KARILYNE
Heart Cold As Ice
By Van Allen Plexico
White Rocket Books
333 pgs.
Hell hath no fury like an Ice Goddess tricked. Here’s hoping you’ll forgive my twising the Bard’s famous phrase to kick off this review of Van Allen Plexico’s latest entry in his grand space saga. Karilyne is the beautiful goddess of ice and steel who enjoys her solitude. When a fellow god, Cevelar, accompanied by a human, General Vostok, come to her for help, she unwittingly falls for their lies and soon finds herself imprisoned in a foreign castle and her mighty battle axe stolen.
Through the assistance of a strange little techno mage, Karilyne and her human aid, Mirana, escape only to learn Cevelar and Vostok are seeking six cosmic weapons of incredible power with which they hope to resurrect a dead god of chaos. Karilyne’s axe is one of the six artifacts required. But she knows their insane plan will ultimately bring about the destruction of the entire universe. They must be stopped and she will have her revenge.
Soon they are joined by two female Templar knights and a giant gray warrior, all agreeing to serve Karilyne for the duration of her mission. The group begins to travel the varied dimenions of the Three Levels upon which reside gods, humans and aliens. When Solonis, a whimsical god possessing a time traveling machine, joins them, the action kicks into high gear. Soon our heroes are flung from one reality to another. They even witness the all consuming future entropy; if Cevelar and Vostok are successful.
Once again, Plexico creates memorable characters, each distinct and original. He then drops them into wondrous settings rich with imagination. His world building is clever and mesmerizing, pulling the reader into these myriad realms effortlessly. If you’ve read his earlier books in this saga, you already know what fun awaits you. If you are just now discovering the series, do not wait another minute before opening this book; what awaits inside will blow your mind!!
