Winter of Fire is a young adult fantasy novel by New Zealand author Sherryl Jordan, set in a bleak future environment. It was first published in 1993.
[edit] Plot summary
Elsha is a young girl living in a bleak, cold future where world-wide cloud cover has permanently blocked out the sun. Humans have split into two classes - the Chosen and the Quelled, of which Elsha is the latter. The Quelled are doomed to spend their lives in servitude to the Chosen, mining "firestones" - the only means of warmth on the planet. A rebellious girl, Elsha causes trouble for herself - even going so far as being considered for execution - until she is given the highest position available to a woman - Handmaiden to the Firelord - the leader of the Chosen. Elsha uses this unlikely position to fight the stigma and oppression of her people, eventually inheriting the title for herself and changing the course of the planet's history for the better.
