Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Children of the Night by Dan Simmons ISBN: 0-446-36475-4 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1993 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.97 (30 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Makes one wonder about the reality of the undead
Comment: Dan Simmons wrote a novel taken from Bram Stokers "Dracula", and using it as the title: "Children of the Night". This novel is an epic on Vlad Tsepes, the Impaler, Dracula (Son of Dracul-- or Order of the Dragon). One cannot put the story down easily as it continues to move through time itself from past to present without leaving any place to really put down the book for a break. If you are a fan of Dracula, or any real historical data on the life of Dracula, as seen through the eyes of many, then this book is indeed a primary source. And if you are not a fan of Dracula, or the idea of, and reality of, the idea of such a person, you will become a Vlad/Dracula fanatic and will spend hours researching the character yourself and find that Dan Simmons left very few leafs unturned. And those left unturned, I believe, were intentional. I could write about what occurs in the novel, but what's the point? Read it for yourself and make sure that your keep the light on while you do so.
Rating: 2
Summary: good bait, bad switch
Comment: This book flies off the shelf both in its promise of vampire fiction (good genre, strong following) and the Hugo award winning author's name in large print. It has a well thought-out mystery for its characters to solve, and a 'medical-thriller' aspect that only just uses too much jargon. However- the development is slow, the story does get boring, and the characters get very introspective without really developing into persons a reader can relate to. This leads to those long, dull interludes of an author struggling to describe a character's thoughts and feelings with only minimal success. Simmons does better when characters' actions define their personality (not thoughts) and when his sci-fi is explained through demonstration (not syntax-laden description). Both of these he does with professional quality in the Hyperion series, which are a must read for any sf fan.
Children of the Night drags, has dull characters and a somewhat corny background and one of the most cliche, predictable endings an author could crank out outside of a King/Koontz thriller. Stick to the sci-fi; that's where Simmons' truly stunning ability lies.
Rating: 3
Summary: if Hyperion is bliss, this is competent.
Comment: let me preface this reviewlet with general praise: Dan Simmons is a contemporary storyteller i very-much adore. Hyperion is one of those books i recommend to _everyone_, regardless of what they usually read.
this novel, then, was a disappointment. i was hoping that it would posit a scientific explanation of vampires, tie that in with the some juicy Romanian/Eastern European history, then delve deep into the sub-society vampires have crafted for themselves, play with the myths, toy with the characteristics of vampirism.
instead, this novel dealt with a heroine who stumbles under the fist of a despotic, Eastern European government and fights for her freedom and her family. along the way she finds a friend/lover, and suffers _a lot_!
the vampiric elements felt very secondary, and the Big Revelations were out of place in the general context of the novel. without those trappings, this would have been a decent thriller that does an excellent job of portraying how harsh Eastern Europe can be.
 |
Title: Summer of Night by Dan Simmons ISBN: 0446362662 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1992 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons ISBN: 0446359203 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1990 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
 |
Title: A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons ISBN: 0380817160 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 31 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
 |
Title: Song of Kali by Dan Simmons ISBN: 031286583X Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 January, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: Darwin's Blade: A Novel of Suspense by Dan Simmons ISBN: 0380789183 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
