Customer Reviews

Fireshaper's Doom: A Tale of Vengeance

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Another book in my attempt to reread fantasy that I liked a lot as a young woman. Deitz updates fairy lore in his own way by recasting it with American teenagers who stumble across the fae in the Deep South of the US. Appropriate to the US setting, Deitz borrows bits of lore from a variety of cultures and mixes them together in a group of appealing stories that are as much about growing up as they are about elves.

Fireshaper's Doom picks up where Windmaster's Bane left off-- it features the exploits of a young man named David Sullivan who keeps getting inadvertently tangled up in the politics of the other worlds.

The series doesn't really fit my preferences in terms of my pet peeves around the depiction of fairy. Although they are depicted as treacherous, Deitz spends far too much time (for my taste) establishing that the fae are just like humans and that the best thing we can all do is to find some middle ground.

Still, it's a shame that Deitz is as forgotten as the status of his books (largely out of print) would indicate. He is a competent writer. His characters are solid and well-grounded. He does an excellent job of rooting the plot into the landscape and local culture. The stories are unobjectionable and generally entertaining. These still would be (as they were for me) an excellent series for a teenager or young adult.

The riveting sequel to WINDMASTER'S BANE; Lady Morwyn verch Morwyn ap Gwyddion has just been informed of the death of her beloved son, Fionchadd mac Aillil, by the hand of his own father. Despite the punishment laid upon Aillil, Morwyn desires vengeance upon the man she once loved. Enter David Sullivan, whom she kidnaps to assist her in her plans for vengeance. However, Aillil's mad sister, Fionna, also desires vengeance upon the mortal who brought her brother low -- David!

Add in the Horn of Annwyn, which can summon mysterious hounds capable of devouring the souls of their quarry, and watch the adventure begin! Great fun!