Blood Colony

African Immortals #3

by Tananarive Due

Acclaimed for seven novels, ranging from supernatural thrillers to historical fiction, which have garnered her a multitude of fans and awards, Tananarive Due now imagines the story of an ancient group of immortals - a hidden African clan that has survived for more than a thousand years - facing one of the most challenging issues of our time: the AIDS/HIV pandemic.

There's a new drug on the street: Glow. Said to heal almost any illness, it is distributed by an Underground Railroad of drug peddlers. But what gives Glow its power? Its main ingredient is blood - the blood of immortals. A small but powerful colony of immortals is distributing the blood, slowly wiping out the AIDS epidemic and other diseases around the world.

Meet Fana Wolde, seventeen years old, the only immortal born with the Living Blood. She can read minds, and her injuries heal immediately. When her best friend, a mortal, is imprisoned by Fana's family, Fana helps her escape and together they run away from Fana's protected home in Washington State to join the Underground Railroad.

But Fana has more than her parents to worry about. Glow peddlers are being murdered by a violent, hundred-year-old sect with ties to the Vatican. Now, when Fana is most vulnerable, she is being hunted to fulfill an ancient blood prophecy that could lead to countless deaths.

While her people search for Fana and race to unravel the unknown sect's mysterious origins, Fana must learn to confront the deadly forces - or she and everyone she loves will die.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Vampires, African American

432 pages, Hardcover

First published June 3, 2008

About the author

TANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is the award-winning author of The Wishing Pool & Other Stories and the upcoming The Reformatory ("A masterpiece"--Library Journal). She and her husband, Steven Barnes, co-wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, "Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!"

A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.

Reviews

[Phyllis | Mocha Drop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the positive reception and number of raving reviews for Tananarive Due's latest novel, Blood Colony, it is quite evident that my commentary will be in the minority based on my "3-star," middle of the road rating for the book. It is the first time I have ever applied an average rating to one of her novels, especially when I am a fan of the Immortal series. Like others, I pre-ordered my copy to ensure I would have it as soon as it dropped. While I LOVED My Soul To Keep and liked The Living Blood, I found Blood Colony to be just "OK" -- a good novel, but not of exceptional caliber.

The novel opens with an alert 17-year-old Fana fully emerged from the seemingly self-induced years-long trance finally participating in the "world" as secluded as it may be. The Wolde clan, along with selected friends and life brother supporters, have sequestered themselves within the Washington forest and secretly share the "living" blood with third world, remote countries under the guise of it being an experimental pharmaceutical drug. However, there is evidence that an underground distribution network exists in North America. With the blood as its catalyst, an illegal drug called Glow, is in demand with a high street value making it the target of governmental crackdowns with harsh penalties and punishments to those involved with its manufacture and distribution. It does not take long to figure out that Fana (without her parent's permission or knowledge) is the primary source of the blood that fuels Glow's production. Without divulging too much of the plot, Fana runs away from the safety of the complex with good guys, bad guys, and the government hot on her tail. The chase is afoot and we follow along and watch the body count increase at nearly every turn.

It is difficult for me to explain what did not quite work for me with this otherwise well-written and well-conceived novel. Perhaps it is the shift to Fana and away from one of my favorite characters, Dawit, who, in this episode, was relegated to a seemingly perfunctory role of neutered husband. It might have been the continued emphasis on Fana. I suppose it was time for her light to shine (no pun intended) and there is no doubt that everyone (including the reader) is supposed to love Fana as the enlightened one with extraordinary skills who holds the future of mankind in her veins. I "got" that this novel showed her as less monster, more human: she is a vulnerable, typical, confused, misguided teenager who throws caution to the wind and lives dangerously with no clue regarding the life-threatening consequences of her actions. In the span of one novel, she zooms through first crush, first kiss, to a ten-year engagement rooted in a questionable, antediluvian prophecy. Unfortunately, I failed to be enamored or empathetic with her in The Living Blood and still did not really connect with her or her friends (do-gooders to a fault) in this novel. Maybe it was the familiarity of themes used in other novels: the telepathic, humanitarian aspects elicited vibes from Octavia Butler's Patternmaster series, the evil Sanctus Cruor seemed akin to the misunderstood Opus Dei of The DaVinci Code fame.

Another annoyance is Jessica's (and now Fana's) overbearing, blinding insistence to share the blood (regardless of the ramifications to their friends and family) comes off as near fanaticism. Following the "like mother, like daughter" mantra, it is now both the Jessica and Fana's decisions that continue to endanger everyone around them while trying to save the innocent masses from disease, suffering, and death. I know that the light and goodness will prevail (or at least I hope so), but in order to pull it off, this hodgepodge family/team really needs to get it together because throughout this novel, it was more than apparent that they could barely save themselves let alone humanity. Last, buried in the pages, there is the banter and discussions from previous novels surrounding the social and philosophical arguments that continue to buoy the plot: Who does the blood really belong to? Who should benefit from it? Who decides who gets it? Should it be rationed? What is the cost of immortality? Is it really worth it? Where did it really come from?

Despite the shortcomings I have with the novel, I am still a fan of the author and will no doubt purchase and read anything she releases, however I am not nearly as anxious for the next installment of the Immortal Series as I was for previous releases - especially if Fana and Michel are at the center of it. YAWN! Here is hoping the trek back to Lalibela will focus more on the Life Brothers and their collective and individual histories, maybe a reappearance of Khaldun, or other supporting characters that seem to have fallen off the pages during this latest episode.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub
July 26, 2008

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This starts slowly for me. I'd say the full first half of the book is just painfully slow. Once it gets going, the action is worth it. This is an interesting story and I'd give it 3.75 stars.

[Rashida · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what I hate (besides reviews that get lost and make you try to retype verbatim, revealing how fickle your memory has become)? Plots that are propelled by nothing more than otherwise smart people making one series of stupid decisions after another. And not just stupid decisions, but truly, literally ignorant decisions. As in, the person/people you love most in the world and are closest to (physically and spiritually) have all the information to be able to piece together the answers to your queries. But instead of asking the questions, you decide to go run off all half-cocked and do your damnedest to actively avoid asking those questions. Due is better than this. The first two installments in this series, The Living Blood in particular, are works of near genius that plumb the depths of the human experience, let you intimately know these individual characters, and scare the crap out of you. Where before we got meditations on the legacy of racism, war, religion, parenting, love, and death; we now get a reflection on stupid teenagers in puppy love who are mad at mommy and daddy. Fantastic. The new wrinkle in the backstory that is introduced makes little sense and seems nakedly deployed to make the existence of a fourth book possible. It is a testament to Due's writing skill that this book still gets three stars, because the squandering of her talent makes me angry.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the Immortals series and the concept very much. I ma sad to say this is my least fav of the books in the series. I read this book so that I could read the new release in the series.
I am not a big fan of a teenager being the narrator of an adult series. I wanted to read more about Dawit and the Life Brothers.

[Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook (19 hours) narrated by Patricia R. Floyd

Love Patricia R. Floyd as a narrator! This is not my first time with her narrating. She is fantastic, was a great pick. I was thrilled to see her name, and not just because of the horrible strugglebus that was the narration of the first two books; My Soul to Keep, and The Living Blood; both with the mess that was Peter Francis James freely and audibly enjoying cough drops or mints, gulping, wet swallowing, audible deep inhaling, etc. I just needed someone else. That the someone else was someone who I have enjoyed in the past, was a bonus.
The audio is of a high quality, without distortion or erroneous noises. There are no discernible edits. It's a clean narration from start to finish.
I found a good speed to listen to be from 1x to 2.4x speed. I did go above the 2.4x speed once I had listened for a bit, but only for the first half as it was just so slow, the story not the narration. The audio and narration is clear enough to be able to listen and understand without strain, although I did find it more enjoyable to listen at or below 2.4x speed once the story was back in gear.

As I mentioned in the review of the audio part of my review, the first 50% of Blood Colony is very slow. It isn't a slog. There's a time jump from the previous book, so we are playing catchup on where everyone is. There is also an introduction of some new characters. They are also in a new space, so there is some descriptions and comparisons to the previous two books. There's a little bit going on and it is kind of interesting but it's just kinda meh.

At about 48%, it feels like things are going to start happening, and almost right at the 50% point, it gets more involved and interesting.

While I liked the story overall and really liked the second half of the book, I didn't like the character building of Fana. While I don't have a problem with her 17 year old character, the things that she did and the decisions that she made, as she is 17 and I felt that she was being age appropriate, her development from the beginning to the end of the book was horrible. She grew, but without explanation, which is odd as Tananarive Due generally does a fantastic job character building. The authors understanding of people and her ability to really get in there is one of the things that I really love about her writing. Due also has this knack of being able to layer in a way that creates this intensity, that if the reader isn't paying attention may not know where it's coming from but will still feel it as it's coming in from multiple directions. That was also lacking, as what was there was uninteresting, to me.

I think that I really didn't care what Fana's thoughts and ideas were. Her actions were so predictable as were those of the three she was with. The novel was a majority written about Fana and those she was with, so the interesting things happening with other characters that I already am invested in were mentioned very sporadically.

I am hoping that this book was just to advance the story and that My Soul to Take with be a good finish, as I believe this is a tetralogy, a series of four books, especially since the last book was published in 2011. I have started the final book, and it seems to have a good start, although I was surprised to see yet another narrator, Kim Staunton, who I had the pleasure of listening too at least once before with Kindred. I was just surprised as I felt that Patricia R. Floyd had done a nice job capturing and creating Fana's adult voice. So we will see what happens.

Recommend.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't as impressed with this final book in Ms. Due's My Soul to Keep trilogy. There was too many unnecessary scenes included in the story. The originality of the storyline was there, but other storyline did not interest me. The end of the second book should have been it. It was just an okay read.

[jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

added later. i would discourage people from reading this book without having first read at least The Living Blood, but optimally My Soul to Keep too. i think 2/3 or its meaning would be lost.

this is the third in tananarive due's living blood trilogy, a brilliant investigation of life, death, race, slavery, parenting, faith, aging, destiny, grief, love and some other seventy-three topics, woven seamlessly in masterful page turners. you could read all three books and think they are nothing but adventure. or you could have your world turned upside down.

me, i had my world turned upside down by the realization that there are story-tellers who can go extremely deep and extremely wide while barely breaking the surface of the water. i have read my milan kundera, my franz kafka, my flannery o'connor. they deal in portentous metaphors and soul-stirring narratives. tananarive due is no lesser scholar of the human condition, but her probings can be easily consumed on the beach. this, to me, is brilliance.

***major spoilers ahead***

in Blood Colony fana, whom we had left catatonic at the end of The Living Blood, is a regular if extraordinarily gifted teenager, eager to escape the protection and worship of the colony that was built for and around her and, well, save the world.

her otherworldly gifts have vastly diminished. the little kid who could kill with a thought and cause hurricanes with a mood needed to be retrained in the mind arts because her most lethal and devastating gifts were left on the other side of her many years of catatonic trance.

this is a narrative whose key comes at the very end. TD's genius consists, among other things, in keeping the key to the narrative deeply cloaked, or, in the novel's terms, masked. the key is that a certain kind of power comes only from evil. goodness is powerful too, but its power is slower, less flashy, more gentle, meeker. so, fana's confusion, her teen-age clumsiness, her desire for escape inside herself, her weakness, are simply the result of a choice that was made for her by her parents, in particular her mother (that jessica, what a character!). whereas little fana of The Living Blood is a force to be reckoned to, 17-year-old fana of Blood Colony has been brought up right by two generations of women who put god (not his blood or his magic, but his imperative to love and be decent) at the core of their lives and is a much more fragile (human?) kid. the fact that beatrice refuses the blood with such desperate conviction (she's terrified her wishes will be disregarded, and they almost are), speaks louder than just about anything else in this novel. who knows if what runs in fana's, dawit's, and jessica's veins in christ's own blood? what this woman who's lived her life with integrity since day one knows is that you don't mess with human life (or lives).

it is wondrous to me how TD can write a novel about good immortals, can even endow her heroes with immortality, while consistently presenting immortality in such an ambiguous, equally tragic and glorious, light. the balancing act impresses me deeply. i imagine this woman sitting at her computer in the morning and i wonder how she managed to keep her many compasses so steadily and unwaveringly focused in the direction of moral and emotional complexity. there are no easy solutions or easy choice in these novels. it is the constant act of choosing what seems right that is always at the front of the page. what seems right, though, is never clearly right. righteousness and goodness are always cloaked in a gentle mist and we can discern them only in silhouettes and hues. also, they invariably come with a toll of pain. TD is a writer who understand that goodness, love, pain, and death always come in unbreakable company.

it is only at the end, when fana meets michel, that we realize that fana could have easily been wiser, smarter, less fumbling, and incredibly more powerful. this, however, would have come at the price we all pay when we act with hubris, overstepping the boundaries of our finitude and humanity: the death of her soul. what saves fana and her family are not the gimmicks of a powerful blood, but the wisdom of sacrifice in the service of others.

[R. Cielo Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible journey. This volume.of the African Immortals series felt so vast and full on every level: the character development, the plot, the arc, the world-building, the emotion, the ending!!!! Fana is a strong, resonant voice and the relationships she is navigating were rendered so deep and complex. I savored this one over time, because were it not for the lush excellence of the writing, it might be too scary and bloody for me. I read it and listened to the audio book, but halfway through I had to limit it to any time that wasn't close to bedtime. I'm a scary cat who loves this author and Black horror in general. If you're like me, don't hesitate to dive into this book. It's completely, deliciously worth the scare. But definitely start at the beginning, My Soul to Keep. This is book 3 of 4.

[David Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third installment in Tananarive Due's African Immortals series, preceded "My Soul to Keep" and "The Living Blood." I liked it slightly less than the first two (hence 4 stars instead of 5); the ending was somewhat anti-climatic, a bit of a let-down after all the wild intensity that preceded it. But then it does set things up nicely for the fourth and final novel. This series should have been adapted for big screen instead of the lame Twilight. Highly recommended!

[Titilayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

you can't go wrong with a book dedicated to octavia butler. i'm in love. thank you public library book list for suggesting i read this author. it was like reading octavia butler without the melancholy. not only was it expertly written. everything was so neat. it encompassed so many of the things i love about science fiction and spirituality. you through a little afrocentricity and strong baptist women its like ambrosia for the mind. second favorite science fiction author of all time!!!!!!!

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as engrossing as the previous two, but still a great read. Looking forward to the finale.

[Jerry Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Blood Colony, Tananarive Due plops a mysterious sect into the latest drama surrounding involving the blood of Jesus and jumps 14 years into the not-too-distant future 17-year-old Fana -- introduced in as a 3-years-old in The Living Blood -- is part of an underground movement to heal the sick.

As the story unfolds to reveal the origin of the mysterious sect and the basis for its existence, it seems that Due draws parallels -- once again -- to the splintering of Christianity as she did in My Soul to Keep, the first book of this trilogy. The difference, however, is that the splintering occurs because of the sect's interpretation of a letter, just as differing interpretations of biblical scripture have resulted in different Christian religions. The sect's interpretation leads them to view the Blood's purpose contrary to the purpose determined by Jessica and continued by Fana and creates the source of conflict for the novel.

Readers of the both the predecessors to Blood Colony will certainly agree that this book is much more stronger in delivering a theme.

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one as much because of Fana. She is young (around 17 I think) in this one and she has the attitude and maturity of a young person. Understandable, perfectly reasonable, but annoying as hell. I have to admit that I don't have patience for teen angst and Fana's is on steroids because of her gifts and the limitations that were necessarily imposed upon her. Because of her powers her mistakes can be devastating.

This is another well written installment of the African Immortals series and I'm looking forward to moving on to My Soul to Take soon.

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[Cecily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book suffers because of the amount of time that passed between the last volume in the Life Brother's saga (2001's "The Living Blood") and the publication of this volume. 7 years is a long time to try to carry the threads of a story forward, and Due has aged the central character at least 10 years. A great deal of Fana's development is glossed over and treated as little more than a convenient plot device. I also found the speed with I discovered Fana's true adversary disappointing. Once I solved that mystery, I lost interest in the novel. I knew I would finish it, but I wasn't excited about it any more.

Due is a good novelist; her "Joplin's Ghost" is one of the most imaginative books I've read in recent memory, but Blood Colony falls flat. I hope it doesn't take another 7 years for the next volume, and I hope the next novel rekindles the interest I've had and the relationships I've built with these characters across three novels.

[R.G. Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book sometime last year but got so busy that it set on my shelf until I decided I would read it over the weekend. I did and will not give out any spoilers, it is worth a read.

I was happy Ms. Due included backstory, I had forgotten most of it. David and Jessica were never a main focus for me, it was always the story of the Life Brothers and Fana. Overall, I loved the story. Like many books, the end was tied up quickly by proclaiming Fana as saviour of the world. My only complaint is the start of the book which gives the impression that Fana is five years old. Later in the chapter she is taking driving lessons and then it is made obvious that she is seventeen.I would recommend the book to others and look forward to getting some free time to read the next in the series. I can't wait to see how she gets out of a ten year engagement.

[Wilhelmina Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in an excellent series. Due is a superb writer. I liked this one marginally less than the first two, only because I'm a bit weary of the DaVinci-Code-like, Catholic Church, conspiracy connections. Nevertheless, the book was an excellent read.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Due as always your books are simply wonderful! Please make us proud with the next book in the series.

[Richard Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third in the African Immortals series and is as good as the others because this one really excites you to read the fourth and last one. The setup is awesome.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving this book three stars because I am a fan of Tananarive Due, generally love her writing and appreciate the intelligence and skill she brings to her work. But, I found this book very, very hard to get through. Rather than being suspenseful and entertaining, the youthful naiveté of Fana and Caitlin throughout most of the novel was irritating to me and rather than identifying with the misdirected rebellious of the young protagonists, I just felt annoyed by it. I also agree with another reviewer who complained about the essential sterility and ineffectiveness of Dawit in this novel. Again, the book gets three stars because Due is a really talented story teller. But, this particular book did not resonate with me as much as earlier works.

[Ryanreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good. great concept, really big build up for this final book. idk what's going to happen

[Clarence Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

ReedIII Quick Review: Worthy continuation with higher stakes but not as good as the first two
African Immortal books. Definitely book 3 of at least 4 instead of a conclusion. Would you risk your life and your family to save the world?

[J.N. McGhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was a required read for one of my English courses. I loved it. I loved the plots, backdrops, etc! I was hooked on the story when I picked up the book! Everyone else in the class thought it was scary and didn't like it. I was the only one that loved the reading! After I read this book, I decided to read the prequels to this. Awesome job, Ms. Due!

[Laura L · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I often do, I read this book out-of-order: it's the third in what's at least a series of four. It provides enough background so you aren't wandering around aimlessly in the plot; there are few references to earlier books. The background you need can be inferred.

That said, I certainly didn't fall in love with it. The ending is weak (saying why would be a massive spoiler). I just didn't like the weird combination of a bizarre Catholicism with an equally bizarre Coptic Christianity that forms the mythological underpinnings for the book. And the premise, that there are people whose blood makes them immortal, and that they can heal others (including granting immortality) by using their blood--I suppose that's OK, but I've perhaps burned out on David Mitchell's "bad guys after immortal blood" trope, and seeing the same swirl of ideas in another context didn't help. Add lots of teenage angst and a bit of romance, stir it up, and this is what you get.

Tananarive Due is worth reading, though; I'll certainly give her another try.

[Villager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tananarive Due is the real deal! I am truly swept away by her 'African Immortals' series. This is the 3rd book in the series. Fana and her family think that they can live quietly in a commune up in the Pacific Northwest ... but, it's not to be. Another group of immortals ... once thought to have been exterminated ... are back and they plan to cleanse the world of mortals of all 'sin'. In others words these new immortals have bad intentions. But, they can't begin the 'New Days' until Fana is married to a young immortal who has been trained by the Shadows that Fana fought away when she was still a toddler.

No doubt you need to read the first two books in the series before you read this one. And no doubt that once you finish this one you will be traipsing back to the library (or whatever your preferred source of books) to get the 4th book in the 'African Immortals' series!

Tananarive Due is the real deal!

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize immediately that it's part of the author's "African Immortals" series, but luckily, it holds up okay as a standalone novel. The novel centers around a family and their extended colony of friends who are all either "Immortals" who have the ability to extend the lives of others with their magic blood or people who aren't immortals but believe in the group's mission to use the blood to try to save people around the globe. The core family's daughter, Fana, is an especially powerful immortal with psychic powers that are just beginning to really bloom. When her colony arrests the father of her best friend, Caitlin, for stealing blood, they mind wipe him, and Fana runs away with Caitlin to help her friend with her mission. But there is another faction of immortals that Fana doesn't know about, and they are out to find her. I really liked the character development in this story and liked the premise well enough that I'll more than likely go back and read more by this author.

[Mignon Grayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the third installment of T. Due's earlier books, "My Soul to Keep" and "The Living Blood." I love her writing. She is a storyteller extraodinaire.

This book continues the story of the once secret society of immortals and their entwinement with mortals in such a thrilling and captivating way. The immortals of her earlier novels meet foe that is worth reckoning with. Thrill after thrill--surprise after surprise. I couldn't put the book down. My husband and daughter both would get jealous everytime I picked up the book. I started to feel guilty because I knew and they knew they didn't have a chance to get my attention once I picked up the book.

T. Due is one of my favorite fiction writers second only to Octavia Butler who is my all-time favorite.

[Seth D Michaels · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generally enjoyable sci-fi-ish adventure. It's a twist on the vampire concept: the premise is that there's an ancient sect of immortals from Ethiopia, except the world is out for *their* blood. Detailed, plot-heavy, and pretty compelling, if a little corny and pulpy at times; it's the third in a series and I don't know how much that was clunky about it comes of picking up a series partway through and how much is inherent to the writing. The shifts between the characters' perspectives - especially as some of them can telepathically connect to others - are well-handled and subtle; the efforts to make the book grimdark and "topical" are less so. I liked it but don't know that I'm super-inxlined to seek out the rest of the series.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly, I am annoyed the ending was so anti-climatic and vague it made reading the whole series seem pointless to me. Newsflash to all authors - If you don't know how to end a story, don't bother to write it! When I read a book, particularly if it is a series I expect a concrete and satisfying ending. Not this horse-crap. What a waste of time.

[Cherrelle Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I literally could not put this book down for at least 3 hours straight. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. At this point I expect nothing but the best from Tananarive Due! And this series of books has definitely moved to my top 5 favorite. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.