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The Empire Of Fear
"Terrific vampire fiction."
THE KIRKUS REVIEWS
Since the sixteentj century, England has been a land ruled by the Undead. Vampires rule with terror and the darkly-seductive promise of life eternal for the lucky few. Edmund Cordery, member of the cabal pledged to penetrate the mysteries of the vampires and destroy them, strike the first blow. But it will fall to his son. Noell, to carry on the crusade of human against inhuman. And it will fall to those who come after Noell to keep the struggle alive for over three centuries--from England to Malta to modern-day America, where destiny will decide finally whether the forces of horror or humanity will hold sway over all....
THE KIRKUS REVIEWS
Since the sixteentj century, England has been a land ruled by the Undead. Vampires rule with terror and the darkly-seductive promise of life eternal for the lucky few. Edmund Cordery, member of the cabal pledged to penetrate the mysteries of the vampires and destroy them, strike the first blow. But it will fall to his son. Noell, to carry on the crusade of human against inhuman. And it will fall to those who come after Noell to keep the struggle alive for over three centuries--from England to Malta to modern-day America, where destiny will decide finally whether the forces of horror or humanity will hold sway over all....
528 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 1988
27 people are currently reading
818 people want to read
About the author
Brian M. Stableford
882 books136 followersBrian Michael Stableford was a British science fiction writer who published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford. He also used the pseudonym Brian Craig for a couple of very early works, and again for a few more recent works. The pseudonym derives from the first names of himself and of a school friend from the 1960s, Craig A. Mackintosh, with whom he jointly published some very early work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 11, 2024
A real genre bender by Stableford, combining an alternative history with an empire of vampires. In Stableford's world here, Attila the hun brought vampirism to Europe in the 6th century, being a vampire himself. Greater Gaul became the western empire, while Attila ruled the eastern empire. The feudal lords, vampires all, created the feudal system, with the vampire pope at the top.
The story starts in England, early 17th century, and largely follows the life and times of Noell Cordery, the only son of a 'mechanic', e.g., someone who tinkers with science. Stableford puts a neat twist on vampire lore here; vampires live a long time, but only need the occasional sip of blood; these are not magical creatures, but simply a new breed of humanity. The secret to becoming a vampire remains a mystery to the commoners, and the vampires guard it closely. Further, Africa also has vampires, but they do not rule there, serving as tribal shamans instead. The Arabian empire, however, kills vampires on sight, and have remained at war with the Eastern empire for centuries.
Noell, a product of the enlightenment (or the equivalent), believes vampirism possesses a rational logic behind it, not some mystical rite or magic. The story, broken into 5 parts, largely chronicles the life of Noell and his quest to discover the truth behind vampirism, before turning at the very end to the 'now' circa 1980s...
The Empire of Fear burns slowly, but hotly, with a rather ponderous pacing. Stableford tells much of the tale in extended dialogues among the main characters, replete with numerous philosophical discussions. What will become of humanity if people can live (maybe) forever? Will humanity's curiosity fade? Will brave individuals become meek? Lots of speculation decorate the pages as this tale unfolds.
As something of a history buff, I was impressed with the research here. Some of the characters include Richard the Lionheart, a vampire who starts the novel ruling England as he has for hundreds of years. Attila lives on, as does Charlemagne, and old Vlad the Impaler also graces the pages. Overall, a fun tale that I really liked, but a hard one to recommend. If you dig alternative history, go for it! 4 bold stars!!
The story starts in England, early 17th century, and largely follows the life and times of Noell Cordery, the only son of a 'mechanic', e.g., someone who tinkers with science. Stableford puts a neat twist on vampire lore here; vampires live a long time, but only need the occasional sip of blood; these are not magical creatures, but simply a new breed of humanity. The secret to becoming a vampire remains a mystery to the commoners, and the vampires guard it closely. Further, Africa also has vampires, but they do not rule there, serving as tribal shamans instead. The Arabian empire, however, kills vampires on sight, and have remained at war with the Eastern empire for centuries.
Noell, a product of the enlightenment (or the equivalent), believes vampirism possesses a rational logic behind it, not some mystical rite or magic. The story, broken into 5 parts, largely chronicles the life of Noell and his quest to discover the truth behind vampirism, before turning at the very end to the 'now' circa 1980s...
The Empire of Fear burns slowly, but hotly, with a rather ponderous pacing. Stableford tells much of the tale in extended dialogues among the main characters, replete with numerous philosophical discussions. What will become of humanity if people can live (maybe) forever? Will humanity's curiosity fade? Will brave individuals become meek? Lots of speculation decorate the pages as this tale unfolds.
As something of a history buff, I was impressed with the research here. Some of the characters include Richard the Lionheart, a vampire who starts the novel ruling England as he has for hundreds of years. Attila lives on, as does Charlemagne, and old Vlad the Impaler also graces the pages. Overall, a fun tale that I really liked, but a hard one to recommend. If you dig alternative history, go for it! 4 bold stars!!
July 22, 2022
An Alternate history set in the 17th century, scientists and revolutionaries are rebelling against the vampire rulers that include a handful of real life historical figures who would have died centuries earlier.
Stableford has said he thought it was a more logical approach to vampires and that this was an attempt to broaden his audience (he's never really stopped writing about vampires for long, so it doesn't seem like much of a compromise) and I guess it worked because while it isn't his best selling book, it seems to be his most acclaimed one (keep in mind most of his books have been read by a very small audience, so there has been no opportunity to decide his best book by broad consensus, I hope this will change).
It becomes clear later on why this is considered a science fiction book, but it might appeal to readers of historical fantasy more than anything else. It is extremely violent at points but it's never supposed to be scary in the way other stories of vampires in castles often are. I sometimes found it padded out with over-explanation and the travels in the middle section went on a bit long, but all in all it's an absolute belter. I found it very unpredictable and the ending is fantastic. It has something of the spirit of Matheson's I Am Legend but with a completely different aesthetic and ten times more ambitious (it is a much thicker book too).
I love the edition with the Sanjulian painting, it captures the book better than the others.
Stableford has said he thought it was a more logical approach to vampires and that this was an attempt to broaden his audience (he's never really stopped writing about vampires for long, so it doesn't seem like much of a compromise) and I guess it worked because while it isn't his best selling book, it seems to be his most acclaimed one (keep in mind most of his books have been read by a very small audience, so there has been no opportunity to decide his best book by broad consensus, I hope this will change).
It becomes clear later on why this is considered a science fiction book, but it might appeal to readers of historical fantasy more than anything else. It is extremely violent at points but it's never supposed to be scary in the way other stories of vampires in castles often are. I sometimes found it padded out with over-explanation and the travels in the middle section went on a bit long, but all in all it's an absolute belter. I found it very unpredictable and the ending is fantastic. It has something of the spirit of Matheson's I Am Legend but with a completely different aesthetic and ten times more ambitious (it is a much thicker book too).
I love the edition with the Sanjulian painting, it captures the book better than the others.
September 21, 2024
Pirates vs. vampires in an epic science fiction adventure! I know some of you have heard me say before that I don't typically like vampire stories, whether in movies or literature, but here's another example where I must eat my words. This was great!
I think Brian Stableford is one of the most criminally under-read science fiction authors of all time, but also one of the most brilliant. He gained some notoriety late in his career as a prolific translator of rare and out-of-print French science fiction for Black Coat Press, but he has a healthy bibliography all his own. "The Empire of Fear" is one of his most mainstream but ambitious original novels.
As usual, I do go into some deep analysis of the work, so if you want to go in completely blind, just know that I highly recommend it and stop here.
Spanning generations, this incredibly complex brick of a novel reimagines what we know of history. Many important historical figures and advances in civilization were due to a class of vampire aristocracy. Here, vampires are not overtly paranormal except for notable features. 1) They are infertile, so they can't really make vampire babies, 2) They can live very long lives due to remarkable healing powers, much like Jason Voorhees, but are vulnerable to being killed by things like diseases, drowning, dismemberment, or burning, 3) They can shut off their pain receptors at will, and 4) They need blood from a living human every now and then, or they slip into a coma. The way they usually get blood is from people who they trust or who they are intimate with. Except for the most warlike of vampires, the consumption of blood is a deeply personal act, often involving the inflicting of non-fatal knife wounds from which they can share the blood of their lovers in a kinky bedroom ritual.
They almost don't sound all that scary! And that's the point.
In Europe, their charisma, ageless good looks, and knowledge accumulated from their longevity has allowed them to ascend in socioeconomic status, placing many of them in positions of power and leadership. By the time of the Enlightenment in Gaul and Wallachia, vampires tend to be the "haves" while the regular humans are the "have nots." But you know what happens to people when they become insolated from the rest of society by wealth and influence. They forget what being an everyday Joe is like. And so their rule becomes sloppy and decadent. Instead of using their powers to foster harmony and wisdom in society, they grow more authoritarian and inflict terrible tortures and punishments on their subjects in order to preserve their power, because they know that humans fear pain and death. And because they are so out of touch, they lack awareness or empathy as to how their behavior impacts others, and so spend all their time trying to stamp out descent. Meanwhile, mortals seek to vanquish the race and establish rule by the "common man," because they fail to understand that vampires themselves are not corrupt by nature, but that it is absolute power which can corrupt both human and vampire equally.
And so this raises the question posed by the title of this novel. Why is it called "The Empire of Fear" and not "Empire of Vampires"? Well, the main theme of the book is how general "fear" creates different pressures and vacuums that lead to power outcomes. The key to what really makes this fascinating is how vampires are portrayed so differently in non-Christian cultures. In Stableford's Muslim world, vampires are not tolerated and usually executed wherever they are discovered, so they never achieve the political privilege and influence as they do in Europe. In Africa, they are welcome members of society, venerated for their long lives and thus the wisdom and knowledge they possess. They are called elemi, and serve as physicians and sages, seeming to have no need for worldly aspirations, and thus they live more or less peacefully. How is it that the same "class" of people (vampires) can be so different across the world?
I think this is because the book serves as an allegory for how power shifts in our modern society. What struck me was how the book, intentionally or not, seemed to be based on the theories of Michel Foucault regarding power.
Stableford describes the European vampires as a community that has managed to garner a kind of protected status backed by institutions accepted as holding power (the Catholic Papacy actually supports vampires in the novel). The general denizens of Europe do not know what a vampire really is or what makes a person a vampire. Even the vampires themselves don't seem to completely know, but fear prevents anyone getting to know each other. Mortals fear what is different about vampires and vampires fear what might happen if they are no longer thought of as special. Thus is born an empire of fear that is at risk of stagnation for all its accomplishments. Lack of mutual understanding leads to multiple different assumptions about vampires among "common men" based on ignorance. Some say vampires are the spawn of Satan, some believe they are the victims of a disease, some think they are just people with a sexual fetish, some maintain that vampirism is part of the natural spectrum of human development, and some are jealous of the perceived advantages of being a vampire and want to be one too, whatever that may mean.
What does this have to do with the academic work of Michel Foucault? The main character, Noell Cordery, is a mortal trying to discover the secret to vampirism. He is struck by how much ritual and hocus pocus is involved in the initiation of a new African vampire, much of which he believes has nothing really to do with the actual "how" of making a vampire what they are. But it doesn't ultimately matter, because the diverse peoples of Africa have a common acceptance of truth regarding vampires, and it works harmoniously for them. In Stableford's world, Europe has NO such common shared reality, and so division, revolution, and fear dominate the West in a way not seen in Africa. This is because, according to Foucault, power does not really exist in itself. It is GIVEN by the masses as a consequence of what society accepts and believes as knowledge and "truth," and therefore is fluid.
The general sociological phenomena explored in this book can and do apply to ANY societal dynamics, whether it be religious, racial, ethnic, sexual, or political. Think about how historic states like Gaul, Wallachia, Byzantium, or the Roman Empire were once world powerhouses and aren't any longer, or how the influence of science and religion has changed over the years, or how we are much more tolerant of previously taboo content in movies and television than we were just a few decades ago. The concepts in this book spell out how transgression really works. It's not about pushing extremes to move the goalpost. It's also not in the end about money, or who has the biggest army, or how well dissenting opinion is suppressed. It's about common understanding. Change is inevitable, but this book explains how change can be peaceful versus disruptive.
That's what makes this book such a pleasure. Stableford has created a lot of food for thought in a sociopolitical analysis of power differentials couched in a fun historical drama full of wild adventures that spans multiple continents and years before landing in an alternate present with a mind blowing reveal.
The book came out during the Eighties horror boom, and I'm sure several readers have picked this up expecting a paperback from hell. Sure, the story can get violent and even disturbing, but the horror elements have narrative and thematic force without being the focus. The novel is really an intellectually dense but entertaining blend of epic adventure, romance, history, horror, philosophy, sociology, and science fiction.
How do all these elements come together into something that works so well? You'll have to read it for yourself!
Sadly, Brian Stableford passed away this year at the age of 75 years young. He is truly one of the most thought-provoking science fiction writers of the last forty years, and so we lost one of the great ones. I hope that more people discover his books and that his legacy lives on. I will do my part by continuing to read and analyze his work right here.
SCORE: 5 pirates out of 5
WORD OF THE DAY: Voivode
SUGGESTED MUSICAL PAIRINGS: "Sister of Night" by Depeche Mode; "Theme from 'The Bounty'" by Vangelis
I think Brian Stableford is one of the most criminally under-read science fiction authors of all time, but also one of the most brilliant. He gained some notoriety late in his career as a prolific translator of rare and out-of-print French science fiction for Black Coat Press, but he has a healthy bibliography all his own. "The Empire of Fear" is one of his most mainstream but ambitious original novels.
As usual, I do go into some deep analysis of the work, so if you want to go in completely blind, just know that I highly recommend it and stop here.
Spanning generations, this incredibly complex brick of a novel reimagines what we know of history. Many important historical figures and advances in civilization were due to a class of vampire aristocracy. Here, vampires are not overtly paranormal except for notable features. 1) They are infertile, so they can't really make vampire babies, 2) They can live very long lives due to remarkable healing powers, much like Jason Voorhees, but are vulnerable to being killed by things like diseases, drowning, dismemberment, or burning, 3) They can shut off their pain receptors at will, and 4) They need blood from a living human every now and then, or they slip into a coma. The way they usually get blood is from people who they trust or who they are intimate with. Except for the most warlike of vampires, the consumption of blood is a deeply personal act, often involving the inflicting of non-fatal knife wounds from which they can share the blood of their lovers in a kinky bedroom ritual.
They almost don't sound all that scary! And that's the point.
In Europe, their charisma, ageless good looks, and knowledge accumulated from their longevity has allowed them to ascend in socioeconomic status, placing many of them in positions of power and leadership. By the time of the Enlightenment in Gaul and Wallachia, vampires tend to be the "haves" while the regular humans are the "have nots." But you know what happens to people when they become insolated from the rest of society by wealth and influence. They forget what being an everyday Joe is like. And so their rule becomes sloppy and decadent. Instead of using their powers to foster harmony and wisdom in society, they grow more authoritarian and inflict terrible tortures and punishments on their subjects in order to preserve their power, because they know that humans fear pain and death. And because they are so out of touch, they lack awareness or empathy as to how their behavior impacts others, and so spend all their time trying to stamp out descent. Meanwhile, mortals seek to vanquish the race and establish rule by the "common man," because they fail to understand that vampires themselves are not corrupt by nature, but that it is absolute power which can corrupt both human and vampire equally.
And so this raises the question posed by the title of this novel. Why is it called "The Empire of Fear" and not "Empire of Vampires"? Well, the main theme of the book is how general "fear" creates different pressures and vacuums that lead to power outcomes. The key to what really makes this fascinating is how vampires are portrayed so differently in non-Christian cultures. In Stableford's Muslim world, vampires are not tolerated and usually executed wherever they are discovered, so they never achieve the political privilege and influence as they do in Europe. In Africa, they are welcome members of society, venerated for their long lives and thus the wisdom and knowledge they possess. They are called elemi, and serve as physicians and sages, seeming to have no need for worldly aspirations, and thus they live more or less peacefully. How is it that the same "class" of people (vampires) can be so different across the world?
I think this is because the book serves as an allegory for how power shifts in our modern society. What struck me was how the book, intentionally or not, seemed to be based on the theories of Michel Foucault regarding power.
Stableford describes the European vampires as a community that has managed to garner a kind of protected status backed by institutions accepted as holding power (the Catholic Papacy actually supports vampires in the novel). The general denizens of Europe do not know what a vampire really is or what makes a person a vampire. Even the vampires themselves don't seem to completely know, but fear prevents anyone getting to know each other. Mortals fear what is different about vampires and vampires fear what might happen if they are no longer thought of as special. Thus is born an empire of fear that is at risk of stagnation for all its accomplishments. Lack of mutual understanding leads to multiple different assumptions about vampires among "common men" based on ignorance. Some say vampires are the spawn of Satan, some believe they are the victims of a disease, some think they are just people with a sexual fetish, some maintain that vampirism is part of the natural spectrum of human development, and some are jealous of the perceived advantages of being a vampire and want to be one too, whatever that may mean.
What does this have to do with the academic work of Michel Foucault? The main character, Noell Cordery, is a mortal trying to discover the secret to vampirism. He is struck by how much ritual and hocus pocus is involved in the initiation of a new African vampire, much of which he believes has nothing really to do with the actual "how" of making a vampire what they are. But it doesn't ultimately matter, because the diverse peoples of Africa have a common acceptance of truth regarding vampires, and it works harmoniously for them. In Stableford's world, Europe has NO such common shared reality, and so division, revolution, and fear dominate the West in a way not seen in Africa. This is because, according to Foucault, power does not really exist in itself. It is GIVEN by the masses as a consequence of what society accepts and believes as knowledge and "truth," and therefore is fluid.
The general sociological phenomena explored in this book can and do apply to ANY societal dynamics, whether it be religious, racial, ethnic, sexual, or political. Think about how historic states like Gaul, Wallachia, Byzantium, or the Roman Empire were once world powerhouses and aren't any longer, or how the influence of science and religion has changed over the years, or how we are much more tolerant of previously taboo content in movies and television than we were just a few decades ago. The concepts in this book spell out how transgression really works. It's not about pushing extremes to move the goalpost. It's also not in the end about money, or who has the biggest army, or how well dissenting opinion is suppressed. It's about common understanding. Change is inevitable, but this book explains how change can be peaceful versus disruptive.
That's what makes this book such a pleasure. Stableford has created a lot of food for thought in a sociopolitical analysis of power differentials couched in a fun historical drama full of wild adventures that spans multiple continents and years before landing in an alternate present with a mind blowing reveal.
The book came out during the Eighties horror boom, and I'm sure several readers have picked this up expecting a paperback from hell. Sure, the story can get violent and even disturbing, but the horror elements have narrative and thematic force without being the focus. The novel is really an intellectually dense but entertaining blend of epic adventure, romance, history, horror, philosophy, sociology, and science fiction.
How do all these elements come together into something that works so well? You'll have to read it for yourself!
Sadly, Brian Stableford passed away this year at the age of 75 years young. He is truly one of the most thought-provoking science fiction writers of the last forty years, and so we lost one of the great ones. I hope that more people discover his books and that his legacy lives on. I will do my part by continuing to read and analyze his work right here.
SCORE: 5 pirates out of 5
WORD OF THE DAY: Voivode
SUGGESTED MUSICAL PAIRINGS: "Sister of Night" by Depeche Mode; "Theme from 'The Bounty'" by Vangelis
March 23, 2016
I was really tempted to give it full 5 stars, and for a long while I thought that I'm going to. Such a brilliant novel. Thoughtful, almost philosophical book which posits many hard questions about human condition and the meaning of life, oh and did I mention that it's an alternative-history vampire novel? The style was really quite ornamental, dense and, which I found very good and actually appealing, it was much more oriented on the narrative than dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building and history-oriented passages as well as the pseudo-mythologically energized parts which took place in Africa. Also, it was refreshing to see the role of a vampire being approached from a different perspective, one which is less demonizing and more realistic, with the main focus being on the aspect of immortality instead of all the "gruesome" aspects of a vampire as a figure which are often emphasized in vampire novels. Stableford also managed to give the book a great pacing (the chapters are almost rigorously segmented, with each of them having about 10 pages and rarely exceeding that) and a great variety which is achieved by changing up the narrators (Edmund, Noell, Ntikima, Dragulya, Richard). I like how the author managed to cover such a long time span but at the same time wrote the respective parts of the novel so cleverly that the reader barely feels he is missing anything - this might be especially due to very well-written introductory sections at the beginning of each new part. Sadly, I found the last part a bit underwhelming as it shifted the general tone of the novel towards sci-fi and also thought it was a bit anti-climatic after everything that happened before that. However, it did work nicely as a kind of epitaph to our own fragile mortality and the inevitability of death, with the only solution being acceptance and willingness to make our mark on this earth despite the limited time that was given to us. Even though we have to face the truth and come to terms with the fact that there is no miraculous Adamawara meteorite coming to save us from our mortal condition.
August 16, 2012
This is not (likely) your teenage daughter's vampire novel--thankfully! The story delves into an alternate history involving the protagonist's escape from 17th century vampire run Britain, and an adventure into the heart of Africa. I was actually maybe twelve when I read this for the first time,(I've read it several times since), but it's definitely geared towards a more adult audience. Though the pace can be a bit slow at times, there's plenty of sex and violence to keep one's attention. For the patient, mature reader, this might be one of the more interesting takes on vampire mythology you'll read. The details are astonishing, and the journey is epic! But if you don't like historical fiction and/or have a firm, unwavering idea of what a vampire has to be, then this book probably isn't for you.
March 19, 2013
-En novela ¿es suficiente con ambientar y situar muy bien al lector?-
Género. Narrativa Fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Situada a comienzos del siglo XVII, nos retrata un mundo en el que los vampiros (no exactamente los del tipo tradicional en el género) se han hecho con el poder en todos los países e instituciones de Europa. El protagonista, Noell Cordery, huye de Inglaterra para proseguir las investigaciones de su padre sobre la base racional y científica del fenómeno vampírico, emprendiendo un viaje que nos llevará a diferentes localizaciones.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Narrativa Fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Situada a comienzos del siglo XVII, nos retrata un mundo en el que los vampiros (no exactamente los del tipo tradicional en el género) se han hecho con el poder en todos los países e instituciones de Europa. El protagonista, Noell Cordery, huye de Inglaterra para proseguir las investigaciones de su padre sobre la base racional y científica del fenómeno vampírico, emprendiendo un viaje que nos llevará a diferentes localizaciones.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
October 22, 2012
Interesting alternate history where Attila's army brings vampirism to Europe and by the 17th century the ruling aristocracy is near invulnerable to pain and death. (Makes it easier to argue the divine right of kings ...) It's a good adventure with pirate voyages, expeditions into Africa, early scientific method and a sympathetic protagonist. It's also the most philosophical vampire novel you will ever read.
June 20, 2008
I paid two dollars for this book at a used book sale, and it was worth every penny. This may be the worst vampire novel I have ever read.
I don't say this lightly - I've read countless vampire stories, but right now I can't think of a worse one. What really stinks is that the premise is exciting and promising, but Stableford does little to nothing with it.
It's the early 1600s. England is ruled by the Empire of Gaul, established by Charlemagne and currently ruled by Richard the Lion Hearted. The cool thing is that Charlemagne and Richard are vampires. Vlad Tepes, also known as Dragyula, rules central Europe, or Wallachia. Vampires exist in Africa but do not rule, while the Muslims of the Middle East have battled back repeated vampire attempts at conquest. The New World has not yet been discovered.
Edmund Cordery, mechanician for Prince Richard, works to destroy the vampire empire and gain freedom for the common men who chafe under their tyrannical rule. He has obtained a dangerous plague from Africa, injects himself with it, and sleeps with the Lady Carmilla, a beautiful vampire lady (all vampire ladies are babes). Carmilla drinks his tainted blood and dies of the plague, though few other vampires do in the epidemic that ravages the human population. Edmund's son, Noell, is whisked away to a convent, where he studies about vampires.
Up to this point, the book isn't bad. But after this, it slows to a plodding and dull pace. Noell and his monk mentor hook up with a pirate, go into exile in Africa, journey to the continent's heart to discover the secret of vampirism, discover that vampires are created by a mixture of human blood and - get this - vampire semen. The pirate, his saucy wench, and the monk mentor become vampires, but not Noell, though he tries. Noell and friends then lets the secret loose on the world, create an army of vampires to challenge Gaul and Wallachia, and then lose to Gaul and Wallachia. The Epilogue is even more dull, as Stableford introduces a moody teen who can't help feeling sorry for himself because he also cannot be vampire. The epilogue takes place in 1983, in which all humans strive to become vampires after they've married and spat out a kid or two. The kids grow, reproduce, become vampires, and that's how the human population grows. Those who cannot become vampires are cursed and pitied, like this poor teen. But he meets the pirate's saucy wench on a beach, and becomes her lover. We also learn that the vampire origins came from an asteroid that crashed in Africa 13,000 years ago.
Not only is the book boring, but it's stupid. I'm no vampire purist, but Stabledord's vampires bear little resemblance to the sharp-toothed creature of the night. They have no fangs, venture out during the day, aren't any stronger than humans (though they heal quick and can control pain), and by the 1980s don't even drink blood - they take pills instead.
It's all lame, it's all corny, it's all dull, dull, dull.
I don't say this lightly - I've read countless vampire stories, but right now I can't think of a worse one. What really stinks is that the premise is exciting and promising, but Stableford does little to nothing with it.
It's the early 1600s. England is ruled by the Empire of Gaul, established by Charlemagne and currently ruled by Richard the Lion Hearted. The cool thing is that Charlemagne and Richard are vampires. Vlad Tepes, also known as Dragyula, rules central Europe, or Wallachia. Vampires exist in Africa but do not rule, while the Muslims of the Middle East have battled back repeated vampire attempts at conquest. The New World has not yet been discovered.
Edmund Cordery, mechanician for Prince Richard, works to destroy the vampire empire and gain freedom for the common men who chafe under their tyrannical rule. He has obtained a dangerous plague from Africa, injects himself with it, and sleeps with the Lady Carmilla, a beautiful vampire lady (all vampire ladies are babes). Carmilla drinks his tainted blood and dies of the plague, though few other vampires do in the epidemic that ravages the human population. Edmund's son, Noell, is whisked away to a convent, where he studies about vampires.
Up to this point, the book isn't bad. But after this, it slows to a plodding and dull pace. Noell and his monk mentor hook up with a pirate, go into exile in Africa, journey to the continent's heart to discover the secret of vampirism, discover that vampires are created by a mixture of human blood and - get this - vampire semen. The pirate, his saucy wench, and the monk mentor become vampires, but not Noell, though he tries. Noell and friends then lets the secret loose on the world, create an army of vampires to challenge Gaul and Wallachia, and then lose to Gaul and Wallachia. The Epilogue is even more dull, as Stableford introduces a moody teen who can't help feeling sorry for himself because he also cannot be vampire. The epilogue takes place in 1983, in which all humans strive to become vampires after they've married and spat out a kid or two. The kids grow, reproduce, become vampires, and that's how the human population grows. Those who cannot become vampires are cursed and pitied, like this poor teen. But he meets the pirate's saucy wench on a beach, and becomes her lover. We also learn that the vampire origins came from an asteroid that crashed in Africa 13,000 years ago.
Not only is the book boring, but it's stupid. I'm no vampire purist, but Stabledord's vampires bear little resemblance to the sharp-toothed creature of the night. They have no fangs, venture out during the day, aren't any stronger than humans (though they heal quick and can control pain), and by the 1980s don't even drink blood - they take pills instead.
It's all lame, it's all corny, it's all dull, dull, dull.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2012
Epic vampire novel in the alternate history subgenre begins in 17th-century London. The world is ruled by a powerful aristocracy of vampires. Edmund Cordery, courtier to Richard the Lionheart (yes, THAT Richard, and he's a vampire), believes that the secret process whereby vampires are made from common men must have a natural explanation. His microscope proves his undoing, but not before he entrusts his secrets to his son Noell, who becomes a fugitive to preserve both the knowledge and his own life.
Great book!
Great book!
December 25, 2010
I read this years ago and still remember much of it- VERY good book, but forewarned, it's quite brutal.
June 27, 2011
Barely a vampire novel. VERY dry and slow and plodding. Really has very little point and I only finished it out of some desperation it would get better. It didn't.
The book is actually from 1988 and is being republished with a snazzy new cover. But it's really outdated and they're just trying to cash in on the vampire popularity right now. But what kind of vampire is not a single bit stronger or faster then a normal person, can go out in the sun and has to use a knife to cut for blood?
Also, the author must have some weird fascination with anal sex as the entire book is centered around it. Right from the beginning, we're told the theory that vampires make other vampires by butt sex. Okay...1980's AIDS commentary perhaps?
Anyway, it's really not very good at all. Took me ten agonizing days to finish it.
The book is actually from 1988 and is being republished with a snazzy new cover. But it's really outdated and they're just trying to cash in on the vampire popularity right now. But what kind of vampire is not a single bit stronger or faster then a normal person, can go out in the sun and has to use a knife to cut for blood?
Also, the author must have some weird fascination with anal sex as the entire book is centered around it. Right from the beginning, we're told the theory that vampires make other vampires by butt sex. Okay...1980's AIDS commentary perhaps?
Anyway, it's really not very good at all. Took me ten agonizing days to finish it.
April 14, 2011
did not finish, i exptected something else...not my cup of coffee
October 21, 2022
I couldn't finish it I tried so hard to keep pushing threw, it was to slow
March 17, 2019
First, I endorse the reviews by Jonathan at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and Cathy at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... I'll add that as well as being "the most philosophical vampire novel you will ever read", it's very probably the one in which a character is seen doing much the most science.
I've got to subtract a star (from my usual 5 for hitting a target perfectly) because the novel is far longer than optimal. Everybody talks in too many well-written paragraphs and the landscape is similarly traversed, to the point that I kept having to read something else for a while. I suppose there would have been less time between beginning and end if I hadn't interpolated three or four other books, but I'm sure it would have felt even longer than it did.
Tangent: It's interesting that in the science-fictional explanation of vampirism in the last section, horrendously long times for DNA sequencing are assumed--which of course seemed reasonable in 1988, when it was prescient to suppose it would be practical at all.
I've got to subtract a star (from my usual 5 for hitting a target perfectly) because the novel is far longer than optimal. Everybody talks in too many well-written paragraphs and the landscape is similarly traversed, to the point that I kept having to read something else for a while. I suppose there would have been less time between beginning and end if I hadn't interpolated three or four other books, but I'm sure it would have felt even longer than it did.
Tangent: It's interesting that in the science-fictional explanation of vampirism in the last section, horrendously long times for DNA sequencing are assumed--which of course seemed reasonable in 1988, when it was prescient to suppose it would be practical at all.
July 2, 2022
Stableford dipinge un affresco incredibile. Usando il tema del vampirismo e dell'immortalità, affronta temi quali il destino, il futuro degli uomini, per cosa vale la pena vivere e se una vita senza morte è davvero un dono o una maledizione. Tutto questo viene dato al lettore attraverso una storia avvincente, in cui il protagonista, Noell Cordery, affronta il suo destino con l'acutezza della ragione piuttosto che con la spada. Consigliatissimo.
April 8, 2013
This book starts out slow and I mean slooooowwwwwwww. Not the type of literature i am used to when dealing with vampires. But little by little you can grasp what it is about: destruction of the vampire virus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2012
My favourite Brian Stableford novel, I really loved this one. A perfect mix of SF, alternate history, Africa and BS's superb writing.
April 12, 2019
Awesome alternate history. The crowned heads of Europe are all immortal vampires. Dracula and Richard the Lionheart team up to quell a rebellion against vampiric rule.
October 10, 2022
Llevaba años intentando encontrar el nombre de este libro. Está dos tres. El autor lo alargó mucho.
August 22, 2023
**Impérium strachu** od Briana Stableforda je román o upíroch v alternatívnej histórii, ktorý sa odohráva v Anglicku v 17. storočí. V tomto svete vládnu upíri už stáročia a ľudia sú ich podrobenými sluhami. Upíri sú fyzicky a mentálne nadradení ľuďom a svoju moc využívajú na udržiavanie ľudí v poslušnosti prostredníctvom strachu a útlaku.
Príbeh sleduje Edmunda Corderyho, ľudského vedca, ktorý je odhodlaný nájsť spôsob, ako poraziť upírov. Cordery verí, že upíri nie sú nadprirodzené bytosti, ale skôr produkt prirodzenej choroby. Vydá sa na cestu s cieľom nájsť liek na vampirizmus a cestou sa dozvie veľa o upíroch a ich spoločnosti.
Impérium strachu je dobre napísaný a podnetný román. Stablefordovi sa podarilo vytvoriť vierohodný svet, v ktorom sú upíri dominantnou rasou. Taktiež skúma komplexný vzťah medzi ľuďmi a upírmi a etické dôsledky Corderyho cesty.
Romány nie je bez chýb. Niektorí čitatelia môžu nájsť tempo príbehu pomalé a dej môže byť trochu zložitý. Tieto nedostatky sú však malé v porovnaní s silami románu.
Celkovo je Impérium strachu vynikajúci upírsky román, ktorý si určite získa fanúšikov žánru. Je to dobre napísaný, podnetný a napínavý príbeh, ktorý skúma komplexný vzťah medzi ľuďmi a upírmi.
Tu sú niektoré ďalšie myšlienky o románe:
* Stablefordovi upíri nie sú tradičné krvilačké monštrá populárnej kultúry. Sú inteligentní, kultivovaní a fyzicky nadradení ľuďom. To z nich robí ešte nebezpečnejších, pretože sa dokážu začleniť do ľudskej spoločnosti a manipulovať s ľuďmi k svojim účelom.
* Román skúma témy strachu, útlaku a povahy dobra a zla. Corderyho cesta poraziť upírov je vznešená, ale aj nebezpečná. Musí čeliť vlastným strachom a predsudkom, aby uspel.
* Román je pripomienkou, že aj v najtemnejších časoch vždy existuje nádej. Corderyho cesta sa môže zdať beznádejná, ale nikdy sa nevzdáva. Je symbolom nádeje pre všetkých ľudí, ktorí bojujú proti útlaku.
Ak ste fanúšikom upírskych románov, vrelo odporúčam Impérium strachu. Je to dobre napísaný, podnetný a napínavý príbeh, ktorý vám zostane v pamäti aj dlho po tom, čo ho dočítate.
Príbeh sleduje Edmunda Corderyho, ľudského vedca, ktorý je odhodlaný nájsť spôsob, ako poraziť upírov. Cordery verí, že upíri nie sú nadprirodzené bytosti, ale skôr produkt prirodzenej choroby. Vydá sa na cestu s cieľom nájsť liek na vampirizmus a cestou sa dozvie veľa o upíroch a ich spoločnosti.
Impérium strachu je dobre napísaný a podnetný román. Stablefordovi sa podarilo vytvoriť vierohodný svet, v ktorom sú upíri dominantnou rasou. Taktiež skúma komplexný vzťah medzi ľuďmi a upírmi a etické dôsledky Corderyho cesty.
Romány nie je bez chýb. Niektorí čitatelia môžu nájsť tempo príbehu pomalé a dej môže byť trochu zložitý. Tieto nedostatky sú však malé v porovnaní s silami románu.
Celkovo je Impérium strachu vynikajúci upírsky román, ktorý si určite získa fanúšikov žánru. Je to dobre napísaný, podnetný a napínavý príbeh, ktorý skúma komplexný vzťah medzi ľuďmi a upírmi.
Tu sú niektoré ďalšie myšlienky o románe:
* Stablefordovi upíri nie sú tradičné krvilačké monštrá populárnej kultúry. Sú inteligentní, kultivovaní a fyzicky nadradení ľuďom. To z nich robí ešte nebezpečnejších, pretože sa dokážu začleniť do ľudskej spoločnosti a manipulovať s ľuďmi k svojim účelom.
* Román skúma témy strachu, útlaku a povahy dobra a zla. Corderyho cesta poraziť upírov je vznešená, ale aj nebezpečná. Musí čeliť vlastným strachom a predsudkom, aby uspel.
* Román je pripomienkou, že aj v najtemnejších časoch vždy existuje nádej. Corderyho cesta sa môže zdať beznádejná, ale nikdy sa nevzdáva. Je symbolom nádeje pre všetkých ľudí, ktorí bojujú proti útlaku.
Ak ste fanúšikom upírskych románov, vrelo odporúčam Impérium strachu. Je to dobre napísaný, podnetný a napínavý príbeh, ktorý vám zostane v pamäti aj dlho po tom, čo ho dočítate.
August 10, 2017
Una novela muy buena del género de vampiros.
Londres, 1620. Cientos de años atrás, el vampiro Atila conquistó el imperio Romano. Desde entonces, Europa está bajo el dominio de príncipes vampiro (Carlomagno, Vlad Tepes, Ricardo Corazón de León, el papa Borgia), quienes mantienen el poder gracias a su inmortalidad y a que conservan celosamente guardado el secreto del vampirismo. Gracias a ese secreto mantienen bajo control a la aristocracia y la gente común, quienes los sirven con la esperanza de que algún día les sea concedida la inmortalidad.
Noell Cordery es un naturalista inglés que sigue los pasos de su padre para tratar de comprender el fenómeno del vampirismo desde una perspectiva racional, y con eso, provocar que el imperio
de los vampiros pierda poder. Ayudado por la reciente invención del microscopio, sabe que el secreto debe consistir en un algo puramente biológico, basado en la sangre y otros fluidos corporales. Es acusado de traición, y logra escapar con unos piratas, y su viaje lo llevará hasta el corazón inexplorado de Africa, a la mítica cuna del vampirismo. Lo que encontrará y entenderá ahí, provocará una verdadera revolución cuando regrese a Galia.
Lo que me gustó de la historia es que la realidad alterna es muy convincente, gracias a la inclusión de personajes reales bien trabajados. Y también que el fondo de la historia es acerca del nacimiento de la ciencia y el pensamiento racional, quitándole influencia a la superstición y el pensamiento mágico.
Muy buena y recomendada.
Londres, 1620. Cientos de años atrás, el vampiro Atila conquistó el imperio Romano. Desde entonces, Europa está bajo el dominio de príncipes vampiro (Carlomagno, Vlad Tepes, Ricardo Corazón de León, el papa Borgia), quienes mantienen el poder gracias a su inmortalidad y a que conservan celosamente guardado el secreto del vampirismo. Gracias a ese secreto mantienen bajo control a la aristocracia y la gente común, quienes los sirven con la esperanza de que algún día les sea concedida la inmortalidad.
Noell Cordery es un naturalista inglés que sigue los pasos de su padre para tratar de comprender el fenómeno del vampirismo desde una perspectiva racional, y con eso, provocar que el imperio
de los vampiros pierda poder. Ayudado por la reciente invención del microscopio, sabe que el secreto debe consistir en un algo puramente biológico, basado en la sangre y otros fluidos corporales. Es acusado de traición, y logra escapar con unos piratas, y su viaje lo llevará hasta el corazón inexplorado de Africa, a la mítica cuna del vampirismo. Lo que encontrará y entenderá ahí, provocará una verdadera revolución cuando regrese a Galia.
Lo que me gustó de la historia es que la realidad alterna es muy convincente, gracias a la inclusión de personajes reales bien trabajados. Y también que el fondo de la historia es acerca del nacimiento de la ciencia y el pensamiento racional, quitándole influencia a la superstición y el pensamiento mágico.
Muy buena y recomendada.
October 16, 2022
Stableford's first exploration of the theme of the vampire. Here he ventures into history and myth and grounds the vampire in both worlds. He creates an empire of vampires in an alternative history of Europe.
It is an epic tale told over hundreds of years. It uses adventure tales, the clash of armies, and the work of the scientist to surround and contain the concept of vampires and how they would transform our world if they existed.
Brillant bit of philosophic science fiction framed in a historical fantasy novel.
This was written in 1988. In 1992 Kim Newman explores similar ideas of the vampire venturing into history by taking over an empire. Whereas Newman has a lot of fun with history, Stableford plumbs the depth of the theme of vampires in a more realistic and yet fantastic fantasy epic.
It is an epic tale told over hundreds of years. It uses adventure tales, the clash of armies, and the work of the scientist to surround and contain the concept of vampires and how they would transform our world if they existed.
Brillant bit of philosophic science fiction framed in a historical fantasy novel.
This was written in 1988. In 1992 Kim Newman explores similar ideas of the vampire venturing into history by taking over an empire. Whereas Newman has a lot of fun with history, Stableford plumbs the depth of the theme of vampires in a more realistic and yet fantastic fantasy epic.
May 27, 2023
Stableford sembra promettere un fantasy politico a tinte gotiche, ma alla fine scrive un romanzo naturalista di impianto quasi filosofico.
La prima parte del romanzo è stupenda e avrebbe dovuto dare il tono a tutto il resto del libro. Invece questo s'inerpica per percorsi secondari in ambientazioni poco ispirate e con personaggi che alla meglio sono ok.
L'ho abbandonato verso l'inizio della penultima parte, quando dovrebbe partire la battaglia, perché l'inizio della sua narrazione è così anticlimatica da essere imbarazzante.
La prima parte del romanzo è stupenda e avrebbe dovuto dare il tono a tutto il resto del libro. Invece questo s'inerpica per percorsi secondari in ambientazioni poco ispirate e con personaggi che alla meglio sono ok.
L'ho abbandonato verso l'inizio della penultima parte, quando dovrebbe partire la battaglia, perché l'inizio della sua narrazione è così anticlimatica da essere imbarazzante.
October 21, 2024
Can you fault a book for not being what you thought it would be? This book sounded great. I have had it for decades, and I finally read it. The struggle of humans in a vampire-controlled world. Starting in the mid-1600s, we see the underground rebellions of humans versus vampires start with a Edmund Corey striking the first blow at the cost of his own life. The story then moves to Noel Cordrey and his life-long study of vampires. We have pirates, monks, vampires in this story. But, despite how exciting this sounds, most of the novel is Noell and company walking slowly across Africa in order to meet the first vampires.
This book is slow, tedious, and despite what the back tells us, not really about the struggle except in the the first 20 pages or so and the last 50. This could have been great. But it was a struggle to get through as its just a whole lot of walking mostly.
Two stars is generous.
This book is slow, tedious, and despite what the back tells us, not really about the struggle except in the the first 20 pages or so and the last 50. This could have been great. But it was a struggle to get through as its just a whole lot of walking mostly.
Two stars is generous.
October 15, 2025
Otherwise, a decent althist. I like how vampires are treated differently by different cultures, and how the Great Schism likely happened based on whether or not vampires have souls. Also Attila the Hun being a vampire absolutely rocks.
March 23, 2021
As others have said, overlong for an interesting vampire alternate history. Character dialogue is overly verbose.
Needed a better editor.
Needed a better editor.
June 24, 2012
Acabei por ter uma relação de amor-ódio com este livro durante as três semanas que demorei a ler as suas páginas. Por um lado a ideia da história é diferente daquilo a que estamos habituados, por outro a escrita do autor é, em muitos pontos, extremamente pesada e aborrecida.
Num mundo governado por vampiros, Edmund Cordery é um homem de ciência decidido a descobrir como se poderia destruir estas criaturas. No entanto as suas pesquisas com o microscópio acabam interrompidas e deixadas nas mãos do seu filho Noell.
Noell é uma pessoa assombrada pelas escolhas que o seu pai tomou e acaba por ver em Quintus a figura paternal que nunca teve.
No meio de vampiros, piratas era a última coisa que eu esperava ver mas esses também aparecem e desempenham um papel importante para o crescimento da nossa personagem principal.
Na sua procura para dar resposta às perguntas de seu pai, Noell e os seus companheiros acabam por viajar até África onde descobrem que o processo de crianção de um destes seres, não é fruto de magia mas sim de uma mistura especial que deve ser feita que pode nem sempre funcionar.
Podemos ver também todo um conjunto de nomes e acontecimentos históricos como pano de fundo para este enredo.
Duvido que alguma vez vá voltar a ler este livro, até porque cada vez que lhe pegava ficava com sono e cheguei mesmo a adormecer. No entanto para quem gosta do género é uma boa leitura, sempre é uma versão diferente daquilo que temos visto nos últimos e anos.
A versão portuguesa é da Saída de Emergência, mas uma vez mais eu li em inglês por isso não posso comentar a tradução.
in: http://livrosportodolado.blogs.sapo.p...
Num mundo governado por vampiros, Edmund Cordery é um homem de ciência decidido a descobrir como se poderia destruir estas criaturas. No entanto as suas pesquisas com o microscópio acabam interrompidas e deixadas nas mãos do seu filho Noell.
Noell é uma pessoa assombrada pelas escolhas que o seu pai tomou e acaba por ver em Quintus a figura paternal que nunca teve.
No meio de vampiros, piratas era a última coisa que eu esperava ver mas esses também aparecem e desempenham um papel importante para o crescimento da nossa personagem principal.
Na sua procura para dar resposta às perguntas de seu pai, Noell e os seus companheiros acabam por viajar até África onde descobrem que o processo de crianção de um destes seres, não é fruto de magia mas sim de uma mistura especial que deve ser feita que pode nem sempre funcionar.
Podemos ver também todo um conjunto de nomes e acontecimentos históricos como pano de fundo para este enredo.
Duvido que alguma vez vá voltar a ler este livro, até porque cada vez que lhe pegava ficava com sono e cheguei mesmo a adormecer. No entanto para quem gosta do género é uma boa leitura, sempre é uma versão diferente daquilo que temos visto nos últimos e anos.
A versão portuguesa é da Saída de Emergência, mas uma vez mais eu li em inglês por isso não posso comentar a tradução.
in: http://livrosportodolado.blogs.sapo.p...
October 9, 2016
Po skúške som si otvorila túto krásku. ;) Román hovorí o období vlády Richarda Levieho Srdce, cca rok 1623. (Žije veru dlho, nielen on, ale aj Attilla, Vlad Dragulya a iní...) Veru, vládcami sú prevažne upíri. Áno, čítate správne, práve medzi šľachtou sa nacházajú tí, ktorí pijú krv svojim poddaným. A nielen obrazne.
No aj medzi obyčajnými ľuďmi, fascinovanými nesmrteľnosťou sa nájdu takí, čo sa chcú takýchto vládcov zbaviť. Nie každý chce byť ako oni. Neillov otec, mechanik Edmund Cordery sa pomocou mikroskopu pokúšal odhaliť tajomstvo premeny človeka na upíra. Syn je vďaka tomu nútený sa skrývať.
Zatiaľ som len na začiatku, ale je to ozaj zaujímavé. Prečo je biologicky viac upírskych žien? Ako dochádza k premene? Na toto ešte odpoveď nepoznám. Ale páči sa mi, ako sa tento autor popasoval s témou. Originál je tuším z r. 1988, takže zaujímavý pohľad - vtedy sa na upírov pozeral takto a možno aj on dal základ tým súčasným, pretože mali krásnu, bledú a čistú pleť, boli tmavovlasí, príťažliví. :) Upíri v tomto svete necítia bolesť, ak nechcú, dokážu rýchlo regenerovať a živia sa nielen krvou. Zatiaľ ma to mimoriadne zaujíma, lebo tuším, že sa to ešte zamotá...
Dodatok po dočítaní:
Už viem, prečo mi to bolo také známe. Lebo záverečná časť (súčastnosť) vyšla kedysi kdesi ako poviedka.
Ak máte chuť sa dozvedieť iný príbeh o upíroch a o tom, ako vznikajú, nech sa páči, Ríša strachu na vás čaká...
No aj medzi obyčajnými ľuďmi, fascinovanými nesmrteľnosťou sa nájdu takí, čo sa chcú takýchto vládcov zbaviť. Nie každý chce byť ako oni. Neillov otec, mechanik Edmund Cordery sa pomocou mikroskopu pokúšal odhaliť tajomstvo premeny človeka na upíra. Syn je vďaka tomu nútený sa skrývať.
Zatiaľ som len na začiatku, ale je to ozaj zaujímavé. Prečo je biologicky viac upírskych žien? Ako dochádza k premene? Na toto ešte odpoveď nepoznám. Ale páči sa mi, ako sa tento autor popasoval s témou. Originál je tuším z r. 1988, takže zaujímavý pohľad - vtedy sa na upírov pozeral takto a možno aj on dal základ tým súčasným, pretože mali krásnu, bledú a čistú pleť, boli tmavovlasí, príťažliví. :) Upíri v tomto svete necítia bolesť, ak nechcú, dokážu rýchlo regenerovať a živia sa nielen krvou. Zatiaľ ma to mimoriadne zaujíma, lebo tuším, že sa to ešte zamotá...
Dodatok po dočítaní:
Už viem, prečo mi to bolo také známe. Lebo záverečná časť (súčastnosť) vyšla kedysi kdesi ako poviedka.
Ak máte chuť sa dozvedieť iný príbeh o upíroch a o tom, ako vznikajú, nech sa páči, Ríša strachu na vás čaká...
January 21, 2016
Há muito que tinha este livro na estante à espera de uma oportunidade para ser lido. Sabia que tinha vampiros e nada mais.
Temos uma sociedade idêntica à nossa, mas onde os vampiros estão inseridos e onde controlam a sociedade.
Nesta sociedade, Edmund Cordery é um homem da ciência, que pretende descobrir como pode terminar com os vampiros e com o seu poder. Mas quando se interrompidas as suas pesquisas, transmite os seus conhecimentos ao seu filho Noel, que acaba por ter que fugir e se esconder.
A acção decorre em vários locais, tais como Inglaterra, África e Malta. E temos vários tipos de personagens diferentes: vampiros, monges, piratas.
Achei a ideia da história interessante mas a verdade é que achei o meio do livro muito chato e maçudo. A própria escrita é um pouco mais formal, como forma de respeitar a época pretendida, e um ritmo muito lento. Julgo que o autor poderia ter abreviado certas partes, porque realmente os capítulos passados em África aborreceram-me bastante.
Um outro aspecto que me desiludiu, mas que se prende por eu não saber nada sobre a história, foi que pensei que se enquadraria mais no género de terror e não tanto como romance épico. Só a de um empalamento, focando as diferentes entre empalar um humano e um vampiro é que me deixaram algo "desconfortável".
Temos uma sociedade idêntica à nossa, mas onde os vampiros estão inseridos e onde controlam a sociedade.
Nesta sociedade, Edmund Cordery é um homem da ciência, que pretende descobrir como pode terminar com os vampiros e com o seu poder. Mas quando se interrompidas as suas pesquisas, transmite os seus conhecimentos ao seu filho Noel, que acaba por ter que fugir e se esconder.
A acção decorre em vários locais, tais como Inglaterra, África e Malta. E temos vários tipos de personagens diferentes: vampiros, monges, piratas.
Achei a ideia da história interessante mas a verdade é que achei o meio do livro muito chato e maçudo. A própria escrita é um pouco mais formal, como forma de respeitar a época pretendida, e um ritmo muito lento. Julgo que o autor poderia ter abreviado certas partes, porque realmente os capítulos passados em África aborreceram-me bastante.
Um outro aspecto que me desiludiu, mas que se prende por eu não saber nada sobre a história, foi que pensei que se enquadraria mais no género de terror e não tanto como romance épico. Só a de um empalamento, focando as diferentes entre empalar um humano e um vampiro é que me deixaram algo "desconfortável".
December 21, 2024
Os romances com uma temática relativa ao vampirismo nunca me interessaram particularmente. E os romances de índole histórica também não. Ora, este romance é justamente uma simbiose desses dois sub-géneros literários. Dificilmente me poderia agradar. Não ponho em questão que Stableford possa ser um bom, melhor direi, um hábil escritor. Mas infelizmente isso não chega. Além de que lhe não posso perdoar o facto de neste seu romance o infante D. Henrique ser eliminado pelos vampiros de Lisboa e Setúbal (!?), de os portugueses só gostarem de fazer negócios de escravos e de se vangloriarem estupidamente de descobertas marítimas que nunca chegaram a realizar… Enough is enough.
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