''Winter of Fire'' is a young adult fantasy novel by New Zealand author

Sherryl Jordan Sherryl Jordan (born 8 June 1949) is a New Zealand writer for children and young adults, specialising in fantasy and historical fiction. She has written a number of children's and young adult works published in New Zealand and overseas. She is be ...

, set in a bleak future environment. It was first published in 1992.

Plot summary

Elsha is a teenager living in a bleak, cold future where world-wide cloud cover has permanently blocked out the sun. Humans have split into two classes - the Chosen and the Quelled, of which Elsha is the latter. The Quelled are doomed to spend their lives in servitude to the Chosen, mining "firestones" - the only means of warmth on the planet. The Firelord is the leader of the Chosen, said to be a great and powerful man. A rebellious girl, Elsha causes trouble for herself - even going so far as being considered for execution - until she is met by a Chosen man named Amasai, Steward of the Firelord, and given the highest position available to a woman - Handmaiden to the Firelord. The Firelord's life is not known to the Chosen, but he actually made better lives for many Quelled when he was younger. He became Firelord when he was old so he could call upon a young Handmaiden to continue his previous work. On her journeys with the Firelord, Elsha meets Teraj, later revealed to be the Firelord's son, with whom Elsha forms a romantic relationship. Elsha uses her unlikely position to fight the stigma and oppression of her people, eventually inheriting the title for herself after the Firelord's unexpected death and changing the course of the planet's history for the better. Republished by Scholastic New Zealand Ltd July 2019.

Reception

A review by ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' wrote "The emotion is affecting here, but relationships are confused rather than complex; loose ends dangle from the long, predictable story, and Elsha is unchanged by her experiences." It has also been reviewed by '' Publishers Weekly'', ''New and Notable: Books For The Secondary School Library'', '' Locus'', ''

The ALAN Review ALAN, The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents is a teachers organization in the United States, an independent assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Founded in November 1973, ALAN is made up of teachers, authors, libraria ...

'', and ''

The Evening Post ''Evening Post'' or ''The Evening Post'' may refer to the following newspapers: United Kingdom * ''Evening Post'' (London) (1710–1732), then ''Berington's Evening Post'' (1732–1740) * '' London Evening Post'' (1727–1797) * '' ...

''. It is a Bank Street College of Education Best Book, and an

American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults The American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommendation list of books presented yearly by the YALSA division (Young Adult Library Services Association Th ...

References

External links

Library holdings of ''Winter of Fire'' "Rejoice! The best book in the world (''Winter of Fire'') is being republished today"
1993 novels Young adult fantasy novels Post-apocalyptic novels {{1990s-ya-novel-stub