Interview with a Vampire was Anne Rice’s first vampire book. It tells the stories of Louis and Claudia…two vampires created by Lestat a vampire outcast.
After nearly 400 years, Louis has decided to tell his story. It’s long-winded, whiney and overly emo. Overall I wasn’t too impressed with the story. It was too alien, too fatalistic. In the end I cared for none of the vampires and was horrified at the interviewer.
But perhaps that was the point.
Kim Newman decided to rewrite the end of Dracula…I’m really not sure who we should blame1.
The book isn’t bad. It’s just too much of a montage. Every pulp/vampire/horror/gothic figure is there…except maybe Blacula. Dracula is now Prince Regent to Queen Victoria. Vampires & Humans live in an X-Men universe kind of peace. The heroes of Dracula are either dead or undead, with the notable exception of Dr. Seaward…who has become Jack the Ripper. This time, however, he’s killing vampire whores.
But the fun doesn’t stop there.
We’ve got Sherlock Homes, the Stokers, Genevieve, Moreau, Dr. Jekyll, and any one else that appeared in 19th century literature, history or otherwise. Some only make cameos, some are main characters, some are only mentioned, but all are there.
The amount of characters in this book was truly phenomenal. Newman only concentrated on fleshing out the main ones as most of the characters had already been fleshed out by their creators (or were real people themselves).
And plot? Find Jack the Ripper, and a little subplot of depose Dracula. Not much to go on as really the author only seems to want you to care about her spotlight montage.
It is a fun read if a little depressing. For the entire monstrosity, Newman gives the monsters as much humanity as any live man…more so in some ways. I liked Genevieve and I mourned for her immortality. I think that was want the author was truly commenting on. Immortality is truly a bitch.
This is a not-so-typical vampire novel. The androgen considers themselves god’s perfect creatures. They are all female whose male counter parts appear at puberty and disappear at menopause. The males must hunt for energy among normal humans. They use sex to get it.
This story is about Clea an androgen that feels guilty about what the male side of her has done. She is confessing to the police and hopes to end her life and that of her male counter part, Richard.
This is where the story begins. The book is full history of Clea and Richard but it is also a very human look at the life of another race. It lets you care for the characters and gives you reason to cheer for them.
However I did find the female sides very shallow. I found myself caring more for the monstrous male sides more.
McKinley’s latest novel is an imaginative modern tale of vampires. Sunshine and Con, the vampire she saves, work together to save world from an evil vampire. Sunshine is strong and opinionated. McKinley gives a vibrant tale of living life, experience and the beauty of light and the shadows it casts. Overall I loved the novel. Still it has it has its problems. Like most of McKinley’s novels things are said which are never explained. The story itself seems like a beginning of a series. Like the Blue Crown, it is a snap shot that may never be continued. If you like all your questions answered you will not get them from this book. It makes it frustrating because it is so intriguing. I don’t know if the author never bothered to figure it out or just decided not to include it.
Still it was beautiful. The characters deeper than they first appear. It was beautiful.
This is an older copy of the Vampire Encyclopedia. New editions have been updated with the latest additions to Vampire fiction. This book came out shortly after the movie, Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the early 90’s. It is a listing of vampire myth, literature, fiction, TV shows, and movies from around the world. Not only is it extremely interesting for any one interested in Vampires it is essential for reading pastiche books without having read all the background info for those books. I read it just before reading Anno Dracula, by mistake not by design, but it made reading that book more enjoyable.
If you are interested in Vampire lore, this is a must have book.
The second Darkangel novel by Pierce continues the adventures of the child vampire bride Aeriel. Dissatisfied in marriage and life she is determined to make right the world.
As in the last novel the plot is painfully obvious. It is again made even more painful by Aeriel naivety. The savior is of course the beautiful writing and lustrous style Pierce gives her world. The story is satisfying and like any good fairy tale there is a beautiful happily ever after.
New friends and old join the heroine on her quest given to Aeriel in a riddle. it is a fun novel for young girls and again I would recommend picking it up. It has a sweet innocence that many young adult novels lack anymore.
Again this is a Book Crossing book. So head over to http://www.bookcrossing.com to see if you can find it. Or get a copy from Amazon.
This is one of those books on the verge of Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
At its center this is a Beauty and the Beast tale. However Ms. Pierce has taken one of my very favorite fairy tales and has given it a sublime feel. The beauty is almost mechanical, the evil almost innocent.
This book has an otherworldly feel, and tale is extremely fantastic in its elements. Do not expect to understand everything in this first book. Enjoy the moment folks, this book is set in the now.