Summerblood [Paperback]

Tom Deitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2001

In this stirring sequel to the epic dramas of Bloodwinter and Springwar, a new king must strive to heal a war-torn land, master a world-altering magic, and defeat a fanatical religious sect that will stop at nothing to gain total power.

Peace has come to the realm of Eron, and with it a new High King: young, inexperienced Avall, victor in the war against Ixti, sole possessor of the magical gems taken from the mines of the frozen north. But as Eron attempts to heal from the bloody conflict, unrest once again grips this troubled land, stirred up by a secret cabal of powerful priests who call themselves the Ninth Face.

Avall struggles to quell the unrest and to control the boundless magic of the mysterious gems. At the same time, Avall's twin sister, Merryn, must make her own arduous journey a step ahead of those who would gladly claim her life.

But it is the fanatical leaders of the Ninth Face who pose the greatest danger. They have put in motion a deadly plan to drive Avall from the throne, destroy the power of the noble clans, and take possession of the gems themselves — all in the name of their unbending god. For Eron the choice is stark indeed: an imperfect and inexperienced king ... or the tyranny of the righteous.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspired by Native American and Celtic myths, Dietz spins a third engaging tale of his medieval world of Eron and its large cast of credible characters. Familiarity with the two previous novels in the series, Bloodwinter and Springwar, will help the reader appreciate the complex interweaving of king, clan, guild (or craft) and religion. Anyone who has had an unwanted promotion can identify with goldsmith Avall, who as victorious war leader finds himself on the Eron throne. And he doesn't sit easily. Coupled with his own doubts and fears of incompetence are the challenges facing Eron in its recovery from the devastating war against the Ixti, as what follows war in any medieval society is an equally devastating plague. Add to this the distrust of other clans and the machinations of former friends and advisers, who may be working toward their own ends. But most contentious of all is the "bloodstone," a symbiotic, transdimensional gem that men both treasure and fear. It gives its owner unimaginable power and like all such talismans it can corrupt and must be used with knowledge and caution. With the war and the plague behind him, Avall may be faced with his greatest challenge yet, the threat of civil war from the fanatical band of priests known as the Ninth Gate. They have announced their dislike of the gem's power and may be out to use it for themselves. Dietz once again shows himself to be a master of psychological, sociological and political fantasy.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Determined not to abuse the inherent power of the magical gems that helped him win the war against the Ixti and ascend to the throne of Eron, Avall finds himself threatened by a renegade faction of priests intent on claiming power for themselves. Continuing his epic tale of rival clans in a land decimated by plague, Dietz (Bloodwinter, Springwar) weaves an intricate tale of war and sorcery that features believable characters and a fresh look at how magic works. A good addition to most fantasy collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (April 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553380702
• ISBN-13: 978-0553380705
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,548,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good but not great!, May 9, 2001

By 

Rodney Powell "fairmont66" (Macon,Georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Summerblood (Paperback)

This was decent fantasy novel but I thought it was probably the weakest in the series.Once again Deitz takes us to the war-torn land of Eron where Avall the war hero and reluctant young king must try to find ways rule his country by keeping the various clans happy.But Avall's problems become worse when a fanatical clan called the Priest cult plots to overthrow him and seize the magical jems that Avall used to defeat Ixians in the war.The problem I had with the book is that the characters behaved in stupid matter and even though the priest cult was suitable fanatical in the aims they were poor villians in comparision to King Baraxx from the previous two books.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One big problem, September 5, 2003

By 

not4prophet (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summerblood (Mass Market Paperback)

There is a gaping plot hole is "Summerblood". Here's what happens. It picks up shortly after where "Springwar" left off. The good guys in Eron have driven off the bad guys from Ixti, and now they're settling down to the business of running a kingdom. Their first order of business is to have the magic regalia taken away from the capitol and hidden somewhere in the mountains. Why? The explanation provided doesn't really make any sense, and I was left with the impression that Deitz threw that twist into the book solely because he couldn't come up with any other way to create an interesting plot for the last two volumes of the series.

I'm torn about how to respond to "Summerblood", because other than that distraction, Deitz maintains the generally high quality level from "Bloodwinter" and "Springwar". Characters remain realistic, pacing remains fast, writing remains solid. There is one scene close to the middle of the book that is particularly noteworthy for its effectiveness. However, there's no getting away from the fact that the characters here sometimes act like idiots just because the plot requires them to, a tactic usually associated with the weakest authors. So I have to agree with the other reviewer who described this as the poorest book in the series.