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Newsletter
The Ice Maiden
reviewed by
There's no denying the appeal of the small press to provide material that fills a niche the large publishers leave empty. Readers crave good, solid stories—stories of consequence. And it's always exciting to see the product of a publisher one hasn't seen before, and the UK's Pendragon Press makes a fine impression indeed with The Ice Maiden, another collaborative effort by Steve Lockley and Paul Lewis (The Ragchild and, as editors, the Cold Cuts series). It's a bit on the short side at 83 pages of a large font, but the high quality stock and an eyecatching cover more than make up for its length.
Tessa James is a newly divorced art teacher who has just moved far away from London to a quiet country village, mostly to get away from the heartache caused by her dissolved relationship. Fragile and still stinging from the infidelity, and her own ignoring of the clues therein, she has not made any real friends at the exclusive private school where she teaches. Now she's begun dreaming again, and Tessa's dreams have a way of coming true. She dreams of a girl, drowning, being murdered. One of Tessa's students, a lovely 14-year old, has just gone missing. And Tessa thinks her dreams may show the murder—and the murderer.
This simple outline hides a deeper subtext about dreams and fitting in, and the authors employ a rich voice and some carefully controlled literary misdirection to give the tale unexpected twists and turns, as well as something of a lesson in interpersonal relationships. Tim Lebbon calls it a "novella of faith and consequence" in his introduction, hinting at the crux of Tessa's conflict.
The Ice Maiden is not grand adventure or horror on an epic scale, but rather a small-focus story about one person and her dreams and how her life is wrapped up in frigid perceptions and misperceptions. In fact, cold is an intentionally pervasive element. A narrow focus makes The Ice Maiden tightly suspenseful, but able writing and strong narrative voice are what make it resonate beyond its pages.