Customer Reviews

Above the Lower Sky

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Tom Deitz has definetly got me hooked with this brilliant novel. The man is a GENIUS, and I'm not just saying that cause I know him.

The story of Kevin, Carolyn and Thunderbird is an enthralling one. An engrossing read that leaves you wanting more...as with other works by Mr. Deitz, this story can stand alone. Powerfully and extremely well written, you will find yourself unable to put it down. Well worth the time and money!

If you like tecno-magic, maybe this book might appeal to you. Typically, I steer clear of this kind of story anyway, but I read it while studying dolphins AND Native American history at the same time. Yet, try as I might, I just could not get into this piece of garbage. I finished it in an attempt to find redeeming qualities, but I honestly found none.

Here are the problems I had with this book:
*Under-realized land developments. It's all high-tech, nifty gadget-housing and such, with little to no regard for existing structures. There's no grit to the locations, which I suppose makes sense for an idealized world.
*Idealism. There is little to no movement for Native American tribes to come together and break from the USA. All the tidbits about negotiations and politics and whatnot float on a pipedream that has little to do with the real world--past, present, or the near future in which this book is set.
*Characters. This is simple: the characters bored me to tears.
*Magic. I have a fairly open mind. I bought the book knowing that magic would play a decent role. Here's the problem: it doesn't play much of a role until later on, and it plays into the ideal world scenario. Only, it becomes nauseatingly ironic. Without going into spoiling details (for those of you not convinced by this review), let us just wonder, out loud if you wish, if magic would grant past peoples an advantage over invading peoples. Or if, at some point in our history, there would be record of some ancient magic that has survived in one form or another in order to be pertinent to the plot. The problem here is that the book hints at neither, presumably to ignore the issue altogether and hope the reader never wonders.

For a story of magic set in the futre, I never really felt that I was in the future (near or other), or any sort of magic. There's a bit of bloodshed, though, so if you're into gore I suppose you might get a kick out of it.