Comments on "A Wind from the South" Reader Comments: Here's where to comment!

I reviewed it on my book review blog here.Book 2, ...

2008-05-13T18:59:00.000+01:00

I reviewed it on my book review blog here.

Book 2, please!!

Thank you so much for making this book available a...

2007-09-23T00:07:00.000+01:00

Thank you so much for making this book available as a free download.

I've taken the liberty of porting it to html format and also to Sony (lrf) format.

Please let me know how to send you the copy, if you are interested.

Finished the book.It took me a little while, but I...

2006-08-02T05:37:00.000+01:00

Finished the book.

It took me a little while, but I suspect that was my "not used to reading a book on my PDA" thing, rather than anything the book itself had to offer.

And what it had to offer was quite a great deal. It was a great read, and I did note that there was mention of a second book in the author's notes.

So I am left to wonder if and/or when that second book is going to be released.

The preview looks excellent. Hoiwever, I'm wonder...

2006-04-03T20:55:00.000+01:00

The preview looks excellent. Hoiwever, I'm wondering when the POD version will be available, since I vastly prefer print books to PDFs.

If you buy this book, and you should, you will pro...

2006-02-15T14:03:00.000Z

If you buy this book, and you should, you will probably find yourself looking up from the last page and seeing on your clock that it is the wee small hours of the morning. But you will not want to go to sleep, oh no. You will still be too caught up in your emotional response to the end of the book. You will probably also be craving roast chicken. (Ms. Duane's descriptive skills never fail to make me hungry for whatever her characters are seen eating in her books.)

On a more serious note, this is a story that has so many elements from different histories and religions, as well as such a wide range of character types, that there will be something for any and every reader.

I bought this solely because I was familiar with D...

2006-01-09T07:31:00.000Z

I bought this solely because I was familiar with Diane Duane's work, and was well repaid - also took awhile figuring out just where it was set which added to the fun. About all I have to add is that it's a good book and that I hope the next one comes out soon. The main reason I bought my PDA was to be able to read ebooks on it; here's one that makes me glad I did. (Mind you I hadn't finished it by this morning, decided to read part of it in the half hour between Sunday School and church, and as a result got so distracted that I didn't make it into the sanctuary until after they rang the bell, but such is life. :) )

Diane Duane's A Wind from the South combines lovin...

2006-01-04T15:54:00.000Z

Diane Duane's A Wind from the South combines loving reuse of myth within an historical background with intriguing characters, an intriguing cosmology, and an eye for detail.

Highly recommended.

I can only hope that the second book of the Raetii...

2006-01-04T00:34:00.000Z

I can only hope that the second book of the Raetii tales comes soon. The loving detail in this book was incredible, Mariarta's world believable, and her struggle with deciphering her heritage believable and intriguing. The characters are all too human and very believable, and it's hard not to fall more than a little in love with them.

I'm glad this was in eBook form, since I was able to read half of it in my eight hour work day. *g* Just don't tell my boss...

Highly recommended. I can't wait to see where Mariarta goes next!

With her latest novel to be released, A Wind From ...

2006-01-02T21:47:00.000Z

With her latest novel to be released, A Wind From the South, newly "chucked out into the Great World", Diane Duane joins what must surely be a short list of authors whose fans are anxiously awaiting the release of the next book in no fewer than four series. (Five, if you're a Star Trek fan.) And I would say that even if I didn't have a copy of everything she's ever written (as far as I know) sitting on a shelf in my living room.

A Wind From the South mixes the history of the founding of Switzerland with a complex mythology of old and new religious beliefs. Pre-Reformation Catholicism is melded with ancient Greek and Roman beliefs as well as the even older mythologies that pre-dated Roman occupation of the region. The protagonist, Mariarta, is possessed by a wind spirit and obsessed with the need to find someone or something, though she does not know quite whom (or what) she seeks. During her quest she vanquishes a demon, masters control of the wind, and meets several historical figures (not the least of whom is Wilhelm 'von Schachental', of archery fame). She finally meets the goddess she has been seeking, yet that isn't the end of her story, but the beginning, as she must now help win crucial battles in the fight to become an independent Switzerland.

As is usual with Diane's books, Wind has a point beyond which you cannot stop reading and put it down. I find immersion in a good book to be similar to what I'm told deep-sea divers experience--if you come 'up to the surface' too quickly, you get the bends. Unlike the Young Wizard series, this point comes less than halfway through the book (page 167), so I read most of the book at one go. I am grateful for my husband who was willing to deal with the children and let me sleep late the morning after I stayed up quite late to finish it.

I could go on for quite a bit, but overall I found it to be a well-crafted book, well worth buying and reading (and re-reading)--I'm looking forward to (at some future date) buying a bound copy as well. Inclusion of a map of the region (for those of us not as familiar with Alpine geography) and a pronunciation guide for Romansch would make the book even better.

There were only a couple of niggling little details that my editor's eye picked up, and they did not detract from the experience in any way. There is one misspelling of except and one place where accept is used where it should be except. My AdobeAcrobat Reader, for some reason, put end quotes alone on the next line if there were no other characters (not including other punctuation marks) following them--this may not be a problem with other versions of Adobe. Also, I think that praesidenterin is probably too modern of 'Doitscha' to be coming out of a 14th century character. And, as new and nifty as halberds were at the time, they weren't 'weapons of mass destruction', IMHO. That term should be reserved for things like catapults and Greek Fire.

Loved Wind From the South!I'm on the second pass r...

2006-01-02T18:44:00.000Z

Loved Wind From the South!
I'm on the second pass reading it now; and expect to do it again. (Wonder where Mariarta will go and what she'll see next, too.)

A Wind from the South was a wonderful read! I down...

2006-01-02T16:11:00.000Z

A Wind from the South was a wonderful read! I downloaded it to my mac ibook laptop & read it over the course of a week or so. It was the first time I'd downloaded a book for other than reference & I found it just as enjoyable to read on the laptop at my desk (as compared to reading a paperback, say).

The story was great!! Typical Diane Duane characters that make the book come to life & then haunt you after you're finished reading. I will definitely find & read the previously published books in this series. Thanks, DD!