The Snow Queen: An Adventure in Seven Stories

Written by Hans Christian Andersen

Narrated by B. J. Harrison

Kay and Gerda discover the legend of the fearsome Snow Queen who lives in the great black cloud in the heavens. But once the Snow Queen visits their town in disguise and carries off Kay, Gerda begins a timeless quest. This book was the inspiration for Disney’s Frozen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.J. Harrison
• Release date: Dec 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781937091736

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish writer and author of many notable books including The Snow Queen. He specialized in writing fairytales that were inspired by tales he had heard as a child. As his writing evolved his fairytales became more bold and out of the box. Andersen's stories have been translated into more than 125 languages and have inspired many plays, films and ballets.

Reviews for The Snow Queen

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The text was lovely in Engelbreit's version but I don't know if she adapted that or not. The illustrations were cute, but *not* at all appropriate, in my opinion. I had wanted to find the edition illustrated by Vladyslav Yerko or the one by Naomi Lewis. I will have to find another text, maybe an older one, to compare, as there's no note here.

[acid9ink · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book deals with a lot of real world issues from sexism to human rights to animal rights and that’s one of the things I really liked about it. The things that were happening were understandable because they happen in the real world. It’s interesting to see these issues out of real world context and in a sci-fi book. They give it weight.Things I liked about this book - the characters, the villainess in particular, were wonderful to read. Each character felt real to me, as though I actually knew these people, and that’s something I really love in a book.Things I did not like - Sparks. I do not like Sparks as a (fictional) person. As a character, he’s well-written, he makes sense, he’s realistic. I just don’t like him. I can’t elaborate much more than that without giving too much away so I’ll leave it there.If the cover blurb sounds interesting to you, I definitely say you should read this book. It’s an amazing read.

[jshillingford_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel reminded me of "Dune" in a lot of ways. It was a sweeping epic that spanned galaxies, with lots of main characters, but was centered on a small world with a very important commodity that extends life. And both commodities have unusual, biological sources. But, after that these two diverge greatly. Tiamet is ruled by the Snow Queen. She has ruled for nearly 150 years and will die when the wormhole to other worlds closes during "summer." Tiamet changes from a technological society to a rural one when the other worlders take their advances and go. It is then that the Summer Queen will reign. Only, the Snow Queen doesn't want to give up her throne, or the technology. One technology may hold her answer - cloning. This book has a lot of depth, great character development and an intricate plot. Highly recommended!

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is simply an outstanding story. It has all the familiar themes of science fiction, with spaceships and technology and clones, intertwined with the fate of a small number of poeple, and a very special world. The story and the people are complex and interesting and compelling, and it is very well written.

[silentq_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow, I bought this book in 2002 (it still had the price tag on it from the Glasgow book shop where I found it). Almost done with my to-read shelf. :) This novel is set on a planet that has a sharp division between the primitive Summers and the high tech Winters. The Winter Queen is nearing the end of her reign and she's plotting to extend it after the Change comes by making a clone of herself and having the girl raised as a Summer. But Moon becomes a sybil, and the cousin she loves does not, and this event launches them on widely disparate tragectories. Moon ends up learning what the domineering Hegemony doesn't want the people of their planet to know and fights to be reunited with Sparks. He, meanwhile has gone to the capital city and fell in among the Winters, becomes jaded and hard especially after he's faced with the uncanny resemblance of the queen to his lost love. There's a lot of political machination going on, as well as emotional upheaval, and I found the world fascinating. My only quibble is that the queen, despite all her plottings, didn't really feel like she truly threaten any of the main characters, just manipulate them. But that manipulation ruined lives emotionally, physically, mentally, morally etc. A female police officer has a secondary story, complete with struggles in a male dominated society, and despite empathising with her, it felt tacked on and that she was only there to be useful to the main characters (I think the butt on the cover is supposed to belong to her, it was part of the image I felt I had to obscure when I was reading it in public). The core ideas were interesting, but a few tweaks would have made it even better.

[berbels_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this as a teen and didn't get it. When I was in my 20's I read it again and loved it. The contamination issues, the culture clash, all resonated more strongly when I was exposed to them in my own life.

[HanHyun · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

good voice to listen and great contents what shopud i say

[worldsedge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

WARNING: This review contains mild spoilers.Overall an entertaining work, if a big overlong with tendencies to meander. Not too sure about the physics of this, but main premise of the story is a revolving black hole near a planet that can be used to maintain contact with six other planets, forming the "Hegemony." The backstory is a galaxy wide empire that collapsed, and they haven't been able to figure out FTL travel again, the Hegemony only has access to solar systems near enough to these revolving black holes. And the black hole is closing for a hundred or so years, during which time planet Tiamat will descend into barbarism. The "Snow Queen" will be put to death and a "Summer Queen" raised to power. The current Snow Queen [Arienrhod] clones herself [Moon Dawntreader Summer] who becomes a Sibyl, with all the knowledge of the old empire, but with only access to it in a garbled fashion. Quite a bit of filler, and the science fiction seems to incline more and more to fantasy, but ultimately good triumphs over evil, the black hole closes and we set the stage for a bunch of sequels.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mild spoilers follow.The Snow Queen is an epic story set on a distant planet, about the fall of one queen and the rise of another. The novel is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson and tackles such weighty themes as immortality and the power of knowledge.The strength of this novel lies in its world building. The planet of Tiamat is a fully realized world, an ocean-covered planet orbiting twin suns. Two tribes live there: the sea-going, island-dwelling Summers, characterized by a fear of technology and a superstitious worship of their sea goddess, the Lady; and the Winters, who live in the Northern regions and the shell-shaped city of Carbuncle, embrace technology and freely trade with the Offworlders.Tiamat’s culture and history are shaped by the oddities of its planetary and solar system orbits. Every 150 years, it moves closest to one of its suns, bringing a long summer to the planet. This signals a complete power shift, as the Summers move north from the equatorial regions and the Snow Queen abdicates to the Summer Queen. In fact, the Snow Queen and her consort are sacrificed to the sea in a paganistic ritual following a multi-day festival similar to Carnivale or Mardi Gras.During the same period, the planet orbits close to and then away from a black hole that enables interstellar travel to other planets in an empire called the Hegemony. While Tiamat is close to the black hole, the Hegemony maintains a presence there, sharing technology with the ruling Winters. When the planet starts to orbit away, the Offworlders must leave, and they destroy all technology before they go to keep Tiamat from advancing too much without their influence and perhaps declaring independence. The Offworlders’ interest in Tiamat comes down to the planet’s one valuable asset: immortal sea creatures called Mers. The Mers’ blood, called the Water of Life, can be harvested to provide ever-lasting youth.The Snow Queen takes place at the cusp of this great Change. The 150-year-old Snow Queen, Arienrhod, has been scheming to maintain her power after the Summers take over. Her plan involves cloning herself, producing her Summer twin, Moon. But even though the two look alike, they are diametric opposites in personality. Arienrhod is self-absorbed and power-hungry, emotionless in her extreme age, a manipulator of everyone she meets. Her young twin Moon is compassionate and empathetic, someone who inspires adulation and devotion in everyone she comes across.Moon has become a sibyl, a prophetess who can answer any question. Through this power she taps into an ancient network of knowledge and discovers the true significance of the Mers and why they must be protected. This prompts her to compete for the mask of the Summer Queen and the power to, as she puts it, change the Change.Moon and Arienrhod are both in love with Moon’s cousin, Sparks. His character is probably the novel’s biggest flaw, because it seems implausible that these two strong women would go to such lengths for him. Sparks is narcissistic, petulant and tends to make rash decisions or sulk when things don’t go his way. His character doesn’t improve or change much over the course of the story. He commits atrocious crimes, witnessed by Moon, who still wants to be with him even when much more attractive options are available to her.This is a long novel that probably could have been a good deal shorter, but there is enough action and interesting dynamics to keep the reader involved. In fact, I would like to know more — about the ruling planet of Kharamough, for instance, and its rigid class structure, which we visit only briefly. Clearly, the novel is setting up for a sequel, since many conflicts are left open-ended and the resolution is not quite satisfying as a result.The Snow Queen won the Hugo Award in 1981. The sequel, The Summer Queen, was published in 1991, and a third novel in the trilogy, Tangled Up in Blue was published in 2000. Vinge also published a novella, World’s End (1984), set in the same universe.

[Joana · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not sure how this inspired Frozen, but it was interesting.

[aarondesk · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

the ewoks meet Gone with the Wind meet DuneThe book has some cool ideas, but unfortunately too much of the book gets in the way of developing these cool ideas. The characters tend to be rather one-dimensional, while the plot just seems to drag on way too long.

[bkshs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Snow Queen was one of the spring books to read for the group, Into the Forest. I remembered the basic story from when I was young, but decided to refresh my memory with a reread. I?m so glad I did.

The version that I read was barely 29 pages long, even with lovely illustrations taking up some of the space. It somehow managed to be charming, surprising, whimsical, lyrical, and a bit suspenseful all at the same time. I read it very slowly, even a few pages a day, just to let the phrases and images tumble about in my brain.

I loved the matter-of-fact way that Gerda conversed with rivers, birds, and reindeer in her search for her missing friend. They were all guileless and helpful, which was not always the case with the humans in the story. Most of the humans were ultimately helpful, but not always guileless. Even so, no one in the story was evil as such. Like the story of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, an external force thrown into the world brings about hard-heartedness and cruelty.

The natural world was firmly part of the fabric of the story. In fact, a few references made me wonder if Hans Christian Andersen was making sly pokes at rationality from time to time, particularly rationality that made one dismiss the mystical wonders of flora and fauna. The clever princess, who reads all the newspapers and then forgets them as proof of her intelligence, is a case in point.

I had put off starting this book until the snow from the last storm melted. I?m glad I did. As I went on a long walk this morning, I saw snowdrops and crocus in brave little bunches. I couldn?t help but smile at them and asked them quietly what their story was.

[crowyhead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've owned this book for a very long time, and actually started reading it twice, only to get distracted. This time I finished it, and I was not disappointed. It starts off kind of slow, but then Vinge gets all of her different plots going and the thing sort of gathers this incredible momentum. It's an SF novel about a world called Tiamat, which orbits two stars and a stable black hole. Due its idiosyncratic orbit, every 150 years Tiamat's atmosphere radically changes. During the cold years, the Winters rule, and during the warm, the Summers have control. The Winters are technologically minded, whereas the Summers consider technology to be heresy. So basically, every 150 years, the world devolves back to a sort of primitive state, and all offworld contact ceases. The Winter queen of Tiamat is hatching a plot to maintain power after the changeover, and it centers around a young Summer named Moon...The complexity of the plot and politics brings to mind _Dune_ by Frank Herbert, although in many ways I actually preferred _The Snow Queen_ over Dune. The whole novel is more women-centered, which is interesting and welcome, but what I really enjoyed was the strength of Vinge's characterization -- there are a LOT of secondary characters, and she manages to make every one of them interesting. Even when a character had a relatively small role in the plot, I was able to get a feel for their motivations and who they were as a person. I look forward to reading the sequels.

[shirezu · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My thoughts on this book are quite tangled.

On one hand I loved the sci-fi elements of this book. A world which is periodically reduced to a "primitive" state, controlled by the Hegemony for the purpose of harvesting it's most precious resource.

On the other is the drama surrounding the Winter Queen, her Summer clone and their joint love.

Honestly I would have enjoyed the book with far less of the latter and more of the former. The dramatical parts of the book really dragged for me. The whole redemption of Sparks thing was a joke and the treatment of Jerusha was unnecessary. Moon really frustrated me at times.

I would have like a lot more on the sibyls, the mers and the Old Empire. I think the book could have benefited more from those subjects and if it dropped the incest off a bit. I found that to be quite odd and a little disturbing. I would have preferred Moon stay with BZ and Sparks to get the punishment he deserved.

Overall though it wasn't a bad book but I won't be reading any more of the series.

[suzemo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know why I got away from this book like I did. It shouldn't take that long to read, and it's very, very good.

I love that the main characters in the book are strong women. I love that the world building is fully fleshed out. I love that it's a coming-of-age story that's not weak. I just kinda loved it all.

The story takes place on Tiamat (also, yeah, loving Vinge's use of names), which is a planet in the "Hegemony", that due to an astronomical fluke is "available" to the Hegemony for 150 of every 300 years.

When the Hegemony has access to Tiamat, the techno-forward, environment destorying "Winters" rule the planet (complete with it's Winter Queen) and during the inaccessible time, the primitive nature worshiping "Summers" rule.

This story takes place at the time of transition. The Winter Queen will do whatever it takes to keep her power, the Hegemony will do what it needs to to make sure that the transition happens (for reasons that are revealed, brilliantly, in the book). Arienrhod is the titular Snow Queen, a hard and scheming woman, who is not one dimension (for a refreshing change). Moon, the second of three main characters, is a product of Arienrhod's scheming, she is a Summer, who has the calling to become a sibyl. Thanks to her calling, she must end her relationship with her cousin, and their estrangement begins her journey that takes her off-world and then to the heart of the Hegemonic city. Jerusha PalaThion is a female "blue", basically the Hegemonic law enforcement. She struggles, dealing with the discrimination dealt to her from the men of her department, as she tries to unravel whatever it is that Arienrhod is up to (and she's pretty sure she's up to something). She's probably my favorite character in the book (right after Arienrhod).

I've seen numerous comparisons to other big works of sci-fi (most notably Dune, and to be honest, I think there is some truth to some of the comparisons). And while this does use some major themes/trops, it's also refreshing with it's strong female component.

Vinge's prose is also fantastic, and her world building is absolutely complete. The scraps of science and the reasoning behind motives is interesting and fascinating. Is it the most original thing ever? Probably not, but it's easily one of the best books I've ever read. As soon as it's available on kindle, I'll own it.

[kraaivrouw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This one won the Hugo Award in 1981 & with good reason. Someone in another review I read said that this book was what Dune would be if it had been written by a female anthropologist.I read this when it first came out - loved the doomed love story at its core with its echoes of the Hans Christian Anderson story. Reading it now I'm more drawn to the politics and culture of the world & to the notion of the sibyl mind - a huge networked database containing all of the knowledge of the Old Empire that is accessed by those who are infected with a virus, the network is watched over by mer. The whole back-and-forth of "Input" & "Transfer ended" sounds in my head like an old school modem connecting to the Internet. Love broadband, but sometimes I miss that noise.It's good to read science fiction with strong female characters of all kinds & with interesting stories and connections. This works.

[ananda_68 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a delicious surprise! A friend recommended it long ago, so my husband bought our first copy used at the Book Nook in Atlanta. I finally read it, and what a treat. It really is Andersen's fairy tale, too -- in that there are two cousins who love ech oher, and one gets "bewitched" by the Snow Queen Arienrhod. That's simplifying the plot a bit, though.Here, Winter people equal technology and progress; Summer people equal faith, tradition and living off the land. Offworlders hold the progress the Winters desire, but they keep the planet Tiamat in the dark so they can exploit it. Sparks (our Kay) is half off worlder/half Summer, but tempted by the Snow Queen and his love for Winter's technology (Andersen's demon mirror speck?). Moon (our Gerda) is Summer, but also related to the Snow Queen in a mysterious way. She holds a totally different sort of power -- love. Combine that with the population of "mers" who hold the promise of immortality, and the promise of Summer power -- and an interesting & provocative tale is told.(read and reviewed in 1999)

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales that I was not very familiar with. In this story Gerda and Kay are best friends who do everything together. When a piece of a cursed mirror falls into Kay's eye and another settles in his heart, he becomes a different person. He is mean to Gerda and does not play with her anymore. When he is sledding with his friends, he grabs onto a white sleigh and is taken off by the Snow Queen. When he does not return home that night, Gerda sets off to find him. She has many adventures and meets both people and animals that help her in her quest. One quote I love from this story is:

"I can't give the girl more power than she already has! Can't you see how powerful she is? Can't you see how people and animals all serve her? And how far she's got in the world just on her own two feet?"

This is a story of friendship, perseverance and doing what feels right. I just wish that there had been more information about what happened when Kay went to live with the snow queen and what happened to him there.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[liscarey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a lovely reading of Andersen's story of Gerda and her friend Kai, who becomes contaminated by the shards of a demon-made magic mirror, and succumbs to the lure of the Snow Queen.

Gerda sees the change in her friend when he is affected by the shards, and when he vanishes, she will not believe that he is dead. She sets off on quest to find him, armed chiefly with her courage, loyalty, and good heart.

Something that may seem unexpected to those who grew up on Disney versions of fairy tales is that nearly all the strong characters here, both good and ill, at least the human ones, are women and girls.

Julia Whelan is an excellent narrator, with a delightful voice, and she strikes exactly the right tone in reading this.

Recommended.

This book is free on Audible until January 31, 2015.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I shouldn't have read this as an audiobook - the illustration potential must be astounding. Even still, it's a great story about love and the beauty of life. Having read about Anderson's personal life, it's interesting to see the incredible beauty he was able to see the everyday and the magic he was able to pull from thin-air.

[skyd17 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Snow Queen is about a set of friends named, Kai and Gerda, who do everything together before the snow queen blows ice glass into kai's eyes and heart. Gerda goes on a dangerous journey to the snow queen's palace to save Kai despite his change in behavior and saves him with her warm hearted love. This is a good fantasy because there are trolls and evil snow queens involved also a young child goes on a journey by herself through many dangerous places without proper tools and clothing. would use this in intermediate grades may be too intense and scary for younger kids despite its happy ending. illustrations: fine-line pen with ink and dyes applied over a detailed pencil drawing that was then erased.

[tonifgmamtc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not really my thing, but it would probably be good for a child.

[beammey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had never read The Snow Queen before this, but the cover just drew me in and I HAD to do it.. The story was fantastical and at parts heartbreaking, with another good theme to it. I enjoyed this novella very much and now I understand all the remakes and shows and movies that have borrowed from this story. Absolutely brilliant. I would recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars.

[ninacaramelita · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The only reason I got myself a copy of The Snow Queen - and then I mean this particular edition, is cos I love Sanna Annukka (her illustrations, that is). Though now I've gotta admit I had forgotten how lovely this tale is! Really enjoyed it!

[robertowiz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed the book reading by Julia Whelan and really enjoyed the book. Will be recommending it to all my friends and family.

[aryadeschain-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got this book for free from Audible. Not my favorite Andersen tale, but it wasn't so bad, specially for a "Christmas tale". It's a cute story, though I think it's better suited for younger people. You can take a couple of interesting aspects from this book though. First of all, the lack of a damsel in distress. The main character is a girl that tries to find her best friend after he has been hit with a glass shard that turned his heart cold. She does get her share of help, but she is in no way a damsel in distress. I also enjoyed the entities she found on her way, her determination and strength. And, of course, there is the weight of friendship instead of the whole "true love" thing, which is absolutely lovely.
Anyway, it's worth checking it out.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a little girl, and a little boy, and how they were separated and brought back together. This is a quaint story told in fairy tale fashion. The reader, Julia Whelan does a fine job. There were a few bits I found tedious, but that may be my impatient spirit at the moment. Brutal in some parts, a reminder that people didn't used to hide the evil or bad parts of life from children. I liked the allusion to the fragments of mirror distorting one's view of the world and all things good in the world, but I really didn't get the ending with the song of baby Jesus and the roses. An enjoyable story though, and just over an hour long.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Snow Queen, illustrated by Vladyslav Yerko.Published in the Ukraine, this beautiful edition of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale retains the format of the original, with seven "chapters" or parts. When young Kay is pierced with slivers of a demonic goblin's mirror, his heart turns to ice and he can only see the bad around him. Kidnapped by the Snow Queen, Kay is taken to the far north, where he becomes caught up in the "icy game of reason," and forgets everything he has ever loved. His childhood friend Gerda has not forgotten him however, and she undertakes a long journey to find him and bring him home...Like some of Andersen's other stories, The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid among them, The Snow Queen is an original creation of the author, rather than a retelling of a traditional folktale. Interpreted by scholars and literary critics in many ways, at its heart, this tale concerns the conflict between good and evil, and between love and intellect. It is clear that Kay's icy heart, and inability to see anything but that which is evil and ugly, are tied to his desire to be "clever," to live by reason alone. Gerda triumphs because her loving heart transforms those around her, from crows to robber girls, into her allies. It is her tears, which spring from her love of Kay, that melt the ice in his heart. I am always particularly struck by Andersen's wisdom, as manifested in the words of the Finmark woman, who observes that the power of twelve men is as nothing compared to the loving heart of one innocent little girl.It is unfortunate that this beautifully-illustrated book, published in Kiev, Ukraine, is not more widely available in the United States. Vladylsav Yerko does a phenomenal job of bringing this tale to life, and his paintings are intensely involving, whether the scene depicted is icy or warm. This is one of the most gorgeously illustrated books currently in my collection, and I sincerely recommend it to anyone who loves fairy-tales.

[caonima_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is a fast-paced, adventure-laden story of the contrasting lives of two 19th century girls, one raised in the "civilized" portion of Scandinavia, the other the daughter of a shaman and a robber-baron of Lapland. Together they must confront the Ice Queen, sorceress of the icy Northern wastes. When Gerda leaves home to track down Kai, the boy she wishes would return her love and who has gone North with a mysterious countess to study arcane subjects, she little expects to become the captive of a robber baron of Northern Finland and his daughter's pet plaything. Ritva, the shaman's headstrong daughter comes to realize that Gerda is not just a human pet, fit only to amuse her. Together they seek the Snow Queen's castle in the Northern fastness. Gerda's rational and common sense approach, along with Ritva's innate fey nature and her reindeer, Ba, allow them to release Kai and escape. Ultimately though, Gerda can see that Kai will never truly be interested in her. As a book for young adults The Snow Queen is just fine, proceeding quickly but in an exciting and page-turning manner. However, the best of childrens' literature reads well for both youngsters and adults, though obviously on different levels. For an older reader The Snow Queen lacks somewhat in depth and, in several instances, I would have liked a particular scene or narrative to continue longer and in more detail. The narrative often skipped forward several weeks or months. This to a certain extent is probably due to the fairy tale source/style, a genre which frequently uses such leaps in time or space, but in The Snow Queen this often precluded anything but the sketchiest details of the society and landscapes around the two young women.

[london_stj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen is a beautiful fairy tale intended for young children, presenting a number of adventures in seven parts and just 92 brief pages. The story itself is enchanting, and the Everyman publication includes gorgeous classic illustrations that really set the tone of the work and transport the reader to the correct time and mental space to enjoy the work as it should be. I gifted a copy of this text to a student as part of a unit on holiday folktales, and she (a high school Junior) likewise found the book endearing, and gushed about the illustrations of the book. Recommended for all fans of traditional fairy tales.