Hades' Daughter

Sara Douglass
0765344424
2003

The first of a trilogy.  Brutus, the last of the Trojan kings, rounds up his people and takes them to the island of Albion to rebuild Troy.  As the original was, his new city was to be founded on the Game, the labyrinth that traps evil and protects the city above.  He would build it with the help of Genvissa, a powerful priestess with her own agenda.

I found this a little hard to read; it's an enthralling story, but the nature of the characters and the storyline itself just weren't that easy to like.  Still, the whole ultimate showdown between good and evil kept me going, and it paid off.  The story draws you in, and you spend the entire length of the story trying to figure out who is on which side, or even how many sides there are.

Date finished: 16/12/08
Year Total: 38

The Margarets

Sherri I Tepper
978-0-57508-0-478
2007

Margaret, the only child on a station orbiting Mars, invents other selves to pay with - a queen, a healer, a warrior... a whole collection of roles to lose herself in.  And without her knowing it, each of her selves find themselves living their own lives, while strings are pulled from much, much further away.

This is a big book, in size and scope.  Each Margaret has her own story and own cast of supporting characters, so I found I really had to concentrate to keep track of what was going on, even more so as things fell into place.

The story was well-told and not rushed, and was hard to put down.  I thought the end, with the final Margaret, was a little saccharine, but maybe she deserved that; I personally preferred the quieter fate of Sophia, but it was nice to see the promise of real progress.

Date finished: 10-12-08
Year total: 37

The Nosy Neighbor

Fern Michaels
074347749-9
2005

Romance, but at least there is a dog on the front cover and not a half naked male model, which was encouraging. A lot of this book is conversation, which meant I had to slow my regular reading speed right down, or the characters seemed to consist of deranged babbling – random sentences thrown together with no kind of pause in between.

Girl has a guy, who turns out to be the Bad Guy. Cue nosey neighbour, who is the Good Guy, add a sidekick, three dogs and a blizzard, and you have this story.

There were annoying bits throughout, not least the fact that for a couple of pages they changed the spelling of the Good Guy's name, and the overall tone was like a TV movie – too much implied emotion and the feeling that the book was rushed. Maybe if they'd added another five thousand words things would have slowed down to a more believable pace.

Year total: 36

The Oracle's Queen

Lynn Flewelling
0-73227749-3
2006

Tamir - formally Prince Tobin - has announced her intentions to restore Skala to its former glory.  Allegiances are declared, but Tamir must face her cousin Korin, touched by an evil wizard and convinced that he is the rightful king.

This series was great - the first and second books were absolutely riveting (I stayed up to midnight just to keep reading), while the third wrapped up the story convincingly.  There was one thing that I was wondering about that revealed how cunning the author was - a tiny thread woven through each book was revealed at the end to be part of a new series of books, which amused me and got me interested as well.

Year Total: 35

The Hidden Warrior

Lynn Flewelling
0-732-27712-4
2003

Book Two of the Tamir triad.

Tobin, the nephew of King Erius, is finally told of his heritage - he is a girl, hidden by magic from the lethal ambitions of his uncle, and destined to fulfill the prophecies of a new queen.  But between her and the throne is Erius, a formidable and terrifying king, and her beloved cousin Korin, who she has sworn to serve and protect.

Year Total: 34

The Bone Doll's Twin

Lynn Flewelling
0-732-27035-9
2001

First book of the Tamir Triad.

Skala, ruled by King Erius, is an unsettled country.  The prophecies speak of a queen, but after Erius' female relatives all die, what hope is there?

The king's sister, the last woman with royal blood, gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl.  Through magic, one child dies, and one lives.  But who is who?  And what is the demon that haunts the surviving child?

Year Total: 33

Bill, The Galactic Hero

Harry Harrison
1965
1-85798-805-8

The adventures of Bill, drafted into the troopers to fight the Chingers, a fearsome seven-foot-tall lizard (which turns out to be seven inches instead).  Quickly disillusioned with the army he was drugged into joining, he finds himself in all sorts of trouble with all sorts of people.

This is hilarious, and the technology imagined from the 60s is a welcome relief from the technical jargon that goes with most modern science fiction.  I wouldn't mind reading the rest of the Bill series, if I can find them.

Date finished: 05/11/08
Book Number: 32

Nobody True

James Herbert
1-405-04173-0

Jim True had a habit of leaving his body and wandering around London as a spirit, looking in on an oblivious humanity.  One night, his physical body is murdered while he is out and about, and he returns to find that he has nothing to come back to.

Unable to influence anything or communicate with anyone, and sunk in the misery that accompanies the realisation that he has left his wife and daughter alone, he hangs around, and learns more about his life and family than he could have imagined.  But why is he still here?  Is it simply a case of a haunting?  Or is he able to stop the serial killer that is stalking the city?

Some of the things he discovers were predictable - there are only so many family secrets that you can guess about - while some of Moker's habit took me by surprise.  While some of the digressions were interesting and revealed more about the main character, I thought that the ending was a little feel-good; the imparting of wisdom on forgiveness rang a little sugary, especially after the horrific events throughout the rest of the book.  Still, this was a good read; not too gory, but still unsettling and thought-provoking.

Finished: 04/11/08
Number: 31

No Flame but Mine

Tanith Lee
2008
ISBN 978-0-330-41311-4

From daughterofthenightcom, "Searching for the beautiful witch Jemhara, the magician Thryfe
at last finds her in the reinvented town of Kandexa, where a strange and passionate wooing begins. From this union
a son is born - golden-skinned, red-haired, blue-eyed - and thus the Lionwolf returns to the world of men.

Unaware of his birth, his original mother, the goddess Saftri has begun her own search for her lost love Althluan ...
while elsewhere the black and shining ones, the children of Chillel, seek to establish claims on the ice-locked planet.
Beyond, over, under all, the evil god Zzth rages and plans the ruin of these separate immortal lives.

Meanwhile, strafed by the tumult of such conflicting powers, the be-wintered Earth of mortals can only wait to learn
her destiny.(back cover copy)"

This book sort of wrapped up loose ends, but I didn't really follow the thread of Chillel's children very well, and glossed over that to some extent. 

All up, this trilogy was more enjoyable than most of the books that I've attempted lately, and has reignited an interest in Lee's books.

Not sure when I finished it (will really have to work harder at keeping track), but that was number 30 for the year.

Here in Cold Hell

Tanith Lee
2005
ISBN 0 330 41310 4

Book 2 of the Lionwolf Trilogy, and better than the first, if only because there is no 'perfect' hero riding around ruining it for everyone else.  In fact, his hell is more intriguing than Lionwolf himself.

Cast a Bright Shadow

Tanith Lee
2004
ISBN 0-330-41309-0

Finished last week sometime; have been really lazy and not reviewed it, but it was good enough to hold my interest, which is saying something at the moment.  Currently reading book 2 of the trilogy.

Highlander In Love

Julia London
2005
0-7434-6508-3

Half-naked man on the cover means I approached this book with a measure of skepticism, and the title means I really wasn't expecting much in the way of indepth prose.

Luckily, both cover and title belied the story itself, which had a healthy dose of humour and a lot of rural Scotland in it, making it more than readable. The love scenes I pretty much skipped over, but the ebb and flow of the story made it interesting enough without them anyway.

The author has apparently written about the other members of the family as well, but I don't think I'll be in a hurry to hunt them down. While this was a good weekend read, I'm just not that interested in the rest of the family.

Date Finished: 18/08/08
Year Total: 27

The Shadow Walker:

Murder at the Edge of the World
Michael Walters
2006
1-84724-080-1

The blurb on the back of book describes an horrific murder facing Nergui, chief of the Serious Crimes Team in Mongolia, so it came as a surprise that much of the story, including the entire first half, is told from the point of view of a British detective instead.

That small gripe aside, it was refreshing to read a murder mystery in such an exotic location, and the story came together at a good pace, without the sneak peeks at the bad guys that you usually get.

Nergui remained a mystery until the end, and while I didn't feel that the outcome was as sinister as the blurb predicted, it was realistic and retained the edginess right to the very last page. This was a good weekend book, as it was easy to get lost in.

Date Finished: 09/07/08
Year Total: 26

Intimate Letters

Bel Mooney
1997
0-7515-2261-9

Rosa McKee, just on the point of forgiving her husband for forgetting their 22nd wedding anniversary, is shocked when he dies of a heart attack, shattering her life.
But hard on the heels of her loss is the discovery of letters that he had written - love letters, to a mystery woman. Rosa's grief is replaced with fury, and as the betrayals mount up, she is forced to work through them, for no one can survive on hate alone.
This is very different to the books I generally read, and I found it stifling to be trapped in a first-person view for so long, especially as so much of the story happens in Rosa's mind. It was a relief to get it finished, and I have to admit, I don't think I'm the right kind of audience for this introspective, emotional journey.

Date Finished: 28/06/08
Year Total: 25

Reprisal

Peter Yeldham
1994
1-86412-020-7

Seven years after a near-perfect bank robbery in Sydney, the body of the only man caught turns up bobbing in Sydney Harbour. Detective Frank Borodin is put on the case by his boss McTaggart, who, although he has been obsessed with the case from the get-go, is a pain in the backside who is quickly relegated a fringe role. Borodin, his young partner and impossibly beautiful girlfriend throw themselves into the case, only to discover that it is not the main crime going on.

This was an entertaining read. Borodin is a fairly down-to-earth character, and was by far the most realistic - everyone else seemed exaggarated almost beyond a joke; Toby reminds me of an eager puppy, McTaggart is a bolshy political wannabe, while every man in the vicinity seems to fall in love with Joanna at first sight. Still, these are minor complaints, as each character is outshone by the storyline itself, which stayed interesting well after the showdown with the bad guy.

Date Finished: 23/06/08
Year Total: 24

The Officers' Ward

Marc Dugain
1998
1-86159-177-2

Lieutenant Adrian, arriving at the front lines at the beginning of the Great War, is blown up on his very first day and removed to Paris, where he spends the entire war in a hospital ward built especially for men who have lost their faces.

Between operations to repair the damage and rebuild what they can, Adrian finds three friends, and together they find the strength to continue living in the face of fear and pity in the outside world.

Written sparsely, this book is strangely moving; in spite of the sometimes bald narration, you are drawn in to the world of the sheltered and injured, so that the ending is both poignant and heartbreaking. This was a surprise find, and one that will be with me for a long time.

Date finished: 17/06/08
Year total: 23

Good Omens

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
1990
978-0-57508-0-485

The Antichrist has been born - the end times are coming. Or they would be, if anyone knew where the baby ended up. Two beings, one on each side, are desperate to find out, but not because they want to be there when Armageddon begins...

I read this years ago, and have remembered it as a great read. It's not - it's brilliant. Witty, entertaining and raising a couple of points that everyone should have thought of themselves, this is now one of my all-time favourites. Both authors or living legends, with legions of fans, and the combination (even if they admit it was before they were cool) is irresistible.

Date Finished: 12/06/08
Year Total: 22

Claudia: Daughter of Rome

Antoinette May
2006
0-7528-8660-2

The niece of Aggripina, (mother of Caligula) Claudia is no stranger to intrigue and politics, but as her story takes her from the arms of her family to her husband and her own family, she learns what true sorrow and pain is.

Gifted with the sight, she is tormented by her dreams, and devotes herself to her passions. Her story weaves in and out of accepted history; friends with Mary Magdalene and wife of Pontius Pilate, this is the story of an historical side note, richly fleshed out into an entertaining and absorbing read.

Date Finished: 10/06/08
Year Total: 21

The Moth Diaries

Rachel Klein
2002
0-571-22463-6

The diary of a 16yo girl at boarding school, with foreword and afterword by the diarist as an adult. Starting at the beginning, with the impatience of waiting for Lucy, her best friend and roommate, and detailing the way teenage life ebbs and flows and begins to spiral out of control.

As Lucy seemingly deserts the unnamed writer in favour of Ernessa, things start to deteriorate, and the writer's obsession with Ernessa grows.

This was a disturbing read, as things get more dangerous and the inevitable ending, I found it a relief to finish.

Date Finished: 04/06/08
Year Total: 20

Something Rotten

Jasper Fforde
2004
0-340-83558-3

Thursday Next is back from the world of fiction, and ready to fight once more for the return of her husband, both for her own sake and for that of her son, Friday.

This book is every bit as delicious and ridiculous as the other three that precede it, and just as addictive. Several things unwind through this story and are neatly wrapped up, and you are left with the feeling that although Thursday's part in Fforde's world may no longer be the starring role, we won't be left with nothing.

Definitely one of my favourite authors, but with one downfall - if I start to rave half as much as I want to about this story, I will be giving too much away. Take my word for it though: this is a book to entertain.

Date Finished: 28/05/08
Year Total: 19

Thirteen

Sebastian Beaumont
2006
1-905802-03

Stephen is a night-shift taxi driver. As he realises the state of exhaustion he is courting, he discovers that things that he has taken for granted are not what he thought - in one case, not part of the real world.

Although he is warned off, he is drawn increasingly to the world of Thirteen, growing more and more obsessed with the mysterious people who flit in and out of his life.

This started off promising, but as he got further and further in and felt that he was discovering a lot about himself, I felt that I wasn't getting anywhere. It seemed to get more confusing, and the ending felt like no ending whatsoever.

Disappointing.

Date Finished: 20-05-08
Year Finished: 18

Eddy Deco's Last Caper

Gahan Wilson
1987
0-07-0707-28-6

An illustrated mystery, this book is a fun, light and ridiculous way to spend a Sunday morning.

Date Finished: 10-05-08
Year Total: 17

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

G.W. Dahlquist
2006
0-670-91652-8

Written in a heavy, formal style and comprising over 700 pages, this book is immense, which is all the more surprising when you get to the end and realise that the entire story takes place within a matter of three days.

Miss Temple, suddenly and inexplicably dumped by her fiance, follows him, determined to find out why. She finds herself gatecrashing a terrible secret gathering, and endangers herself in the process. Cardinal Chang, scoundral for hire, finds himself at the same party, only to discover that the man he was hired to kill was already dead, and himself emboiled in the same dangerous conspiracy. And Dr Svenson, a foreigner trying to protect the idiotic prince he serves, lands in the middle of it as well. The three of them band together, fighting for their lives against a cabal armed with impossible powers.

Incredibly detailed, I found this story unique in that every moment is told from each point of view, presenting a horrifyingly vivid epic. I'm really pleased I stuck with this beyond the initial thought of such a big book written in such formal prose – the reward is infinitely worth it.

Date finished: 07/05/08
Year Total: 16

Miriam's Talisman

Eleanor Gill
2007
9781869507022

Miriam, Cloe's beloved grandmother, has died, and left all her possessions to Cloe, but the one that really matters is a strange pendant, which Chloe promises never to remove. Hannah, Cloe's mother, has been left nothing, and Chloe dreads breaking the news, but it is the sight of the pendant around her daughter's neck that Hannah is shocked by. Chloe, caught up in a mystery of her own, is too distracted to wonder why, but as she learns more, she realises that her perceptions of her mother and grandmother have been tainted.

This book got me thinking about the nature of family relationships, and how well we can know people without actually knowing anything about them. I think that Chloe made the right decision and that Miriam, caught up in events, is ultimately a figure to be pitied.

Date Finished: 19/04/08
Year Total: 15

Mistress of Death

Ariana Franklin
2007
978-0-593-05648-6

A murder mystery set in twelfth century England, being looked into by a European Jew, a Saracen, and a female pathologist, this does not start as a particularly realistic story.

The language is somewhat stilted, and my two favourite characters fall victim to the killer, so my interest in this story went up and down, depending. Adelia seems a character out of time, and would be more suited to a CSI-style novel than a medieval one.

Still, I was curious to see who the killer was (it wasn't who I thought it was), and then I was curious to see why there were so many pages to go after the big revelation.

Date finished: 15/04/08
Year total: 14

American Gods

Neil Gaiman
2001
0-7472-7417-7

Shadow is being released from prison a few days early. Not because of good behaviour, but because his wife, the one person he has in the world, has been killed. At a loss, Shadow takes up a job offer from a mysterious man, and embarks on the strangest of journeys, meeting the strangest of people.

There is a storm coming, a battle between old and new, and Shadow - big, quiet Shadow - has found himself in the middle of it. Haunted by his wife, and of the promise made to serve Wednesday, he travels all over America.

This is a riveting book. Gaiman weaves a story so far-reaching and enthralling that it becomes a compulsion to read. The characters are old, if not all familiar. and each revelation is unexpected. I admit, I was completely taken by surprise at the big climax, and the pages that followed were a good warm-down. Once again, Gaiman has given me another reason to start collecting his books, as I get the feeling this is one that will be even better the second time around.

Date finished: 10/04/08
Year total: 13

Tall, Dark and Cajun

Sandra Hill
2003
0-446-61294-4

I haven't read a trashy romance for years, so I hit this one with a bit of apprehension, expecting something wildly entertaining but not very deep. And that's what I got: the characters were sketched in only as much as they needed to be, and the plot was almost obscured by pages and pages of sexual tension.

The first thing that struck me was the language. Some parts were laugh-out-loud corny ('She stared at him hungrily, as if he were a Whitmans sampler and she was a chocoholic.'), while some of it seemed almost old-fashioned in the language. That said, I was surprised by how entertaining this book actually was. While the ending was already determined, the story itself had enough turns to keep me interested, and the final few pages contained a promise from the author to write the stories of some of the other characters. While I don't think I'll actively hunt them down, I will be taking a closer look at the romance section at the library.

Date Finished: 05/04/08
Year Total: 12

Unseen Unheard Unknown

Sarah Hamilton-Byrne
1995
0-14-01743406

Raised in a private compound belonging to a secretive cult, Sarah spends her childhood and puberty in the centre of what it known as The Family. This is her story, from earliest memory to her escape, and the struggle she has faced to adapt to the outside world.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but her style is friendly and casual, and easy to get lost in. She is very respectful of the brothers and sisters who shared her ordeal, and is careful to make sure the reader is aware that she speaks only for herself and of her own experiences.

Of her experiences, I am a little torn. On one hand, I admit that I can't comprehend the sheer misery and fear that she has tried to convey - the incidents she recalls are horrific - and at the same time I am awed by the strength she has had to overcome her depression and suicidal thoughts.

Date Finished: 02/03/08
Year Total: 11

The Fog

James Herbert
1975
0-450-03045-8

Nothing is as insubstantial as fog, so when it's the enemy, how do you fight it?

An earthquake releases a fog into the English countryside, where it roams at the mercy of the wind, sending any creature it touches completely insane. Holman, exposed and apparently immune, is left to try and convince that his story isn't fantasy, and to figure out how you fight a mist.

This is one of those horrors that unnerve you - there is normality mixed with unimaginable craziness. There is no central bad guy; everyone has the potential to lose their mind, so there is an uneasiness rather than an out-and-out fear, which seems even scarier.

There were several points in this book where I had to put it down altogether to get my head around what was happening, but it was also a story where I really had to know how it ended.

There was one thing that I thought was missed from the ending - the fate of McLellan's family wasn't told - but aside from that I thought this was riveting, and made more so for two reasons: it was set in England rather than America, and it was written in the 70s, so there wasn't the annoying convenience of technology like mobile phones and the internet.

Another reason why James Herbert is becoming my favourite author.

Date Finished: 20/03/08
Year Total: 10

Lord John & The Brotherhood of the Blade

Diana Gabaldon
2007
978-844-13201-0

Gabaldon admits that her books contain vast numbers of characters to keep track of, and this one is certainly no different. In spite of losing track and just flowing, this is a good read.

Lord John this time investigates his father's death, years before, after his brother receives a page torn from his fathers stolen journal. Along the way he is distracted by both a romantic addition to his life and family, and a campaign against the French.

I've always been a fan of Diana Gabaldon, so I knew this was going to be an enjoyable book, even if I forgot who was who among the background characters.

Date Finished: 16/03/08
Year Total: 9

The Time Travellers Wife

By Audrey Niffenegger
2004
0-099-46446-4

One of those books that everyone raves about and insists you absolutely must read, I decided to avoid it, and only bought it as part of a bulk-buy at secondhand shop.

It was okay - a love story all out of order, caught between the nice, lineal life of Clare and the scattergun timeline of Henry, who suffers a rare genetic defect that sees him pushed and pulled thru-out his personal timeline.

Timeline stories generally frustrate me or overwhelm me with technical details; this is the first one that I felt comfortable with. Things are more or less told as you need to know as you need to know them, and the bits that are witheld are revealed eventually.

There is humour in this book, mixed in with the love and pain and fear. Altogether, it came out as an okay book, but to be honest I still don't understand the hype surrounding this story.

Date Finished: 02/03/08
Year Total: 8

Search for the Strangler

Casey Sherman
2003
ISBN 0-446-61468-8

The nephew of the Strangler's last victim, Mary Sullivan, Sherman was introduced to the tragedy by his mother as a teenager, learning that she never believed Albert DeSalvo - the man the State chose - did it.

Deciding to unearth the truth, Sherman starts his own investigation, growing more determined as the authorities refused to co-operate or share what they knew, and even refused to show at scheduled meetings. Using the media to force the state to help, Sherman makes enough headway to prove that DeSalvo was not the Boston Strangler, and leaves the state with two important questions to answer: who did kill all those women, and who is going to be blamed for letting convenient politics get in the way of justice?

Date Finished: 19/02/08
Year Total: 7

Son of a Witch

Gregory Maguire
2005
ISBN 0-06-08994-2

Following on from Wicked, this story follows the son of the Wicked Witch of the West, Liir, and his journey from vague child to man.

Starting in the middle and recounting Liir's travels from the Witch's mountain castle to the depths of the most notorious prison in Oz, to the squelchy, wet south, where he must face who he could be and what his obligations are.

It's been a while since I read Wicked, and found that I missed having a map to figure out where things were. Most of the characters were easy to remember, although there wasn't much of the sense of meeting old friends, and the ending suggested that there will be another chance to meet them again in another book.

Date finished: 13/02/08
Year Total: 6

Ocean's End

Colin Woodard
2000
0-465-01571-9

From the Black Sea to the Southern Ocean, Woodard has travelled the seas, talking to anyone he could along the way. Everyone told him the same thing, which he has turned into a compelling and disheartening book: the oceans are in a bad way and getting worse.

While there are accounts of beautiful coral reefs and unique wildlife, ultimately this book filled me with despair. Written in 2000, several predictions have already been fulfilled, most notably the disastrous effects a full force hurricane would have on New Orleans. It seems the rest is coming true as well, at a slower rate.

I learnt a lot from this, and really wish it was required reading for everyone; a good dose of environmentalism is clearly what is needed, and this book delivers in spades.

Date Finished: 06/02/08
Year Total: 5

Murder Most Fab

Julian Clary
2007

I admit it - I love Julian Clary. Or at least, I loved his Christmas pantos that were on when I was a kid. Although I knew I missed most of the jokes, they were still fun, and I was expecting much of the same here.

Johnny D's life just seems to happen; he stumbles onto a lucrative career as a male prostitute, and from there to being rich and famous, all seemingly without effort or intent - much like the way he kills.

Much of this book shocked me - it's been a while since I read anything so blatant - and towards the end I was starting to really dislike everyone involved, but as Johnny realised what Catherine had done I surprised myself by agreeing with him: I could see the humour in it all as well, even while thinking that it was horribly wrong.

Date Finished: 31/01/08
Year Ended: 4

The Athena Factor

Michael Gear
2005
ISBN 0-765-35023-8

DNA. Everyone who has seen a crime show knows how easy it is obtain. So why is there a group going to extraordinary - and well-publicised - lengths to gain the DNA of Hollywood's glittering elite? Oscar winner Sheela Marks is one of the targets, and it's her security team, Lymon Bridges and Christal Anaya who must find out why.

While bits of this story annoyed me - Anaya is so perfect that every man who sees her wants her - the story itself is compelling enough that I was happy to overlook the cliches. It moves along at a good pace, and has a good blend of humour and action. While there were long, detailed explanations about genetics, they were easy to absorb, and even made the story feel more movie-like.

The ending was like the rest of the book - realistic enough to be very slightly unsatisfactory, but more importantly, this book makes you think, and presents a worrying future.

Finished: 19/01/08
Year Total: 3

Trade Me: The Novel

Geoff Vause
2006
ISBN 978-0-473-11476-3

I thought this book would be a quick, fun read about something that has become part of kiwi life: buying and selling on Trade Me, with all that goes with it.

Unfortunately it started off with promise and started going downhill from there. I'm not sure if it's been written specifically for Aucklanders (of which I am not one), but I found things sliding from uncomfortable to silly to ludicrous.

Date Finished: 12/01/08
Year Total: 2

The Vampyre

Tom Holland
1995
ISBN 0-7515-1361-X

Byron, one of the romantic figures in history, plagued by rumours, supposition and his own moody temperament, has long been the main ingredient for writers of vampire fiction, and although I was expecting something equally as common and cliched here, I've read another book by Holland on vampires that was impressive, so I was more optimistic with this one.

Tracing Byron's first Tour of Europe, we discover how he comes to his death and rebirth, and his struggles with what he becomes. He becomes the Emperor of the vampires, ruling them from Venice while he wiles away lives and people, eventually giving in to his dissatisfaction with his life.

I found this book relatively tedious, and the fact that it's related as a story to another character, complete with extra quote marks, became irritating. The ending was no ending at all, and the story in general did nothing but make me wonder if Polidori was bad enough in real life to warrant the persecution from various authors.

I'm pleased I read this book, as average as it was, because it has underlined how much I like Holland's first book, but I don't think I'll read any more fictional books about Byron; it seems he's too obvious a subject.

Date Finished: 10/01/08
Year Total: 1