Nicely written, but it's a little too long. The idea of a world in a new Ice Age and the challenges its people face was interesting. And you get a feeling for what life is like for a rural town struggling without electricity or "modern" conveniences. But it seems odd that less than 100 years pass and no one can replicate the technology of the Before time. The emphasis is on a young man coming to grips with his sexuality in a time when Faith based morality has reared its ugly head again, and that part of the story works better. The part I thought wasn't that great was the introduction of dragons (real, flying, fire-breathing ones) and I was confused at the end why they were bred by the government and to what end. The story ends before we really find out what was going on (I believe there is a sequel called "Out of the Ashes" but I think I'll pass on reading that and just wonder what the point was -- not that I'll be thinking about it going forward). An OK tale but not great.