Reviews of Ice Cracker II

I came across this after buying Buroker's novel, The Emperor's Edge, from Amazon so this was a pleasant find. I was already familiar with the characters and loved this additional installment. I think it would work okay as an introduction to Buroker's work but this does take place after the events in the novel, which sets up the relationship between these two.

The dialogue between the characters is natural and fun. The ice breaking ship as a target for the bad guys is a neat and original device for a fantasy story. The plot moves along quickly, and the writing never gets in the way of the story. I disagree 100% with the fellow who said the prose was awkward. I wouldn't have known this was a self-published piece if I hadn't found it on Smashwords.

As Sword and Sorcery goes, this story is pretty good. It's well written and fast paced. The characters are intriguing. The ending is odd: two wanted felons essentially take the commuter bus home after saving the city. It's a short story so I'm willing to suspend my questions about the back story.

A fast-paced adventure story akin to something you'd find in Black Gate with elements of swords and sorcery and steampunk. The prose is solid and easy to read.

There aren't as many laughs as in the author's other work, but I appreciated the subtle humor between the two heroes. I will check out the novel when it's up because I'm definitely interested in how these two characters got together in the first place.

This is pretty good. It's got an original setting for an S&S fantasy, akin to the docks of late 19th Century London, and adequate action for a story of its genre and length. The characters, while the story doesn't really last long enough to color them fully, appear evocative and appealing. I found no low-level mechanical errors, and you might be surprised how many Smashwords writers have command of neither grammar, nor spelling, nor punctuation. However, you have some stylistic problems; a significant fraction of your prose is awkward and arrhythmic.

Amaranthe and Sicarius need room to breathe and develop. They must have backstories; I want to know about them. I look forward to seeing the novel mentioned in your afterword.