Shroud of Ice - by Sharon Krasny (Paperback)

About the Book

Shroud of Ice poses an answer to who murdered Ötzi the Iceman, because only a shroud of ice can keep a secret for 5,000 years.

Book Synopsis

Guided only by the stars and the memory of Mara's eyes, Ankwar's village pariah Gaspare forges paths over desolate mountains and raging rapids to find his way back to his village. If he loses his focus or abandons his nerve, he will never know the freedom and power of being Ankwar's destined redeemer. Yet if he succeeds, Gaspare risks losing forever his chance at happiness with the one whose eyes haunt him and lead him home. Gaspare's greatest fear becomes his looming reality as he claims his calling and risks losing Mara once again. Based on the real life of Ötzi the Iceman, murdered over 5,000 years ago, the historical fiction Shroud of Ice searches for answers to the haunting echoes of will we ever be enough. Gaspare in the role of Ötzi is a call to stand one last time against the darkness because not all who are dead are silent.

Review Quotes

"Shroud of Ice is a remarkable novel, one that lingers in a reader's memory long after the final page has been turned. Sharon Krasny crosses 5,000 years to create a drama with themes of dignity, loyalty, resilience, and community; extending the tale began with her first novel, Iceman Awakens, a memorable read in itself. Gaspare may have been shrouded in ice for centuries, but in these pages, he lives and breathes again, as emotionally complex as any modern character....Shroud of Ice stands as a significant work, one that honors any bookshelf upon which it might sit and any reader who might undertake its journey." - Greg Fields, author of The Bright Freight of Memory, 2025 American Writing Award for Literary Fiction PEN/Faulkner Nominee

"Sharon Krasny has done it again! Years after Gaspare was reduced to slavery in Iceman Awakens, she continues to flesh out the mysterious, frozen 5,300-year-old mummy of the Alps in such a way that I saw him as a living, breathing human being with hopes, dreams, and fears not so unlike ours today....Krasny's exquisite writing style... made me see what they saw, hear what they heard, and feel what they felt. Her intensive research and passion for her subject have created a book not only of the heart but of the mind as it brings to life the culture and people, both bad and good, of the Copper Age." - S. A. Smith, author of The Rain Gypsy, The Cemetery Tender, and the upcoming Sweetgrass in the Rain

"Shroud of Ice, the speculative fiction story of Gaspare and his life in ancient times, will keep you as spellbound and delighted as it kept me. The themes of friendship, home, and family run deep. The difficulties of life in such a harsh environment will keep you turning pages as you move toward the inevitable conclusion.... I highly recommend Shroud of Ice. It's a winner!" - Charles Tabb, President of The Virginia Writers Club and author of Floating Twigs, a Kirkus Reviews recommended book