Lisa Goldstein has a good reputation in fantasy circles, but on the basis of this book I have to assume either that she is highly overrated or else that "Summer King, Winter Fool" is not particularly representative of her work as a whole. Some nice work in creating a promising setting and some intriguing ideas along the way are deep-sixed by a formulaic plot and characters who stubbornly refuse to come to life. Ms. Goldstein ignores the essential injunction to show, not tell, and the book hurries to its ending without creating the slightest tension along the way. Inexplicably recommended as one of the best fantasy novels of 1994 in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's annual "Year's Best" anthology, which is normally a fairly reliable source for finding quality fantasy literature. Go figure.

This was an alright book but,the characters were not as,"deep" as I expected.The characters seemed to lack some emotion.Although, the story wasn't that bad.

Goldstein has created a beautiful novel about a world wonderfully different than ours, but which still reminds us of our own. This is a kingdom whose power structure is full of courtly intrigue, ambition, and trivialities. The main religion of this land is the worship of the two gods who rule summer and winter. Each god rules for six months and then is challenged by the other who climbs up the ladder to claim his rule in heaven while the other descends to exile on earth. The society worships the ascended god and themselves strive to ascend the ladder in whatever way they can.

The story one finds here is of one man who comes to realize the absurdity of the court's ambitions and games, but who, at the same time, discovers that he is the one legal heir to the throne. The story of how he discovers himself and who his true friends are, and then how he comes to power are the main focus of the book.

What is so special about the book are the details the author has developed in order to create this world. Besides a full description of the religious system, one reads of the history of social societies, festival traditions, and the mores behind acting in that country. My favorite detail was that each courtier has a personal poet to entertain them and address court politics in verse form. Some poets are truly poet-mages who, through poetry, can do great magic.

In reading this novel, one becomes engrossed in a strange world. The description is so involved that one feels as if the world is real. I very much enjoyed my read of this book, for although it is different that Goldstein's other novels, it is still very good. It reminded me of a few of Patricia McKillip's works, so if you like her stuff I would recommend you reading this.

Why would anyone want to listen to dark, dreary stories of the undead, Angels that drink blood, this book was very misrepresented in the title. "Deamon" fantasies is much more appropriate. I was looking forward to a spiritual uplifting, instead I threw all the tapes and box into the trash, right where it belongs.