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David Sullivan #1
Windmaster's Bane
RIDDLE, RING, AND QUEST
In Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, tales are told of strange lights, of mysterious roads…of wondrous folk from enchanted realms. All these are hidden from mortal men, and those who have the gift to look on them are both blessed and doomed…
THE WINDMASTER
Young David Sullivan never dreamed that the myths of marvels and magic he loved were real. But in his blood was the gift of Second Sight. And near his family’s rural farm lay an invisible track between worlds…where he would soon become a pawn in the power game of the Windmaster, an evil usurper among those the Celts called the Sidhe. David’s only protection would be a riddle’s answer and an enchanted ring…as he began his odyssey of danger into things unknowing and unknown…
“A SPECIAL MAGIC…A DELIGHT FROM START TO FINISH.” —Sharon Webb
“WINDMASTER’S BANE has heart, an easy humor, and the simple wisdom of compassion.” —Michael Bishop
In Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, tales are told of strange lights, of mysterious roads…of wondrous folk from enchanted realms. All these are hidden from mortal men, and those who have the gift to look on them are both blessed and doomed…
THE WINDMASTER
Young David Sullivan never dreamed that the myths of marvels and magic he loved were real. But in his blood was the gift of Second Sight. And near his family’s rural farm lay an invisible track between worlds…where he would soon become a pawn in the power game of the Windmaster, an evil usurper among those the Celts called the Sidhe. David’s only protection would be a riddle’s answer and an enchanted ring…as he began his odyssey of danger into things unknowing and unknown…
“A SPECIAL MAGIC…A DELIGHT FROM START TO FINISH.” —Sharon Webb
“WINDMASTER’S BANE has heart, an easy humor, and the simple wisdom of compassion.” —Michael Bishop
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1986
36 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Tom Deitz
36 books35 followersThomas Franklin Deitz (January 17, 1952- April 27, 2009) was an American novelist from Georgia. He had a B.A. and M.A. in medieval English from University of Georgia. He was the author of the "Soulsmith Trilogy," comprised of the books
Soulsmith
,
Dreambuilder
, and
Wordwright
. He also wrote a popular series consisting of
Windmaster's Bane
,
Fireshaper's Doom
,
Darkthunder's Way
,
Sunshaker's War
,
Stoneskin's Revenge
,
Ghostcountry's Wrath
,
Dreamseeker's Road
,
Landslayer's Law
, and
Warstalker's Track
. His stand-alone novel
The Gryphon King
centers around a few of the characters from the later novels in the last series mentioned.
Deitz also won the Phoenix Award in 2007. This award is given at the annual DeepSouthCon to a professional who has done a great deal for Southern Fandom.
Deitz was a well-liked college instructor as well, with stints as an adjunct English faculty member at Gainesville State College, Lanier Tech, and Tri-County Community College, and received a tenure-track appointment as assistant professor in Fall 2008 at Gainesville State College. He was recognized as GSC's adjunct faculty member of the year in 2008.
In addition to writing, Deitz's creative outlets included visual art (murals, fantasy art, and more); drama (with minor roles in a number of community and college productions); model automobile collecting; costumery; and other pursuits via the Society for Creative Anachronism. He was a founding member of the SCA's Barony of Bryn Madoc.
Deitz died on Monday, April 27 2009 of heart failure. He had a heart attack in January of this year and was a candidate to receive a Ventricular assist device (VAD) but had suffered too much damage to his heart for the device to be implanted.
(From Wikipedia)
Deitz also won the Phoenix Award in 2007. This award is given at the annual DeepSouthCon to a professional who has done a great deal for Southern Fandom.
Deitz was a well-liked college instructor as well, with stints as an adjunct English faculty member at Gainesville State College, Lanier Tech, and Tri-County Community College, and received a tenure-track appointment as assistant professor in Fall 2008 at Gainesville State College. He was recognized as GSC's adjunct faculty member of the year in 2008.
In addition to writing, Deitz's creative outlets included visual art (murals, fantasy art, and more); drama (with minor roles in a number of community and college productions); model automobile collecting; costumery; and other pursuits via the Society for Creative Anachronism. He was a founding member of the SCA's Barony of Bryn Madoc.
Deitz died on Monday, April 27 2009 of heart failure. He had a heart attack in January of this year and was a candidate to receive a Ventricular assist device (VAD) but had suffered too much damage to his heart for the device to be implanted.
(From Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 20, 2008
I loved these books... when i bought the first one, it was stamped on the outside with the date April 12... my birthday. a good omen! then i read it. at the time, it was 1986, and i was seventeen. so was david sullivan. we shared the same first name, the same age, the same love of the Sidhe. he even had the car i always wanted... a 1967? red mustang convertible.
i loved these books.
i loved these books.
July 24, 2015
Tom Deitz was one of the first authors I really ever connected with in large part due to dawning of the internet age, as I was able to exchange emails with him. He provided me with information about his David Sullivan books and even signed a few of his books for me over the years. I have to say he was a very gracious author who seemed to like, and cared about, his fans. This is one of the primary reasons I enjoyed his writing so much as he took time to correspond with his fans.
It was then no surprise to me that after a period, where I had a lack of yearning to do any reading, I picked up one of his books. I remembered at that moment why I loved to read and this why I am posting this review of the book Windmaster’s Bane.
The book takes the reader into the world of David Sullivan who lives in rural Georgia. David has a fascination for things for history and old lore. He may not be as interested in the world around him but his interest in Irish and Celtic folklore is one thing he cares about deeply. He even at one time went through a phase where he tried to turn himself, and his best friend Alec, into werewolves. This incident of course is mentioned in the book and offers some of the humor found within the pages. Then of course he had the perfect car, in my opinion, a Ford Mustang.
It is fortunate for David that this is the time in his life where he is reading about the Sidhe. Those Celtic fairies that became all too real one evening after an unfortunate fall. It seems that while David had chased his little brother he fell and happened to catch a local funeral procession while looking through his legs. One has to admit that had to be quite a scene as one ends upside down looking through his legs. It is then that a power within David is awoken and that evening he will discover that other world that comes so close to his own. What David suddenly develops is something called second sight and gives him the ability to see the fairy folk. This new “power” will bring him a great gift, or potentially a dark curse.
The book just drew me in as a teen and did that again as an adult. I had read the story before but fell in love with it again as an adult. Reading how David, Alec and his friend Liz must face challenges together to survive. Family members will be brought into the eventual war between David and one of the Sidhe. The Windmaster, Ailill, who lost a contest of intelligence to young David and has even deeper thoughts on how to interact with the world of man. This chance meeting that David had with Sidhe, that first evening, with the sight will start the long journey within the pages.
The great thing about Windmaster’s Bane is it has some of the elements of great quest books that came before it, but is not a clone. The story will take the reader into history and what some may not realize is Deitz even used Native American lore as a fact check for this book. I can simply say that this is a book that helped reenergize my love of reading as a teen and has done it again as an adult. The characters are well developed and it was easy to picture myself as David. His love of reading about history and ancient cultures is something I still do to this day. The friendships, and closeness of his family, are so well portrayed it is hard not to get drawn into the book.
If Mr. Deitz was with us today I would send him a thank you note from this reader but sadly he has passed on. However, he left thousands of reader’s minds full of wonderment reading his many books. I for one am so glad I never parted with this book from the late 1980’s as it is a treasure in my collection. I hope others stumble across one of his many books he shared with the world. The man was a much underrated author that at least touched this person through his writing.
Thank you Tom Deitz and may your memory live on in your writing and the minds of those who find your books yet today.
It was then no surprise to me that after a period, where I had a lack of yearning to do any reading, I picked up one of his books. I remembered at that moment why I loved to read and this why I am posting this review of the book Windmaster’s Bane.
The book takes the reader into the world of David Sullivan who lives in rural Georgia. David has a fascination for things for history and old lore. He may not be as interested in the world around him but his interest in Irish and Celtic folklore is one thing he cares about deeply. He even at one time went through a phase where he tried to turn himself, and his best friend Alec, into werewolves. This incident of course is mentioned in the book and offers some of the humor found within the pages. Then of course he had the perfect car, in my opinion, a Ford Mustang.
It is fortunate for David that this is the time in his life where he is reading about the Sidhe. Those Celtic fairies that became all too real one evening after an unfortunate fall. It seems that while David had chased his little brother he fell and happened to catch a local funeral procession while looking through his legs. One has to admit that had to be quite a scene as one ends upside down looking through his legs. It is then that a power within David is awoken and that evening he will discover that other world that comes so close to his own. What David suddenly develops is something called second sight and gives him the ability to see the fairy folk. This new “power” will bring him a great gift, or potentially a dark curse.
The book just drew me in as a teen and did that again as an adult. I had read the story before but fell in love with it again as an adult. Reading how David, Alec and his friend Liz must face challenges together to survive. Family members will be brought into the eventual war between David and one of the Sidhe. The Windmaster, Ailill, who lost a contest of intelligence to young David and has even deeper thoughts on how to interact with the world of man. This chance meeting that David had with Sidhe, that first evening, with the sight will start the long journey within the pages.
The great thing about Windmaster’s Bane is it has some of the elements of great quest books that came before it, but is not a clone. The story will take the reader into history and what some may not realize is Deitz even used Native American lore as a fact check for this book. I can simply say that this is a book that helped reenergize my love of reading as a teen and has done it again as an adult. The characters are well developed and it was easy to picture myself as David. His love of reading about history and ancient cultures is something I still do to this day. The friendships, and closeness of his family, are so well portrayed it is hard not to get drawn into the book.
If Mr. Deitz was with us today I would send him a thank you note from this reader but sadly he has passed on. However, he left thousands of reader’s minds full of wonderment reading his many books. I for one am so glad I never parted with this book from the late 1980’s as it is a treasure in my collection. I hope others stumble across one of his many books he shared with the world. The man was a much underrated author that at least touched this person through his writing.
Thank you Tom Deitz and may your memory live on in your writing and the minds of those who find your books yet today.
December 19, 2008
One of my favorite series as a kid, and young adult. I must have read this book a half dozen times at least. In the later books, when Deitz starts blending Celtic and Cherokee mythologies, were really cool, too. Unfortunately the series starts to run into the ground eventually... not sure if Deitz ran out of steam, or if the publishers wanted him to keep it up after he was done with the story. Ghostcountry's Wrath was pretty meh, and I never bothered to read whatever came after it.
To be fair, it's possible that I just outgrew the themes of the series around the time I got to that book. I haven't reread them since then, so I don't know if I would cherish them as much now as I did when they really spoke to me. But I highly recommend the series for YA readers, it's a lot of fun, and for the most part really well written.
To be fair, it's possible that I just outgrew the themes of the series around the time I got to that book. I haven't reread them since then, so I don't know if I would cherish them as much now as I did when they really spoke to me. But I highly recommend the series for YA readers, it's a lot of fun, and for the most part really well written.
August 19, 2016
David is a pretty normal country boy aside from his interest in Celtic mythology. Who knew that nerdily reading 19th-century folklore studies could lead to so much trouble?
I loved this book when I was 12. It's probably not as awesome as I remember, but I won't reread it and spoil the memory.
I loved this book when I was 12. It's probably not as awesome as I remember, but I won't reread it and spoil the memory.
October 31, 2021
More like 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it and may read the next book, but I didn’t love it.
April 15, 2018
Reading an old favorite is fraught with peril. You might not be the same person you were when you read it last. And for this one I was a fan of the series and the author. I don't remember how much I liked this the first book. I remember liking a later one. And when I read this before, I felt a lot more for the location. I went to the North Georgia Mountains with some regularity.
The book has its slow moments. It has its stilted moments. I remember being jarred by the use of kids and children that Davy uses to refer to his friends.
But I got through it. And the book picks up in the latter half. It's a good strong solid ending, believable and not typical. It's also the first Celtic book I've read in some time. And on to the second.
The book has its slow moments. It has its stilted moments. I remember being jarred by the use of kids and children that Davy uses to refer to his friends.
But I got through it. And the book picks up in the latter half. It's a good strong solid ending, believable and not typical. It's also the first Celtic book I've read in some time. And on to the second.
July 2, 2010
David Sullivan loves reading about mythology and folklore, which comes in handy when he discovers that he can see the Fae. He starts having visions of things that no one else can see (like castles on hilltops), and a strange compelling feeling draws him out of bed one night as the Sidhe pass through the woods near his home. When they realize he can see them, one, Ailill (the Windmaster), challenges David for his impertinence and requires him to answer 3 questions correctly, else he remain with the faeries forever. Although David wins his (and his little brother's) freedom, Ailill is determined to bring him to Tir Na Nog. There is some resistance from the other Sidhe, however. Lugh, who is the king, and Nuada Silverhand believe David will someday be a powerful ally – but only if he remains among his people. They provide David with a ring of protection, which Ailill attempts to steal. Although he is unsuccessful in obtaining the ring for himself, he causes David to lose it – and thus the ability to safeguard his friends and family. First his uncle and then his little brother are stolen from him and David and his friends, Liz and Alec, must face the Trial of Heroes in order to win them back.
Despite some ridiculously flowery (and drawn out) descriptions and a feeling (from some of the said descriptions) that this was somewhat dated, I really enjoyed this book. Because it took me so long to get into it (over a year – picking it up, putting it down, having to start over again and again), I figured it was going to be a lost cause. But after giving it an hour of my time, I was sucked into David's story. I think I would have appreciated it more had I read it back in the 80's or 90s (when it wouldn't have felt so dated and when I'd have been in exactly the right mindset for it – fantasy/faery series-loving fiend that I was back then). These days I cringe and back away from anything involving faeries – I'm thoroughly sick of reading about them and their cold, inhuman perfection. I figured that, more than anything else, would turn me off this book. But it didn't – there was enough that was new (to me, anyway) to keep me engaged. It probably won't be enough to get me to read the rest of the series (so I'll never find out just how important David Sullivan is/was to the Sidhe), but I'm ok with that.
Despite some ridiculously flowery (and drawn out) descriptions and a feeling (from some of the said descriptions) that this was somewhat dated, I really enjoyed this book. Because it took me so long to get into it (over a year – picking it up, putting it down, having to start over again and again), I figured it was going to be a lost cause. But after giving it an hour of my time, I was sucked into David's story. I think I would have appreciated it more had I read it back in the 80's or 90s (when it wouldn't have felt so dated and when I'd have been in exactly the right mindset for it – fantasy/faery series-loving fiend that I was back then). These days I cringe and back away from anything involving faeries – I'm thoroughly sick of reading about them and their cold, inhuman perfection. I figured that, more than anything else, would turn me off this book. But it didn't – there was enough that was new (to me, anyway) to keep me engaged. It probably won't be enough to get me to read the rest of the series (so I'll never find out just how important David Sullivan is/was to the Sidhe), but I'm ok with that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2017
This book is great for setting up all the books that follow. Its a great mix of contemporary (well in the 80s when I first read it, it was contemporary) life and the fantasy world. Its a great spin on fantasy also. I hope that he continues to write this series.
This first story is good at introducing all the characters but not all of David's buddies. We will meet them as we go along. It is also good at introducing the main Sidhe characters too.
At times it seems that there are some scenes that aren't necessary but they are good scenes none the less. By the end of the book the characters on Earth are pretty well fleshed out and you know enough about the fairy lords that you can "like" them if you want.
This first story is good at introducing all the characters but not all of David's buddies. We will meet them as we go along. It is also good at introducing the main Sidhe characters too.
At times it seems that there are some scenes that aren't necessary but they are good scenes none the less. By the end of the book the characters on Earth are pretty well fleshed out and you know enough about the fairy lords that you can "like" them if you want.
July 9, 2014
One of my all time favorite series. If you like Faerie, Irish Mythology, tales where our world meet a magical world then you should try this one.
What baffles me is that I have never met anyone who has read this series and I love it so much.
Blue Ridge Mountains: David Sullivan develops Second Sight and discovers that Faerie is real. Adventure follows and so begins my love affair with the writing of Tom Deitz.
There are nine books in the series but they are all stand alone novels (which I love as well). He also writes another series called Soulsmith that I think is even better than this series.
What baffles me is that I have never met anyone who has read this series and I love it so much.
Blue Ridge Mountains: David Sullivan develops Second Sight and discovers that Faerie is real. Adventure follows and so begins my love affair with the writing of Tom Deitz.
There are nine books in the series but they are all stand alone novels (which I love as well). He also writes another series called Soulsmith that I think is even better than this series.
March 13, 2012
I love all of the books in this series. The characters were fantastic and felt so real to me that I wanted them to be real. My favorite was Fionchadd. This is one of the few series that I will read again. Language is a bit rough but you are dealing with teenagers and I remember I used the same language when I was a teen so it was not out of character. Mr. Deitz will be missed in the mortal and in the fantasy world!!
May 20, 2019
Hard to believe that it's been over 30 years since this book was first released. And while I remember reading the original version numerous times and enjoying it very much, I found this rewritten version to be annoying, pedantic in some places while choppy in others, and overall, rather difficult to get into. There's something to be said for earlier exuberance and excitement in writing (and enjoying that writing as a reader). Sadly, for me at least, that exciting spark seems to have been lost in the rewrite. Equally unfortunate, I'm unsure if I'll be able to track down the original version of this story to reread and enjoy. What was a solid 3.5 to 4 stars in retrospect for the original (although my younger self probably would have rated it higher still) was sadly reduced to 2 stars in this edition. If possible, try hunting down the original release to enjoy the first of David Sullivan's adventures.
November 7, 2023
This blew me away when it came out in 1986. A tale of faerie, but set in the modern world? Wild (this was a year before Emma Bull's War for the Oaks)! Happily it holds up well.
David Sullivan lives in rural Georgia where one night he encounters a party of fae riders. He pisses off Ailill, the windmaster of the title, then pisses him off worse by besting him in a riddle game. Ailill is now out to get even ...
The rural Georgia feels very real to me (I used to live close enough I think I have a feel for it) and the balance between the modern world and the magic works. However Ailill has little personality beyond Evil And Power Hungry and that doesn't work. Also the cast is completely white, completely straight and doesn't pass the Bechdel Test. I still like it a lot, but if those are dealbreakers, you've been warned.
David Sullivan lives in rural Georgia where one night he encounters a party of fae riders. He pisses off Ailill, the windmaster of the title, then pisses him off worse by besting him in a riddle game. Ailill is now out to get even ...
The rural Georgia feels very real to me (I used to live close enough I think I have a feel for it) and the balance between the modern world and the magic works. However Ailill has little personality beyond Evil And Power Hungry and that doesn't work. Also the cast is completely white, completely straight and doesn't pass the Bechdel Test. I still like it a lot, but if those are dealbreakers, you've been warned.
May 20, 2025
***1/2
Fun, mostly light-hearted fantasy, with another world overlapping ours, and a teenage boy discovering a pathway between the two. He's arrogant in an almost-annoying way, but his best friend and favorite girl keep him somewhat grounded, and sometimes their comments to him reflected my very own; the supporting characters are very important here.
Our hero runs afoul of a temperamental sorcerer type, and he's challenged in the style of all young people introduced to a new world and immediately finding themselves at odds with its keepers.
This is the first in a series. I'm not sure if I'll keep reading them, but that's more due to my tendency to leave series unfinished, but the book itself is intriguing enough that if I happened across a copy of episode two, as I did with this one, I'd probably pick it up.
Fun, mostly light-hearted fantasy, with another world overlapping ours, and a teenage boy discovering a pathway between the two. He's arrogant in an almost-annoying way, but his best friend and favorite girl keep him somewhat grounded, and sometimes their comments to him reflected my very own; the supporting characters are very important here.
Our hero runs afoul of a temperamental sorcerer type, and he's challenged in the style of all young people introduced to a new world and immediately finding themselves at odds with its keepers.
This is the first in a series. I'm not sure if I'll keep reading them, but that's more due to my tendency to leave series unfinished, but the book itself is intriguing enough that if I happened across a copy of episode two, as I did with this one, I'd probably pick it up.
January 8, 2017
I read this book when it was first published back in 1986 and many times since then. I was in college at the University of Georgia along with the author, Tom Deitz, when it was first printed. We went to the Science Fiction Club at UGA along with about a dozen others. We enjoyed talking about SciFi and Fantasy books and movies. We all celebrated when his first book was published. Personally, we (the two of us) were friends but not close. We did not stay in contact as close friends do. That's why I was taken aback yesterday when I went online to see what other books he has written since "Windmaster's Bane" and the other three books of his that I own. My old friend died seven years ago. It kind of brings you up short to find out that someone you haven't thought about in years has died. Then you think about others you know of younger and not much older that have died much too soon. "Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom finished this book in 1986. It is a wonderful read. I can't believe it's been twenty years since I read it last. I wonder if Tom ever built his castle?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom finished this book in 1986. It is a wonderful read. I can't believe it's been twenty years since I read it last. I wonder if Tom ever built his castle?
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March 22, 2021This is a pretty fair novel of, well, not exactly urban, perhaps rural fantasy. The premise is that the Sidhe have been alive and well in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains for centuries, and only those with the Sight have known of it. Such a person is young David Sullivan, who becomes aware of the existence of the Sidhe and finds himself a pawn in their games of power. But David is not utterly without power himself, and thereby hangs the tale. There are at least two factions of the elven kingdom, and the ones who wish to make war on the humans would like David killed or enslaved, while those who would have peace offer him their protection.
May 11, 2020
This story, the first book of several, involves one of my very favorite topics: the Sidhe. They are the Tuatha de Danann, the Fair Folk, Others, Faery Folk...from Irish and Scottish legend.
David Sullivan of northern Georgia mountain country enjoys reading about the Sidhe of legend until he and his loved ones become embroiled in an unintentional despute with Ailill (the Windmaster) and that wicked fellow will stop at nothing to destroy David.
A fun book to read and I remember when I read it many years ago when I was around David's age and wished I could have an adventure like what he did!
David Sullivan of northern Georgia mountain country enjoys reading about the Sidhe of legend until he and his loved ones become embroiled in an unintentional despute with Ailill (the Windmaster) and that wicked fellow will stop at nothing to destroy David.
A fun book to read and I remember when I read it many years ago when I was around David's age and wished I could have an adventure like what he did!
June 24, 2024
It is in the grand tradition of A Wrinkle In Time and The Chronicles of Narnia when fantasy crosses over into reality.
I didn’t NOT like it. I just didn’t LOVE it. I skimmed a lot to get to the trial of the HERO, and while it solved the conflict it felt too contrived.
My favorite parts were outside of the realm of Faerie where David had to navigate both worlds. I also wanted more of his friends and family which I understand we get in later books, but I’m probably out for the David Sullivan books for the foreseeable future.
I didn’t NOT like it. I just didn’t LOVE it. I skimmed a lot to get to the trial of the HERO, and while it solved the conflict it felt too contrived.
My favorite parts were outside of the realm of Faerie where David had to navigate both worlds. I also wanted more of his friends and family which I understand we get in later books, but I’m probably out for the David Sullivan books for the foreseeable future.
March 16, 2018
This was pretty fun, and as far as I know pretty accurate to Irish/fairy mythology. I forgot how aggravating self-righteous and -important fairies can be, especially when they refuse to take responsibility for their actions and the consequences. There were some shifts in perspective that I found a bit distracting that would happen mid-chapter for a second or two, and a couple editing errors that I think were the result of translating into e-book.
June 6, 2023
I must reluctantly expand my definition of Urban Fantasy to include stories in which Faerie intrudes on the modern world. This means tales such as this one, and Clifford Simak's "Out of their minds," but not Narnia.
This is a young-adult novel, beginning a series. Because there are too many teenage hijinks, given the serious threat, I cannot give it a rating higher than 3.
The trial at the end feels like a D&D training scenario.
This is a young-adult novel, beginning a series. Because there are too many teenage hijinks, given the serious threat, I cannot give it a rating higher than 3.
The trial at the end feels like a D&D training scenario.
September 30, 2017
i don't normally read a lot of high fantasy and there is a good bit of that in this but i loved it! the edition i read included illustrations by the author and some updates from when it was written in the eighties. can't wait to read the rest of the series.
August 20, 2019
Brings Celtic mythology to modern (well, mid-1980s) life
Loved this when I read it as a teen around 1988, and enjoyed it again on 2019 re-read. Strongly recommend if you’re interested in modern fantasy.
Loved this when I read it as a teen around 1988, and enjoyed it again on 2019 re-read. Strongly recommend if you’re interested in modern fantasy.
June 25, 2018
A adventurous series to rerad
August 10, 2025
what a lovely reminder of the days when even the simplest YA fantasy book could be counted on to definitively charm with its skilled prose and charismatic characters
August 14, 2014
I first found a copy of this book in a second hand bookshop many, many years ago (at least 25 I'd guess). I soon tracked down the second book, then the third and by the time number four was published I was buying them new. There was a gap in publication for a while (during which I read and thoroughly enjoyed Deitz's Soulsmith series) and somehow I never read the last two, even though they are still on my bookcase downstairs.
I've thought I'd like to read them again for a while, even though I remember them having a lot of "current" references that are now going on for 30 years out of being current. However, the problem of choosing to reread a small-print paperback when I have a Kindle full of other books I also want to read that are easier to manage reared its ugly "I'm getting old" head and I never did go back to read about Davy Sullivan's first adventure after all.
Then, to my delight, I discovered this first book was now available as a Kindle ebook. I bought it and loaded it on my Kindle to take to hospital with me. I figured that if I did felt up to reading after abdominal surgery, a reread of an old favourite would be a good way to go. I didn't get much read while there as I was too busy doing the getting over the anaesthetic/operation thing, but I've been enjoying it now I'm home again.
It felt a bit clunky at first and I was worried I was going to face a visit from Jo Walton's Suck Fairy (it's sucks out all the good you remember from favourite books when you actually reread them) but things smoothed out (or I got more into the story or I shook off the last of the anaesthetic) and I was enjoying myself greatly by the end.
A worthy reread and I really hope the rest of the series comes out for Kindle before too long. Heck, I might even finally finish the series if that happens.
I've thought I'd like to read them again for a while, even though I remember them having a lot of "current" references that are now going on for 30 years out of being current. However, the problem of choosing to reread a small-print paperback when I have a Kindle full of other books I also want to read that are easier to manage reared its ugly "I'm getting old" head and I never did go back to read about Davy Sullivan's first adventure after all.
Then, to my delight, I discovered this first book was now available as a Kindle ebook. I bought it and loaded it on my Kindle to take to hospital with me. I figured that if I did felt up to reading after abdominal surgery, a reread of an old favourite would be a good way to go. I didn't get much read while there as I was too busy doing the getting over the anaesthetic/operation thing, but I've been enjoying it now I'm home again.
It felt a bit clunky at first and I was worried I was going to face a visit from Jo Walton's Suck Fairy (it's sucks out all the good you remember from favourite books when you actually reread them) but things smoothed out (or I got more into the story or I shook off the last of the anaesthetic) and I was enjoying myself greatly by the end.
A worthy reread and I really hope the rest of the series comes out for Kindle before too long. Heck, I might even finally finish the series if that happens.
November 17, 2021
I just re-read Windmaster's Bane again. (After just watching the first of the Hobbit movies, I was feeling like reading a quest story.) I love David Sullivan and his best friends Alec and Liz. I love that he loves his family and what sends him into danger is the desire to protect the people he loves the most. Tom Deitz brings rural Georgia alive and weaves an excellent story. He makes it perfectly plausible that the lands of Faerie intersect with the lands of humans just there. Naturally, for me, the fact that his interactions with the supernatural are all tied up with Irish folklore is particularly satisfying.
September 14, 2012
I read this book and others by Tom Deitz a long time ago. Last year I questioned why he had not written anything in a while. Upon finding out about his death, I began to collect all of his books that I could to see if they still held the same magic a second time around. And they absolutely do! Reading Windmaster's Bane again was like the first time. And I am looking forward to re-reading the rest of the. Modern times crossing with Faerie, heroes, villains, friendships and family...all the elements of classic writing.
February 15, 2016
I read this series many years ago when it was first published. But I've always remembered it. I lost my copies years ago in some move, it took me a bit of digging on here to find it again, *(I have a horrible memory for titles and authors, I remember plots). but now that I've got it and I've added the first book to my kindle, I'll be adding the others again soon.
September 29, 2011
Outstanding combination of Celtic lore, Sidhe, and involvement of current people in ancient celtic/Sidhe endeavors.
Read it, lost it, found it again, read it again. Never enough of this series. read them in order.
Read it, lost it, found it again, read it again. Never enough of this series. read them in order.
August 27, 2023
Loved this book many years ago, fun to go back and check it out. Some things held up well, some not so much as you get older and exposed to many writing styles. Still got to hand it to the author - really had a knack for breathing in a lot of details into his main characters.
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April 1, 2008Loved it
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