the length of the novel and I would love to see the continuation of that growth. Come on guys - get your act together and give us another book!

The only reason that this doesn't get a five star is that it should go on... The world Scott Rohan//Allan Scott build richly textured, funny yet believable. It's rare to find a delicate enough touch to combine humour drama, and pathos, and still manage to suspend disbelief. I want a sequel!

I love travel stories and this is one of the best. I love magic and it pervades the very fabric of this world. I love a fierce young hero, and here is one who will never take the easy way out. I love trees, and here is a continent full of them. I love an unexpected twist in a story, and here are some mighty hairpin bends. I love woodwork, and here is a whole enchanted palace built of wood. I love a girl who holds her own and here is Ils, who needs no kind of prettiness to have her place in the voyage. I love a god who misbehaves like one, and here is Raven... I love this book.