Winter Tides

Rating:
Summary: Dark supernatural horror from the author of "Land of Dreams"
Review: This is a kind of tricky one - there were some great elements but some loss-of-nerve as well - it could have been better. I really loved "The Paper Grail" which is evidentally more the classic Blaylock - fantasy in a contemporary setting with engaging characters. This is a supernatural horror story with one of the greatest occult villains I've run across, but somehow Blaylock wimps out before delivering the level of terror the character calls for. The romance between the hero and heroine never develops the necessary depth either, though the characters are, as always, well drawn. 4 stars for characterization, 3 for atmosphere, 2 for story.

Rating:
Summary: Dark supernatural horror from the author of "Land of Dreams"
Review: This is a kind of tricky one - there were some great elements but some loss-of-nerve as well - it could have been better. I really loved "The Paper Grail" which is evidentally more the classic Blaylock - fantasy in a contemporary setting with engaging characters. This is a supernatural horror story with one of the greatest occult villains I've run across, but somehow Blaylock wimps out before delivering the level of terror the character calls for. The romance between the hero and heroine never develops the necessary depth either, though the characters are, as always, well drawn. 4 stars for characterization, 3 for atmosphere, 2 for story.

Rating:
Summary: Blaylock is one of the best!
Review: Winter Tides is another very, very good book by one of the best authors of this genre. The only real complaints I have about Blaylock are 1) I wish he wrote books faster so I could read more!, and 2) This particular book had a villain that was just totally unredeemable. I have always liked, in the past, that there was often an understandable side to the villains (The Last Coin, of course, is an exception). Even his very worse were at least mildly amusing. But this book is a lot darker than his others. I would not recommend it to my preteen, for sure. All of that aside, once again, we have a fine book with protagonists that are admirable. Blaylock seems to have a fundamental optimism that shines through his stories. We like that. The character Anne could be better drawn, but I liked Dave. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, or ghost stories. Still, though, our favorite Blaylock novels are Paper Grail, Magic Spectacles, the Disappearing Dwarf (and sequels). And, of course, The Digging Laviathan cannot be equalled. Still, read this new book! And Mr. Blaylock, please write more!

Rating:
Summary: Blaylock is one of the best!
Review: Winter Tides is another very, very good book by one of the best authors of this genre. The only real complaints I have about Blaylock are 1) I wish he wrote books faster so I could read more!, and 2) This particular book had a villain that was just totally unredeemable. I have always liked, in the past, that there was often an understandable side to the villains (The Last Coin, of course, is an exception). Even his very worse were at least mildly amusing. But this book is a lot darker than his others. I would not recommend it to my preteen, for sure. All of that aside, once again, we have a fine book with protagonists that are admirable. Blaylock seems to have a fundamental optimism that shines through his stories. We like that. The character Anne could be better drawn, but I liked Dave. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, or ghost stories. Still, though, our favorite Blaylock novels are Paper Grail, Magic Spectacles, the Disappearing Dwarf (and sequels). And, of course, The Digging Laviathan cannot be equalled. Still, read this new book! And Mr. Blaylock, please write more!

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: _Winter Tides_ disappointed me, but I suppose I must put the blame on the publisher rather than the author. Mainly I was miffed because the blurb on the back promised something totally different from what was actually in the book. The blurb spoke of a man named Dave, and his relationship with the girl he had saved from drowning years before, and with the ghost of her sister whom he failed to save. What I got was a novel about a psychopath named Edmund, who wasn't even mentioned on the cover.

Dave and the sisters were there, all right, but they were dealt with shallowly. Even when the story was being told from Dave or Anne's point of view, the author never really went deeply into what they were thinking or feeling, just their physical actions. Elinor, the ghost sister, gets even shorter shrift, and mainly seems to be a plot device. The romance between Dave and Anne is skimmed over, and both of their feelings for Elinor are summed up in a few sentences here and there. The only intricate characterization in the book is that of Edmund, a true loony who thinks torturing people is a fine art form. Blaylock does a good job of depicting him, but I wasn't expecting a psychopath story, I don't really like psychopath stories, they're just not my thing. I was led to expect a ghost story and a love story.

If you like novels about psychopaths and serial killers, go ahead and buy this--it's well done if you like that sort of thing. Blaylock's subtlety and restraint leave the worst bits to the imagination, thereby creating a more palpable terror. Just don't buy this if you're looking for a dark fantasy or a romance.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: _Winter Tides_ disappointed me, but I suppose I must put the blame on the publisher rather than the author. Mainly I was miffed because the blurb on the back promised something totally different from what was actually in the book. The blurb spoke of a man named Dave, and his relationship with the girl he had saved from drowning years before, and with the ghost of her sister whom he failed to save. What I got was a novel about a psychopath named Edmund, who wasn't even mentioned on the cover.

Dave and the sisters were there, all right, but they were dealt with shallowly. Even when the story was being told from Dave or Anne's point of view, the author never really went deeply into what they were thinking or feeling, just their physical actions. Elinor, the ghost sister, gets even shorter shrift, and mainly seems to be a plot device. The romance between Dave and Anne is skimmed over, and both of their feelings for Elinor are summed up in a few sentences here and there. The only intricate characterization in the book is that of Edmund, a true loony who thinks torturing people is a fine art form. Blaylock does a good job of depicting him, but I wasn't expecting a psychopath story, I don't really like psychopath stories, they're just not my thing. I was led to expect a ghost story and a love story.

If you like novels about psychopaths and serial killers, go ahead and buy this--it's well done if you like that sort of thing. Blaylock's subtlety and restraint leave the worst bits to the imagination, thereby creating a more palpable terror. Just don't buy this if you're looking for a dark fantasy or a romance.