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Back Iron Winter Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. Title page
  2. Contents
  3. Map
  4. ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. TWO
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. THREE
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. FOUR
  77. 70
  78. 71
  79. 72
  80. 73
  81. 74
  82. 75
  83. 76
  84. 77
  85. 78
  86. 79
  87. Afterword
  88. By Stephen Baxter
  89. Copyright

Sabela was not listening. ‘I knew they would come. Before the winter we will be drinking again in that funny little tavern in the Wall, and our troubles will be behind us.’

But Xipuhl said now, ‘We know nothing of conditions in Northland. Or anywhere across the ocean. What if they are fleeing here?’

And Walks In Mist said, ‘There seem to be rather a lot of ships.’

Now Sabela could see there were many vessels – she counted seven, eight, nine, and more emerging from the mist behind the leaders – a tremendous fleet, soon too many to count. The Giving transport usually numbered only three or four vessels. She felt a stab of doubt.

Walks In Mist raised her hands to her eyes. ‘They have tubes sticking out of their sides. I see it clearly. Tubes of iron. And the sails. There is a design on the sails.’

‘A design?’

‘A man. Painted huge. His hand upraised. And crossed palm leaves across his chest . . .’

The crowd on the quay were falling silent, as they gazed into the eyes of Jesus Sharruma, and watched the Hatti armada approach.

79

Millennia had passed since the last retreat of the ice. Human lives were brief; in human minds, occupied with love and war, the ice had been remembered only in myth.

But the ice remembered.

And now the long retreat was over.

Once more the ice covered continents. The silence of the world was profound.

Afterword

Afterword

This book opens in the year AD 1315, according to our calendar, at the beginning of the so-called ‘Little Ice Age’, centuries of cooler and more turbulent climatic patterns in Europe (see The Little Ice Age, Brian Fagan, Basic Books, 2000). It is a useful starting point for the fictional but much more severe glacial epoch depicted here.

The ‘Holocene’, the period of warm climate since the last Ice Age – the long summer that gave civilisation its chance – is in fact the longest stable interglacial warm period in four hundred millennia. And if not for farming, the ice might already have returned. American climatologist William Ruddiman (see Ploughs, Plagues and Petroleum, Princeton, 2007) argues that the main forcing factor in the Earth’s long-term climate changes, changes in the planet’s orbit and axial tilt, should have driven the world to the brink of a new glacial period by now, but this has been offset by humanity’s injection of greenhouse gases, not just since the Industrial Revolution but since the beginnings of agriculture in 6000 BC. As with much of the current debate about humanity’s impact on our climate future and past, Ruddiman’s argument is hotly contested (see ‘The Climate Changers’, New Scientist, 6 September 200S).