The Crystal Shard - Book Two - Chapter Sixteen

[kalinara]

So last chapter, we actually had some interesting things happen. We had a villain centered narrative that didn't make my eyes roll so much that they hurt, and we got some good Drizzt and Wulfgar development to boot. So here's hoping this chapter keeps up the momentum.

The name of the chapter is "Shallow Graves" by the way, so that's probably a good sign.

( I'll take what I can get )

Bloodlist - Introduction

[kalinara]

Now that I'm done with Dragonquest, I decided to go with something a little different for my next book. I'm not abandoning my goal to review all of the Pern novels, but sometimes I need a bit of a break. Variety is the spice of life and all.

That's why I decided to go in a different direction for this pick. Bloodlist is the first book of P.N. Elrod's Vampire Files (a quick Amazon search tells me that it's now for sale as part of "Vampire Files, Volume One", which is a compilation of the first three books.).

I remember getting this book from the library, reading it, and then quickly snatching up every other book in the series that I could find. Actually, to be more precise, I think I first started with one of the Gentleman Vampire novels starring Jonathan Barrett first. That's a prequel series centered around one of the side characters of book three or four, set just after the Revolutionary War. But I remember ultimately, I loved Jack's series best.

I saw a goodreads review of this book that criticized it as not feeling very much like a vampire novel, but instead like a 1930s detective story. And I think that's probably some of the appeal for me. This book was first published in 1990, long predating the Twilight inspired young adult vampire craze. At the time, the most influential vampire fiction was Anne Rice. This isn't anything like that either.

I remember it being more "the Shadow" than Anne Rice, if that makes sense.

If anything, from my memory, it reminds me a lot of the Dresden Files: a first person narrative, noir tinged, with a presumably straight, white male protagonist. It's even set in Chicago. I don't remember whether or not Jack has the same level of unconscious sexism that Harry does (which never really bothered me. I don't mind a flawed protagonist sometimes), but it wouldn't surprise me. Especially since the books are set in the 1930s.

I'm a little nervous about this, actually. The other books that I've chosen for this blog are ones that I remember as being enjoyable but severely flawed, and I knew ahead of time that my review was likely to be critical more than anything else. On the other hand, this is a book I remember very fondly. So I hope against hope that it holds up to my recollection. I don't expect it to be perfect, but I want it to be good.

So anyway, as this story's set in 1930's Chicago, we don't get a map this time. We also don't get a prologue. Instead, stay tuned, and we'll hop right in.

Bloodlist - Chapter One - A Dude Gets Hit By A Car

[kalinara]

So let's jump in, shall we?

( Well, I can't always think of interesting introductions, can I? )