Call number
Genres
Publication
New York: Ace Fantasy, 1986
Pages
176
Description
A fantasy classic by the author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls--basis for the Jack Black movie--and "a writer who knows what wizardry is all about" (Ursula K. Le Guin). A richly imaginative story of wizards stymied by a power beyond their control, A Face in the Frost combines the thrills of a horror novel with the inventiveness of fairy tale-inspired fantasy. Prospero, a tall, skinny misfit of a wizard, lives in the South Kingdom--a patchwork of feuding duchies and small manors, all loosely loyal to one figurehead king. Along with his necromancer friend Roger Bacon, who has been on a quest to find a mysterious book, Prospero must flee his home to escape ominous pursuers. Thus begins an adventure that will lead him to a grove where his old rival, Melichus, is falsely rumored to be buried and to a less-than-hospitable inn in the town of Five Dials--and ultimately into a dangerous battle with origins in a magical glass paperweight. Lin Carter called The Face in the Frost one of "the best fantasy novels to appear since The Lord of the Rings . . . Absolutely first class." With a unique blend of humor and darkness, it remains one of the most beloved tales by the Edgar Award-nominated author also known for the long-running Lewis Barnavelt series.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1969
Physical description
176 p.; 7.1 inches
ISBN
0441225314 / 9780441225316
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User reviews
LibraryThing member StormRaven
This is the first Bellairs book I read, after locating it in the "Recommended Further Reading" appendix to the original AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. The Face in the Frost is one of Bellairs' earliest works, and one of his best. While his later books were aimed at the juvenile market, this book is
The story revolves around the wizards Prospero and Roger Bacon who find themselves beset with an unseen and unknown enemy. The two flee (in sometimes humorous ways, including shrinking themselves to fit on a model ship), while trying to get information to identify their assailant and figure out why he is pursuing them. The attacks become more and more dangrous and frightening, and the entire world seems affected as an unseasonable winter seems to grop the land. Prospero is informed at one point that Bacon is dead and finds his own life threatened by some extremely creepy villagers.
While the structure of the story itself is fairly simple - wizard is attacked, wizard investigates while on the run, wizard defeats enemy - the atmosphere described in the book is what makes it so good. Bellairs makes each scene a little bit scarier than the last, starting with a somewhat lighthearted tone, and eventually building to a frozen and eerie denoument, albeit somewhat of an anticlimactic one. Eventually Prospero figures out who his antagonist is, and why. He manages to foil what could be the outbreak of a war, but that doesn't really seem to help overcome the villain. Eventually, Prospero finds himself in another universe, and finally manages to defeat the villain.
The slight weakness of the finale aside, The Face in the Frost is everything a fantasy novel should be: funny, scary, and packed with wonder. Unlike many of the doorstoppers produced today, in which multiple ponderous seven hundred page tomes advance their story in halting baby steps, The Face in the Frost establishes its setting, its characters, and its villain as well as establishing and resolving its conflict in under two hundred. Many modern writers would do well to look back upon Bellairs' work and see how he managed to create such a memorable story in so many fewer pages.
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not. Uninhibted by the need to make the book palatable for the younger set, Bellairs let loose with the full range of creepiness that his mind could come up with while leavening it with a fair amount of almost silly fantasy.The story revolves around the wizards Prospero and Roger Bacon who find themselves beset with an unseen and unknown enemy. The two flee (in sometimes humorous ways, including shrinking themselves to fit on a model ship), while trying to get information to identify their assailant and figure out why he is pursuing them. The attacks become more and more dangrous and frightening, and the entire world seems affected as an unseasonable winter seems to grop the land. Prospero is informed at one point that Bacon is dead and finds his own life threatened by some extremely creepy villagers.
While the structure of the story itself is fairly simple - wizard is attacked, wizard investigates while on the run, wizard defeats enemy - the atmosphere described in the book is what makes it so good. Bellairs makes each scene a little bit scarier than the last, starting with a somewhat lighthearted tone, and eventually building to a frozen and eerie denoument, albeit somewhat of an anticlimactic one. Eventually Prospero figures out who his antagonist is, and why. He manages to foil what could be the outbreak of a war, but that doesn't really seem to help overcome the villain. Eventually, Prospero finds himself in another universe, and finally manages to defeat the villain.
The slight weakness of the finale aside, The Face in the Frost is everything a fantasy novel should be: funny, scary, and packed with wonder. Unlike many of the doorstoppers produced today, in which multiple ponderous seven hundred page tomes advance their story in halting baby steps, The Face in the Frost establishes its setting, its characters, and its villain as well as establishing and resolving its conflict in under two hundred. Many modern writers would do well to look back upon Bellairs' work and see how he managed to create such a memorable story in so many fewer pages.
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LibraryThing member ronincats
One of my favorite fantasies, a true classic.
LibraryThing member tiazilberstein
A book that captures the best of the imagination and the human spirit. Delightful!
LibraryThing member particle_p
"A few centuries (or so) ago there lived a tall, skinny, scraggly-bearded old wizard named Prospero, and not the one you're thinking of, either." If that doesn't make you want to go on reading, I can't help you. This is John Bellair's only book for adults, and it is excellent. Go read it.
LibraryThing member ben_a
Another from Stoddard's list. A triumph of atmosphere, but the plot runs out of steam in a disappointing way. Filled with vivid and genuinely creepy incident, all rendered very well.
LibraryThing member Panopticon2
It's been a good 30 years since I read anything by John Bellairs (RIP) - one of my favourite authors when I was a kid. This is as tense and creepy a story as his later works aimed at older kids; coupling it with Tolkienesque fantasy elements made it a gripping read. So much enjoyment in one slim
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little volume - highly recommended! Show Less
LibraryThing member nsenger
It's extremely gratifying when a book you love as a teen turns out to be just as good when you re-read it as an adult. That's how I feel after reading The Face in Frost again. Written in 1969, I first read it in the late 1980s and loved it. I am happy to say that it was just as enjoyable this
Light-footed yet dark-hearted, gothically detailed yet deliberately vague, delightfully complex yet deceptively simple, this is an example of what the fantasy genre can be in the hands of a master storyteller.
And that's what The Face in the Frost is: a story. In the best sense of the word. This is a tale to read in front of the fireplace in the evening, or to bring with you to the beach when you need to shrug off the weight of the world for a while.
At significantly less than two hundred pages, The Face in the Frost shows that high quality fantasy can be tightly written and still open up new worlds and mysterious situations.
A hauntingly great story that ought to be better known and appreciated.
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second time around.Light-footed yet dark-hearted, gothically detailed yet deliberately vague, delightfully complex yet deceptively simple, this is an example of what the fantasy genre can be in the hands of a master storyteller.
And that's what The Face in the Frost is: a story. In the best sense of the word. This is a tale to read in front of the fireplace in the evening, or to bring with you to the beach when you need to shrug off the weight of the world for a while.
At significantly less than two hundred pages, The Face in the Frost shows that high quality fantasy can be tightly written and still open up new worlds and mysterious situations.
A hauntingly great story that ought to be better known and appreciated.
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LibraryThing member SESchend
A classic, and not a children's book, unlike Bellairs' other works. Well worth the time (and now I know why this was on a bibliography of inspiring works for Gary Gygax in the first edition of AD&D).
LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton
It has been decades since I read this book and it was time to read it again. The book is a jewel and shows how to use language effectively. Yes, it sent chills through me when it was trying for horror.
I don't usually read horror and I think this falls more into dark fantasy. Yes, there were some
Who would like this? Anyone who enjoys well-written fantasy. I think if you liked The Last Unicorn, you would also like this book.
I don't usually read horror and I think this falls more into dark fantasy. Yes, there were some
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scary moments, but they were in no way graphic, more menacing than anything. And I loved the main characters with their quirky habits.Who would like this? Anyone who enjoys well-written fantasy. I think if you liked The Last Unicorn, you would also like this book.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
Bellairs is best known for his children's books, with an added boost recently from The House With a Clock in Its Walls being released as a movie.
This isn't a kids' book. Not that it contains any inappropriate content, and there are undoubtedly kids who would enjoy it.
This book, though, is aimed at
The basic story isn't remarkable. Two good wizards discover evidence of an evil wizard at work with dark intentions, and set out to stop him. What is remarkable is graceful, elegant, and extremely funny use of language and familiar literary imagery to create a delightfully original and absorbing story for adult readers.
I have a deep and abiding love for this story, and its author, and, weirdly, for the discovery that the women's Catholic college he taught English at for a year, and was deeply unhappy at, was in fact my own alma mater--and that he was fondly remembered there as a good, likable, interesting guy--not by the English department, but by the history department. And specifically, the chair of the history department, who was my adviser.
It's the sort of whimsy that's entirely appropriate for John Bellairs. Who, yes, really was a good, likable, interesting guy.
This story is highly recommended and a lot of fun.
I bought this audiobook.
This isn't a kids' book. Not that it contains any inappropriate content, and there are undoubtedly kids who would enjoy it.
This book, though, is aimed at
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adults who will enjoy the wordplay, the humor that rests on familiarity with things kids the age of Bellairs' usual readers haven't read yet, being aware of who the "other" Prospero is and recognizing the name of Roger Bacon, and...but no. Wait. Kids would enjoy the transition from the comic beginnings to the terrifying opponent.The basic story isn't remarkable. Two good wizards discover evidence of an evil wizard at work with dark intentions, and set out to stop him. What is remarkable is graceful, elegant, and extremely funny use of language and familiar literary imagery to create a delightfully original and absorbing story for adult readers.
I have a deep and abiding love for this story, and its author, and, weirdly, for the discovery that the women's Catholic college he taught English at for a year, and was deeply unhappy at, was in fact my own alma mater--and that he was fondly remembered there as a good, likable, interesting guy--not by the English department, but by the history department. And specifically, the chair of the history department, who was my adviser.
It's the sort of whimsy that's entirely appropriate for John Bellairs. Who, yes, really was a good, likable, interesting guy.
This story is highly recommended and a lot of fun.
I bought this audiobook.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The Face in the Frost is by author John Bellairs who specialized in writing spooky tales for young readers. This story totally enchanted me with it’s magic, humor and adventure. The main character, Prospero and his best friend Roger Bacon are elderly wizards in a fantasy land. When a series of
Although this book is for children, and the plot is fairly simple, this author has a wonderful way with words, mixing whimsical fairy tale language and strange inventive wizard words into the flow of the narrative. There isn’t much in the way of violence instead the author creates a sense of danger by bending reality into nightmare scenes and keeping our two wizards in a constant state of dread.
A very short novel of less than 200 pages, The Face in the Frost was a delightful way to spend an afternoon and introduced me to a couple of very lovable wizards. The writing is a blend of dark Gothic and fanciful lightness that at times is spooky and at others silly. I wish I had read this when I was young because I know I would have been totally caught up in this magical tale.
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supernatural manifestations begin to haunt Propero’s home, the two friends set out on a quest to discover the source of these evil occurrences. On their journey they encounter ghosts, wild beasts, and nightmares of all types, yet these wizards fight back with their magic staffs and chanted spells. They never give up, and their humor never deserts them. Although this book is for children, and the plot is fairly simple, this author has a wonderful way with words, mixing whimsical fairy tale language and strange inventive wizard words into the flow of the narrative. There isn’t much in the way of violence instead the author creates a sense of danger by bending reality into nightmare scenes and keeping our two wizards in a constant state of dread.
A very short novel of less than 200 pages, The Face in the Frost was a delightful way to spend an afternoon and introduced me to a couple of very lovable wizards. The writing is a blend of dark Gothic and fanciful lightness that at times is spooky and at others silly. I wish I had read this when I was young because I know I would have been totally caught up in this magical tale.
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LibraryThing member themulhern
When Ursula Le Guin called it "unpretentious", she got that right. This is much like John Bellairs' other books, except that there are no children in it, and no fun local colour, either. The plot is incoherent, the evil somehow great but easily defeated by a bunch of buffoons. The book does offer
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some funny magical predicaments, as well as a humorous magical house. I think Bellairs read "The Sword in the Stone" with enjoyment, and decided to make his wizard resemble T. H. White's Merlin, but without the pathos. Show Less
LibraryThing member N.W.Moors
What a whimsical fantasy! Prospero and Roger Bacon are two wizards, friends for many years, who are suddenly confronted by a nameless horror. The two set out to figure out who's behind the weird happenings and try to stop it.
The writing is very descriptive, frequently funny, and a delight to read.
The writing is very descriptive, frequently funny, and a delight to read.
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I've read that Mr. Bellairs wrote this in a sort of homage to JRR Tolkien, though it's more of a Tom Bombadil type of story than LOTR. There are some horror elements, some contemporaneous elements, and just a good gentle story. It's a short read but well-worth it for any fantasy lover. Show Less