Winter’s Remains Book Blurb
Descend. Discover. Defy. Beneath Earth's surface, destiny waits in the shadows. Plunged into the shadowy depths beneath the Rocky Mountains, Aliana and Aurelia must brave their way toward the perilous underground city of Downver. Haunted by their past and pursued by unimaginable threats, they must rely on their resilience and courage to navigate the unyielding darkness as newfound powers kindle within them.
Thompson, trapped in his skinsuit and under Volya's control, remains a puppet on the strings of his merciless Huntress. His desperate struggle for freedom is not just for his own survival, but for the human woman Anna, who haunts his every thought.
Samuel, ejected from the orbiting city Astrea at the height of revolution, now hurtles toward the Earth. Pitted against Tomasz Novak, one of the formidable Titans of the old world, Samuel must use his transformed body to protect his family from afar, all while grappling with the harsh truths of his newfound existence.
In addition to these characters’ stories, the plot delves into the past to witness the destruction of the Matriarchy of Wintersvilla as seen through the eyes of Shira Arcadia, one of the main protagonists of Mendel’s Ladder.
As these characters navigate their paths across a radically altered Earth full of Nomads and other bizarre forms of life, they must continue to grapple with their destinies, crafted by seemingly god-like powers lurking in the shadows. Can they break free from their fates, or are they doomed to follow the paths laid out for them?
Winter's Remains elevates the genre-blending narrative of its predecessor, fusing action and adventure sci-fi, grimdark fantasy, speculative fiction, LitRPG, and more. The plot is intricate, the pace relentless, and the characters—both old and new—will leave readers breathless and longing for more.
Overall Analysis of Winter’s Remains
Winter’s Remains (The Collected Histories of Neoevolution Earth Volume 2) by E. S. Fein continues at the moment Volume One leaves off. While Mendel’s Ladder was a superb start to the series with excellent prose, Fein ups the ante on the narrative. The atmosphere he weaves is so unique, it deserves its own subgenre of science fiction. Despite the hopelessness of this tortured version of Earth, the atmosphere is vibrant. The best (or potentially worst) way I can describe it is that it’s as if Jim Henson was injected with a concentrated dose of gorecore.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, but the second installment does an incredible job at illuminating the complexity of the world and its inhabitants that led to some confusion in the first book. I derived more enjoyment out of Winter’s Remains as many of my lingering questions about the setting were answered. Fein managed to accomplish that without eschewing from his one-of-a-kind worldbuilding.
The most notable difference in book two is the shifting of perspectives. We have already come to know the characters from Mendel’s Ladder, so it is not at all a jarring transition. While we still have chapters from the point of view of Samuel and Volya and a retrospective view of Shira’s time in Wintersvilla, we are introduced to the inner machinations of Thompson, twins Aliana and Aurelia, and an unexpected other. Despite the narratives of a variety of characters, Fein is masterful at making each perspective and personality unique.
Beyond the elevating character arcs of the POVs, we are presented with even more journal entries from the god-like figure, Mendel. I love the brief philosophical excerpts which provide motives behind Mendel’s apocalyptic endeavor, but Fein takes it a step further in book two, giving us a glimpse into Mendel’s grim origin.
Winter’s Remains has the same episodic feel as Mendel’s Ladder, only being 15 chapters long (excluding the excerpts from The Personal Journal of Denis Mendel), but I am not at all opposed to this format. This book is just as fast-paced as the first, and I never felt there was a loss of momentum.
This is the point in my review where I try to think of something negative to say to balance out my praise, but there really isn’t anything bad I can say about Winter’s Remains. It was an amusing book with magnificent pacing and pristine editing.
Final Thoughts
A greater understanding of the lore helped me to truly become invested in the story. The worldbuilding not only does not let up, but it becomes even more fleshed out in Winter’s Remains. As I said, this story evokes a feeling that is quite difficult to describe, and it is one that I have yet to experience reading any other science fiction or fantasy novel. All I can recommend is that you delve into the eccentric Neoevolution Earth universe and see for yourself. Two books in and E. S. Fein is quickly becoming one of my favorite science fiction authors. I would not be surprised to see this author breaking into some of the bestsellers lists in the future.
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