Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bloodwinter needs a little... more., April 9, 2000
Bloodwinter is about a special gem found deep in a mine that conveys special ability (That much is on the back of the book) However, most of the book centered on the lives and interactions of the people who eventually come into contact with the gem, or wish to have the gem. Though this was interesting and it was good to see that Tom can develop personalities and socialism between his characters, I felt that it lacked in adventure substance. In some of Tom's other books, the entire substance of the story has been one great adventure after another: IE the David Sullivan series. Those are fantastic books, but leads you to expect something of the same from his new story. I will say I like his effort to create a new world and populate it with a religion and a people who are not really like anything else anywhere else, but in some ways the world seems a little too surreal and unrealistic in its aspirations. For the most part, the book was somewhat occasionally active in the: 'oh no! What is going to happen next to our favorite characters?' department, and it was definitely descriptive, but made me hope that there would be more things 'happening' in the next book that would increase the excitement quotient. I felt that this book was mainly a story to set everything up, giving us background into the life of its people, and the key players, while placing them all into a position that he wished them to be in so that he could start the 'real' story. This is only the beginning of what looks like could be a fairly long ordeal. He's not afraid to hurt his main characters, or make them look less than perfect. Though as I said, I felt that the emotional interactions between his characters seemed a bit unreal in regards to their personal relationships and the like.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bloodwinter fails, August 17, 2000
This book has some great ideas. It does not fall prey to the "I've read a million of these so mine will sound identical to ALL of them" phenomenon. But this book is fundamentally flawed. The characterization starts well, and the characters are consistent... until something happens. Anything. At the slightest influence of event, stress, or simply the introduction of a new character or item, the characters in this book re-write themselves to spice up the plot. Every time I thought I knew a character, they would turn into someone else in a page or two. The honest hero cheats and spys on his opponent in an honerable contest. His long suffering and completely noble wife steals away and breaks trust with her hero husband mere hours after he has revealed the 'gem' as a strange and dangerous secret. The nasty rapist antagonist has his moments of nobility to, after all, as his victim(s) regularly agree, 'he's not really such a bad person"... I finished the book. That was about all I could do. I just HAD to see how many different, inconsistent personalities one book and a few characters could actually encompass (I lost count). Despite the clumsy manipulation of characters to fit the plot, the author has good descriptive talent. He just doesn't seem to know who or what he wants to portray. He describes a foster brotherhood at the beginning of the book, only to surprise the reader that 'brotherhood' includes homosexuality. Not necessarily a bad thing in terms of plot, but it just happens without warning, and at odds with the scenario he started with. He seems to be experimenting with a variety of sexual themes in this way throughout the book. Again, not necessarily a bad thing for a novel, but none of the experimentation seems to be necessary or even relevant, and much of it flys in the face of the rest of the book. I won't move to the next book simply because of this inconsistency in character and focus. I think this author should have spent his time on an anthology of short stories to get all this out of his system, and THEN write his novel. Unfortunately, this offering will simply reinforce the shallow image this genre has gained.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
outstanding!, August 16, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Bloodwinter (Bantam Spectra Book) (Paperback)
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
