From Publishers Weekly
Deitz (Above the Lower Sky) knows how to spin a good fantasy yarn. Yet he still manages to mar this nicely paced story by tossing in too many expletives and trendy topical references-as when Aikin, one of the three boys whose use of the magical ulunsuti stone helps land them in the world of Faerie, realizes it's as unlikely that he'll escape the Wild Hunt as that "pigs farted Frank Zappa tunes in Bob Jones University whorehouses." Aikin and his male friends all follow their own visions down difficult paths, seeking lost loves, dead mentors and the touch of the otherworldly. They are aided in their quests by several faerie women and one female sidekick/girlfriend, none of whom receive fully fleshed characterizations. But if Deitz gives his female cast short shrift, he doesn't stint on atmosphere or plot. This novel teems with vivid descriptions of Sidhe cruelty and strange shape-changing beasts, and it transmits a strong sense of the dread engendered by following the Crimson Road leading to, and perhaps away from, death.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
In rural Georgia, a wall between our world and Faerie permits passage by many of the characters in classic Celtic and other mythologies. Three college students pass through the wall. One of them has the knowledge, skills, and character to survive in Faerie; the other two immediately get into the hottest of hot water. This is the classic mundanes-blunder-into-Faerie plot so popular in fantasy of late. Dietz writes with his usual intelligence, imagination, and skillful use of a regional setting, making his version an exemplary instance of a book that overcomes its relative unoriginality by means of the care with which it has been executed. Dietz's established audience will like it, and others will find it a good place to start with this underrated author.
Roland Green
