The Age of Ice: A Novel
Sidorova’s imaginative and densely detailed first novel mingles historical and speculative fiction. Prince Alexander Velitsyn was conceived in ice: he and his twin brother were born of two jesters forced to wed and remain overnight in Empress Anna Ioanovna’s ice palace in January 1740. As a young soldier, Alexander is startled to discover he’s unaffected by cold and that heightened emotions turn his body literally frigid. Thus begins his quest for a scientific explanation and fellow sufferers, if they exist. Since his condition makes it challenging to get close to women, he turns to a life of adventure and exploration. His jaunts propel readers on an informative journey over 250 years of Russian history and ventures abroad, from an Arctic expedition to the Napoleonic Wars and the Great Game in central Asia. (He also becomes immortal at one point.) Alexander’s detached narration—which suits his situation—keeps readers at a distance, but his interactions with other characters, real and fictional, and his continual yearning for connections enrich the tale with depth and meaning. --Sarah Johnson