Ice Song

by: Kirsten Imani Kasai

Published by: Del Ray

Reviewed by Jenny Salyers

Sorykah Minuit is not a normal woman. She is a scholar and a scientist. She is the sole female aboard an ice drilling submarine in the frozen lands of the Sigue. She is also the recent mother of twins, and is anxiously awaiting the end of her two-month trip in order to be reunited with her children again. But Sorykah also has a secret ruling her life. She is a Trader. Traders have a rare genetic mutation that allows their bodies to change genders. This ability is usually met with fascination and superstition by other people. It is Sorykah’s secret shame. Because of this, she is unable to remember the events that occur when she is her male alter-ego Soryk.

Both of her children have also inherited the Trader genes.

Sorykah discovers that her children and their nurse have been abducted before reaching their final travel destination. They have been taken by Matuk, the servant of a madman known as “The Collector.” The Collector takes the genetically altered life forms of the world (usually those who have animalistic tendencies) to use in his grizzly and deadly research and experiments. Now, to save her children, Sorykah and Soryk have to cross icy wastelands, travel through a vast forest and rely on the help of sympathetic strangers to reach The Collector’s isolated home. All this is also complicated by the switching between genders that occurs on the way, and the slow acceptance of Sorykah’s Trader genes, which finally allows Sorykah and Soryk to become aware of the other during their changes.

Author Kirsten Imani Kasai has created a rich world in her first book Ice Song. I found myself mesmerized by the genetic mutations that have changed the world, and the society that has evolved around these differences between unaltered humans, those with animal genes and characteristics, and the Traders. I was drawn in by the amazing descriptions of the people and places forming this story. I found myself wishing this book was longer. This is an amazingly strong first book, and I look forwards to reading more by this new author in the future.

Armchair Interviews says: A stunning debut fantasy about love and the ties of blood.

Author’s Web site: http://www.IceSong.com