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!

It is 1955, and for polio-stricken Helen Wells, life is simply something to pass the time until she dies. At least, it is until an artist arrives in her neighborhood to restore the glass windows at the nearby church. Then, things start to change for Helen and her entire family. First, her uncle gets called in to solve a case involving what, incredibly, seems to be a vampire at work. Then, as her relationship with the artist, one Stephen Austra, continues to develop, Helen learns the truth about her own mixed heritage. Finally, it becomes painfully clear to them all that there is another being at work, an immortal who, unlike Stephen, longs for a death that no one but Stephen can provide. Can Helen, even in embracing the heritage that Stephen offers her, help to stop a depressed and empty vampire before his yearning for death destroys them all?

Shattered Glass isn't your ordinary vampire novel. These vampires, for example, don't leave behind messy victims who rise from their graves lusting violently after the blood of the living. Which, in a way, is good, since it keeps the number of involved characters from rising too high. It also keeps the story from becoming too gory, what with corpses lying around needing stakes pounded into their hearts and all. Compared to some other vampire novels I've read, this one is nearly romantic.

Like many vampire novels, this one is inevitably going to involve situations of a sexual nature. Don't let that stop you from reading, though. There's a lot going on that holds the attention better than anything having to do with carnal copulations or one night stands. There's the continuing theme of the glassworks, and how Stephen--who himself had assisted in the creation of the church's windows in the first place--has returned with the original formulas to do a proprer restoration...which is easy since he made them in the first place! And then there's the mystery of Helen's heritage and what it will cost her to embrace it. Need I go on? But there are some unsettling scenes, including various attempts at suicide, cold-blooded killings, and what would in other circumstances be considered as rape, although the victim was forced to be willing. Confusing? Just be careful when you read the book, that's all.

If you're a timid reader, then don't read this novel. If you're a rather puritanical reader, then don't read this novel. If, however, you're a huge vampire fan in search of details that humanize and mythologize vampires, then this is definitely a book for you! Shattered Glass may not wholly embrace all the characteristics of the traditional vampires, but it definitely establishes a new breed of vampire worth reading about!

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