Setting The story of the book takes place in an alternate universe where the
First World War never occurred and
Poland is still under Russian rule. Following the
Tunguska event, the Ice, a mysterious form of matter, has covered parts of
Siberia in the
Russian Empire and started expanding outwards, reaching
Warsaw. The appearance of Ice results in extreme decrease of temperature, putting the whole continent under constant winter, and is accompanied by
Lute, angels of Frost, a strange form of being which seems to be a native inhabitant of Ice. Under the influence of the Ice, iron turns into
zimnazo (cold iron), a material with extraordinary physical properties, which results in the creation of a new branch of industry, zimnazo mining and processing, giving birth to large fortunes and new industrial empires. Moreover, the Ice freezes
history and
philosophy, preserving the old political regime, affecting human
psychology and changing the
laws of logic from
many-valued logic of "Summer" to
two-valued logic of "Winter" with no intermediate steps between true and false. Dukaj noted that in this book, science in science-fiction stands for the
philosophy of history. The book's graphic design is by Polish illustrator and producer
Tomasz Bagiński.
Plot The protagonist of the novel is Benedykt Gierosławski, a Polish mathematician and notorious gambler, collaborating with
Alfred Tarski on his work on many-valued logics. The Ministry of Winter's officials visit Gierosławski and make him embark on a Transsiberian journey to find his lost father, who is said to be able to communicate with Lute. During his journey Gieroslawski finds out that he is caught in a political intrigue, brought about by rivalry between two palace factions,
liedniacy (conservatives and Siberian entrepreneurs backing the idea of "frozen Russia") and
ottiepelnicy (mostly revolutionaries aiming for a literal and political "thaw"), supported also by the Tsar. Gieroslawski meets
Nikola Tesla in disguise, who has conceived a technology for manipulating and eventually destroying the Ice and has been hired by the
Tsar to relieve Russia from the Winter. During the journey and upon his arrival in
Irkutsk Gierosławski discovers that various political forces, including Followers of St. Marcyn, a sect worshiping the Ice led by
Rasputin, followers of
Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov, who strive for assuring human immortality, and Siberian industrial potentates, are interested in his person and that
Józef Piłsudski, in this reality leading a group of
Sybiraks and
Siberian separatists fighting for Polish independence, may possess knowledge about his father. ==Critical reception==