Winter Tides

The Ghosts Trilogy #2

by James P. Blaylock

Fifteen years after saving only one of two drowning girls, identitical twins, Dave Quinn meets Anne, a struggling Canadian artist and the woman he had rescued as a child, who is drawn back to the scene of the old tragedy by the specter of her dead sister, who is out to avenge her missed chances and live again.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Mystery

346 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

James Paul Blaylock is an American fantasy author. He is noted for his distinctive style. He writes in a humorous way: His characters never walk, they clump along, or when someone complains (in a flying machine) that flight is impossible, the other characters agree and show him why he's right.

He was born in Long Beach, California; studied English at California State University, Fullerton, receiving an M.A. in 1974; and lives in Orange, California, teaching creative writing at Chapman University. Many of his books are set in Orange County, California, and can more specifically be termed "fabulism" — that is, fantastic things happen in our present-day world, rather than in traditional fantasy, where the setting is often some other world. His works have also been categorized as magic realism.

He and his friends Tim Powers and K.W. Jeter were mentored by Philip K. Dick. Along with Powers he invented the poet William Ashbless. Blaylock and Powers have often collaborated with each other on writing stories, including The Better Boy, On Pirates, and The William Ashbless Memorial Cookbook.

Blaylock is also currently director of the Creative Writing Conservatory at the Orange County High School of the Arts, where Powers is Writer in Residence.

Reviews

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in Winter Tides, though it's probably not fair to blame James P. Blaylock for my disappointment. It's not his fault the cover copy doesn't accurately describe the novel's actual subject matter. It's also not his fault I'm a big enough ballad geek that when I see the words "Anne," "Elinor," "sisters," and "drowning" in the same sentence, I immediately think of "The Cruel Sister," a heartbreaking ballad of love and sisterly betrayal. Between the cover copy and a ballad reference that may or may not have been intentional, I led myself to expect a ghost story and a love story. Here's the cover copy, for what it's worth:

Fifteen years ago, on a deserted California beach, Dave Quinn swam out into the winter ocean to save two drowning girls — identical twin sisters. He was only able to save one. Now, years later, he meets Anne... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Samir · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts off slow and clumsy, but wow am I glad I stuck with it! By the end I couldn't put it down. I was invested in many of the characters, but mostly the whack-job psycho. Set in modern day Southern California, with blandly normal people leading blandly normal lives awakening to very abnormal events around them, the book has a great sense of pacing and suspense.

Dark, creepy, and weird.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, spooky ghost story, haunted by regret, and tinted with the cold, salt-spray of winter surfing the California coast. I'm a sucker for a good ghost story, and few novels have done it better than this. Highly recommended.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. While it is a ghost story, the main plot line deals more with a lunatic psycho than the ghost. The ghost does figure into it, though. And, while this is billed as "Ghosts, #2" in a series, I have read all three, but not in the right order. They are standalone books, though, and the order that they are read doesn't seem to be important.

The story begins in the past, approximately fifteen years ago, when Dave Quinn, a southern California surfer, watches a couple of teenage twin sisters get in trouble in some rough ocean water. Their mother foolishly allows them to play in a strong riptide, and they get caught up in it. Dave manages to save one, but the other slips away, even as he is struggling for his own life. He lives with guilt, through the years, that it is his fault that he didn't save her.

Fast forward fifteen years, when Anne Morris, a young artist, moves to the town where Dave lives and works. She takes a job, working for the same company as Dave, doing artwork for their theater company. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Anne is the sister who survived.

The aforementioned psycho turns out to be Edmund Dalton, the son of the owner of the company. Edmund is one of the best-written psycho villains I have ever seen. Blaylock really nails it with this guy. He is so delusional that he thinks everything that happens is either serendipitous, validating his actions, or because of how brilliant he must be. He also has issues that are almost shocking. And, to boot, he is stealing from his dad, Earl, (they call him The Earl, and his company is called Earl of Gloucester), who doesn't want to hear anything about it. There is also a brother, Casey, who struggles with drinking, but is also an avid surfer and best friends with our "hero," Dave.

The plot twists and turns as Dave and Anne become romantically involved and Edmund gets jealous because he has desires for Anne as well. Edmund also hates Collier, the guy who actually oversees the small theater, and is trying to get rid of him by framing Collier's daughter, Jenny, for starting fires. Edmund also appears to be somewhat of a pyromaniac. Once again, I cannot overemphasize what a great job Blaylock did of writing this creep.

In the midst of all of this, Dave, Anne, and Edmund keep seeing the ghost of Anne's twin sister, Elinor. Edmund, of course, believes that he has summoned this ghost and that she is his partner in crime. That's how delusional he is.

For the most part, this is well-written. However, I noticed a rather strong incongruity, toward the end. There is a chapter where Edmund tries to capture Anne, and Dave saves her, and Edmund runs away and hides. All of a sudden, in the next chapter, Edmund has Anne captive, duct-taped in a room and lures Dave into the room to either kill or capture him, as well. There is no explanation of how Edmund caught Anne . . . he just suddenly has her. I found this to be somewhat confusing. But it didn't really diminish my enjoyment of the book.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume two of the "Ghosts" trilogy.

As in the first book, the human villain is a manipulative sociopath. I thought this was more of a crime novel and less of a supernatural tale, compared to Night Relics.

Author is presenting what I think of as the Dean Koontz view of human good and evil, where most people are imperfect and maybe eccentric but basically decent, but there's this tiny minority that are just spectacularly evil.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite Blaylock novel that I've read so far. A man who was able to save a young girl from drowning years later meets the girl and the twin sister he was unable to save. The girl and her rescuer begin a romance. As can be assumed in a horror novel, the sister is not exactly thrilled by this. She inspires an already odd character on to arson kidnapping and murder. I enjoyed this novel.

[Richard Edgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my. This is serious ghost-story stuff, with some black magic in the hands of a certifiable madman. He starts out being a creep, with a hinted-at side dish of serial murder, perhaps. I'm hard pressed to think of a more despicable fictional character in any book I've read in the past few years. The story is very well-written, which makes it all the more vivid, Edmund drawing others into the vortex of his twisted world-view.

[Steven Schreier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps one of the all-time creepiest antagonists committed to the page, Edmund Dalton does not disappoint! A very unique take on the ghost story combining elements of modern Southern California gothic with redemption and romance.

[Holly Mcentee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old school creepy/haunting. A nice return to an author I haven’t revisited in awhile.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I have to say, this definitely wasn't my kind of book. It was ok, but there was just too much psycho nutty guy in it for my tastes. It's bad enough to hear that kind of stuff on the news, I don't want to read that kind of stuff in the stories I read for fun. Take out all the batsh*t crazy sh*t this guy was doing, and perhaps the story could garner another star or two. I know, not everyone will agree, and folks who like that sort of thing will likely tell me I'm and that's fine, I have no problem with that, I just don't like that kind of thing, and although the premace was definitely worth building on, the story kept getting interrupted for me by the absolutely insane crap that makes no sense to anyone. (Yes, I know, it happens, and fiction needs it too). If you like that sort of thing, you'll love this book. For me though, it just spoiled the reading, and made the story way less enjoyable. Like I say though, it was ok, and while I'd not recommend it as something to pass the time if you're looking for a good fun story, it probably would appeal to those who like dark storylines and/or off their rocker characters who make no sense to anyone but themselves. I don't demand that a story be all rosy and upbeat, but I have never liked the whole let's make a story out of some insane psychopath who pretty much does whatever the hell he wants for the entire story, and never really contributes anything to the story as a whole thing. If you remove the insane character, the book could still have stood on it's own. (changed no doubt, and considerably less dark), but it could still stand. But I know, I'm the reader, and I read what the authors write, and it's really not my task to direct the story, I just felt that with this one, a lot of what took place wasn't necessary other than to build up this insane moron, who after all that, simply poofed out at the end with no real resolution other than offing himself in a rather stupidendusly idiotic manner. If you're going to go through all that trouble to build up this untouchable image, only to have him waste himself in the most rediculus way possible, then I guess I just don't see the point. Anyway, enough with my view of the plotlines.
If you like dark sudo-mystery stories, then you'll probably enjoy this one, but for me, it was just too much dark heaped with unnecessary fluff to be enjoyed fully.

[Jeremiah Genest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary supernatural horror from one of the best in that game. When surfer Dave Quinn saved a young girl from the sea, her twin sister eluded him and drowned. Now, 15 years later, Dave still lives in Huntington Beach, Calif., where he builds scenery for a theater warehouse owned by the rich Earl Dalton--this despite frequent clashes with Earl's creepy eldest son Edmund, whose interests include black magic, snuff movies, and defrauding Earl of various properties. The warehouse's latest employee is artist Anne Morris, whom Dave recognizes as the girl he saved. Anne's dead sister Elinor--a ghostly presence ever since she drowned--crafted a disturbing set of dolls and paintings, which Anne has kept. Edmund discovers the paintings and dolls and assumes they're Anne's; later, he's possessed by Elinor, discovers a secret entrance into Anne's apartment, and uses Elinor's dolls to set fires. Eventually, enraged by the growing closeness between Anne and Dave, and inspired by the evil Elinor, Edmund embarks on a campaign of arson, murder, kidnapping, and torture.

[Riana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Morris leaves her home in Victoria, Canada, and hopes to make a new beginning. Perhaps even put the past behind her. She feels drawn to Hunting Beach, which is no surprise, as this is the very place where her sister died years ago. It is a surprise, however, when she meets the man who saved her on that cloudy, rainy day from drowning, but couldn’t save her sister. Nor did she expect to find a stalking psychopath who claims to have a spiritual connection with her sister – or more accurately, her sister’s ghost. Strange things start happening all across town and Anne and Dave have to stand round to put out fires.

Blaylock shows his skill at writing something other than fantasy in this fast-moving, intriguing thriller. The plot is pleasingly enthralling, though not overly thickened. Although the ending is not quite unpredictable, a heard-before but still inspirational message comes forth: face your fear of dealing with the past and your ghosts will fade. A good read.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

More serious and spooky than James Blaylock's earlier books, "Winter Tides" is a novel that's not quite up to Blaylock's top standards but is a reasonably satisfying minor work. In this ghostly tale, the writer relies more on atmosphere than on quirky characters.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because I was jonesing for a ghost story and another Goodreads user recommended this book. Although it wasn't the ghost story I was looking for, it was still an atmospheric story about the darkness that haunts minds. It started out slow, but came to a solid, satisfying conclusion.

[Patrick]

First read in 1999 (possibly late '98).