Geophyrd
08-Jan-2007, 07:41 PM
This is a reprint of my amazon review...
I'm a fan of Jemiah's. I read both her novels (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/102-9566509-0577705?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Jemiah%20Jefferson)and her blog (http://terebi-me.livejournal.com/)and although we've never met, I'm guessing we'd be friends if we ever did.
I first read Voice of the Blood when I was going through a wierd period in which I found myself reading a lot of vampire fiction. I've always liked horror and I found VOTB a terrific read. Fast, easy with plenty of spice to its flavor. I like Ariane and missed her as the central character in the sequels. She was always there, but in Wound and Fiend, she was relegated to a supporting role in favor of Daniel Blum and then Orfeo Ricari.
In A Drop of Scarlet (henceforth referred to as ADOS), we shift to a multicharacter focus. Ariane's research into her vampiric condition is beginning to bear fruit. Her research is about finding something to help her only-half-sane-yet-still-likable husband John who was improperly made into a vampire at the end of VOTB.
And then we see some of the supporting characters to the rest of the sequels coming together.
I won't say more about plot but instead focus on the writing. Ms. Jefferson's writing has matured, grown more capable of telling a complex story efficiently. I complained some time ago that I still had no idea what happened to Daniel (still reminds me for no good reason of Daniel Ash of Love and Rockets fame) at the end of one of the books (name withheld). His relationship with the sybaritic and destructive Sybil seemed destined to be the end of him...but at the conclusion of the story, I wasn't sure.
Then with Fiend, Orfeo became the central focus and a character that I didn't even like all that much became my favorite.
This book is very very good. All along, Ms. Jefferson's writing has been compared to that of Anne Rice except I stopped reading Ms. Rice's writing when it was clear that she'd forgotten how to tell a story anyone cared about. By the last series, could anyone actually tell the difference between any of Ms. Rice's vampires other than Lestat?
But now with ADOS, we have multiple vampires. Unlike Rice, they have very distinctive voices and they're fun to read. I like the stories and have reread them multiple times. I'll reread ADOS again, probably soon...and I am very much looking forward to the next one!
I'm a fan of Jemiah's. I read both her novels (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/102-9566509-0577705?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Jemiah%20Jefferson)and her blog (http://terebi-me.livejournal.com/)and although we've never met, I'm guessing we'd be friends if we ever did.
I first read Voice of the Blood when I was going through a wierd period in which I found myself reading a lot of vampire fiction. I've always liked horror and I found VOTB a terrific read. Fast, easy with plenty of spice to its flavor. I like Ariane and missed her as the central character in the sequels. She was always there, but in Wound and Fiend, she was relegated to a supporting role in favor of Daniel Blum and then Orfeo Ricari.
In A Drop of Scarlet (henceforth referred to as ADOS), we shift to a multicharacter focus. Ariane's research into her vampiric condition is beginning to bear fruit. Her research is about finding something to help her only-half-sane-yet-still-likable husband John who was improperly made into a vampire at the end of VOTB.
And then we see some of the supporting characters to the rest of the sequels coming together.
I won't say more about plot but instead focus on the writing. Ms. Jefferson's writing has matured, grown more capable of telling a complex story efficiently. I complained some time ago that I still had no idea what happened to Daniel (still reminds me for no good reason of Daniel Ash of Love and Rockets fame) at the end of one of the books (name withheld). His relationship with the sybaritic and destructive Sybil seemed destined to be the end of him...but at the conclusion of the story, I wasn't sure.
Then with Fiend, Orfeo became the central focus and a character that I didn't even like all that much became my favorite.
This book is very very good. All along, Ms. Jefferson's writing has been compared to that of Anne Rice except I stopped reading Ms. Rice's writing when it was clear that she'd forgotten how to tell a story anyone cared about. By the last series, could anyone actually tell the difference between any of Ms. Rice's vampires other than Lestat?
But now with ADOS, we have multiple vampires. Unlike Rice, they have very distinctive voices and they're fun to read. I like the stories and have reread them multiple times. I'll reread ADOS again, probably soon...and I am very much looking forward to the next one!