Bloodwinter

Tom Deitz has created a very intriguing new world in that of Eron and Ixti. The characters are very realistic and easy to sympathize with. Although this book may start off somewhat slow, it eventually becomes so engaging that I personally could not put it down! I look forward to reading more of this strange and utterly different land.

I'm not usually a fantasy reader, preferring Asimov and Ellison to Tolkien. Deitz's books in the past have been entertaining, however I've mostly read them because I wanted to support a fellow UGA alum and to see if I recognized characters/places. Bloodwinter is terrific on its own. From the beginning the story takes a hold of the imagination and keeps it to the last page. It's not often that a book grips you so that you stay up `til 1 AM to finish it (and risk your boss's wrath in sneaking a few pages here and there at work.) Three days after finishing the book I was wishing I was reading more of the story.

When I first saw this novel in Barnum Noble, I was not particularly impressed by the description on the back cover, and thus decided to wait for it to appear in the local library. When it did, I checked it out, and now, in retrospect, had wished I had bought it before. The Kirkus review adequately summarizes the plot, so I won't rehash the details. Suffice it to say that the story itself, while interesting, is not necessarily the strength of this work. What jumped out at me is the outstanding writing ability of the author, which is on a level of that of Tad Williams. Dietz has an ability for detail rarely found in the genre. His characterizations and world-building are outstanding as well. While this work may not appeal to all fantasy readers, especially those who enjoy authors who write books that are simplistic and are designed for adolescents (read: Terry Goodkind), I would heartily recommend this for anyone who needs a change of pace from the mediocrity that permeates the genre today.

David out, Eron and her people in in a wonderful new Chronicle by the man who made Georgia faeries cool. In Bloodwinter (released almost simultaneously with the terminus of his David Sullivan series)Deitz has created an interesting new backdrop in the fictitious world of Eron. His characters, as always, are richly textured, if often generous to a fault, and have absorbing, engaging relationships. More description of the hierarchy of the major peoples in the story would be nice, but all the pieces are there for the observant reader to uncover. Pacing, as mentioned before, is a problem (I have joked that the printer ommitted the last three chapters), but as with his other work, this only serves to leave the reader wanting more. (Another books of his that started a series actually have "capped" to nicely for my taste for one that was leaving that way clear for a sequel) All in all, one of, if not the best, of Deitz's books. The creation of a new "universe" rather than the expansion of existing ones is the true mark of his growth as a fantasy writer. Anthony and McCaffery, watch your back... Deitz has arrived.