Tomes of Shadowstalking

Welcome to the land of shadows, where evil is the greatest power, where nightfall marks the birth of terror, where your very soul is at risk. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with black magic and dark souls and encounter the monsters rule these wicked places.

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Arkady Tsepesh struggled long and hard to thwart his many times great-uncle's plans to continue his unholy, immortal existence, if by no other expedient than dying himself before Vlad Dracula could consign his soul to the devil. His uncle, however, had other plans. It has been twenty-five years since Arkady "died" and now Dracula is once again able to move about freely. His objective is to track down Arkady's infant son--now a grown man--and condemn his soul to the devil to continue his own immortal life. This time, however, Arkady is no mere mortal to be brushed aside. A vampire himself, he has the strength and the desire--if not the power and experience--to stop his ancestor, and he is not entirely alone. For even a vampire might have allies among the living, especially if they are those whom he loves more than life itself and they once loved--and still love--him. Now it is a race to Arkady's son, Stefan, and the redemption of the Tsepesh family. But who will emerge triumphant in this battle of immortals?

Children of the Vampire continues the story--albeit with a quarter-century intermission--begun in Covenant with the Vampire. Once again we experience the untold story before the opening of Bram Stoker's Dracula, told from the points-of-view of the figures who lived them. Through these chronicles we experience the heartache, grief, joy, and sorrow of the unwilling contributors to the tragedies faced by Jonathan Harker and his cohort yet twenty-five years into the future.

I think, perhaps, that the most impressive thing about this book is the complexity of the relationships and interactions of the characters. Taking into account the inhuman natures of some of the characters, they all behave like "real" people with convincing mannerisms and believable reactions. When characters love each other, it is with good reason, plainly stated in the text. When characters hate each other, their motives for doing so appear in big, bold words that no one can miss. Whether it's brother and brother, or nephew and uncle, or father and son, the relationships shine through with terrible clarity, making each moment in the book that much more poignant and awful.

Children of the Vampire is a must-read for any vampire fan, but I strongly recommend reading its predecessor and Dracula before picking up this book. Really, the only way to fully realize everything that's happening in this book is to understand what happened in Stoker's novel first, so what are you waiting for? Get the books and read!

Buy this book in paperback or visit the Cosmic Tomes Bazaar for other titles.

Looking for something that's no longer there? Check in the Archive to search for it.

Comments? Suggestions? Just click here to send me e-mail. Also, if this review prompted you to read the book, then let me know. I appreciate knowing I made a difference in somebody's life.

You are the th visitor to this page since April 1, 2000.

Back Home Back to Starfire Reviews

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page