Tag Archives: By Blood We Live

The Master of Rampling Gate by Anne Rice

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for by blood we live book cover

Title: The Master of Rampling Gate
Author: Anne Rice
In: By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Gothic, Horror, Vampires
Dates read: 30th June 2021
Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: “What have they done to me?” he whispered.

Synopsis

Two siblings were left with strict instructions of their father’s death – destroy Rampling Gate. But a visit to find out what they are to destroy has them questioning everything.

Thoughts

This had a very gothic / Dracula feel to it. But just not quite as horrifying and twisted. Actually, it had kind of surreal sort of happy ending. Not one that I necessarily went head over heels for. But one that I enjoyed nevertheless.

I like that there was a mystery and a feeling of family traditions and horrors throughout this tale. It wasn’t overly dark in and of itself, but that potential lingered throughout the tale. And it left me feeling very happily intrigued as I flicked through the pages.

I’ve heard of Anne Rice many times. I mean, who hasn’t when you like anything paranormal? So it was fun to know what her writing is actually like. I’d definitely be intrigued to buy one of her novels now…

<- Snow, Glass, ApplesUnder St. Peter’s ->

Image source: Fantastic Fiction

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
Image result for by blood we live book cover

Title: Snow, Glass, Apples
Author: Neil Gaiman
In: By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams) & Smoke and Mirrors (Neil Gaiman)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Horror, Retellings, Vampires
Dates read: 31st March 2021
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He rode with a small retinue: large enough to defend him, small enough that another monarch – myself, for instance – would not view him as a potential threat.

Synopsis

This is the true story of Snow White… one that will leave you feeling seriously uncomfortable.

Thoughts

I’ve read quite a few theories that state that Snow White is a vampire. Which seriously makes a deep, dark, twisted kind of sense. Apparently Gaiman feels the same. And this completely supported the theory in the creepiest most disgusting of ways possible. I’m glad that before I started reading this, there was actually a bit of a warning… it definitely helped prepare me for the ick factor that this awesome short story had.

Not only does this short story deal with vampires, and snow white. There is also necrophilia and all sorts of hints of bad things that I don’t necessarily want to think about. Again, seriously glad that there was a disclaimer at the beginning. But it didn’t stop me from being unable to put the story down and stop thinking about it.

This retelling is dark, twisted and truly glorious. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it. Which is probably one of the many reasons why I loved it so much. That, and, you know, I just tend to love everything I’ve read by Neil Gaiman.

<- By Blood We LiveThe Master of Rampling Gate ->

Image source: Fantastic Fiction

Blood Gothic by Nancy Holder

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of vampire romance 2 book cover

Title: Blood Gothic
Author: Nancy Holder
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 (Trisha Telep) & By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Mental health, Vampires
Dates read: 18th October 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She awoke from these dreams drenched in sweat and feeling exhausted.

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Synopsis

She’s been dreaming of her vampire lover for years. Now she just has to wait until he finally comes to claim her. But, things may not be quite as they seem when she finally returns from her trip to Transylvania.

Thoughts

I really wouldn’t call this a romance. And I would not have expected to find such a story in a collection of vampire romance stories. There is just nothing romantic about this tale. Obsessive, yes. Vampiric, kind of. But romantic? Nope, nope, nope. And if someone reads this thinking that it’s romantic… they need to sort their brains out a little better…

Ever since Twilight came out, I didn’t really understand the vampire obsession. After all, vampires feed on humans. In the last few years, I’ve read some stories that are romantic and lustful, but that teenage, angsty attachment and obsession? Still really don’t get it. This short story kind of feels like it echoes that. This woman is completely fixated on the idea of a vampire lover that visits her in her dreams. But I’m not sure that he’s actually real. Her obsession turns to a sickness of some kind and I kind of like to believe that the end of the story is actually a gentle way to say that it is the end of her life. Completely due to a weird obsession and an inability to find the reality in the world.

In a book of romantic, lustful tales, this short story leaves you with a somewhat uncomfortable feeling. It’s a bit huh, a bit weird, and a complete reminder of the idea that sometimes we need to stop and look at our obsessions. Pause so that we can take a step back and fix our own mental health. Or at least, that’s what this story reminded me of.

 <- With Friends Like These ReviewEternity Embraced Review ->
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A Stand-up Dame by Lilith Saintcrow

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

Title: A Stand-up Dame
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep) & By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance,  Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: I chopped the was we used to chop rattlers back on the farm and, when her body stopped flopping and the gouts and gouts of fresh streaming blood had soaked a wide swatch of rain-flattened grass, I dropped the shovel in too.

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Synopsis

Jack wakes up in a grave with a bullet hole in his head. All he can remember is the dame in the green dress. And then he realises that the most stand-up dame might be the one who has been right in front of him all along.

Thoughts

I liked the voice in this story. It was that very 20’s and had that kind of roughened P.I. tone to it that I have become used to in some of the more vampire noir stories. There was something about the language and storyline that just drew me in from the beginning. Mostly though it was just the fact that although this was a vampire romance, the vampire part was implied, and not outright explained.

One of my favourite things about this story was the very beautifully open-ended. I was disappointed in some ways, but I also liked the fact that it was up to my own imagination to understand what happened next. Actually… imagining multiple endings has both been incredibly fun and really frustrating.

 <- Vampire Unchained ReviewUntitled 12 Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Ode to Edvard Munch by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance

Title: Ode to Edvard Munch
Author: Caitlin R. Kiernan
In: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Trisha Telep) & By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2006
5th sentence, 74th page: But if she is Indian, the girl on Cherry Hill, she has no trace of an accent when she talks to me about the fountain or her favourite paintings in the Met or the exhibits she likes best at the Museum of Natural History.

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Synopsis

A lyrical waxing and waning of a man’s relationship with his vampire and the dreams that she brings with her.

Thoughts

I loved the lyricism in this short story. It gave the tale a sense of the old classics, written in the times when you didn’t just use one word to describe “tired” but an entire paragraph. And there was the same sense of multi-layered meanings. The idea that if I read this a hundred more times, I would find something else hidden amongst the intense symbolism.

Whilst the storyline is convoluted and dark, I love the symbolism and the descriptive language used throughout this story. It made every moment of convoluted story telling so much more vivid and intense. Something that makes me want to find more of Kiernan’s tales.

 <- Fade to Black ReviewFangs for Hire Review ->
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Infestation by Garth Nix

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
To Hold the Bridge

Title: Infestation
Author: Garth Nix
In: To Hold the Bridge (Garth Nix) & By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Does it look like we did?’ asked Susan with a shudder.

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Synopsis

Aliens and vampires are infesting the world, and there is only one man who can stop them. Yet, he has a dark past too.

Thoughts

Aliens and vampires – a combination that I never expected, thought of, or have experienced before. Yet, it is something that worked brilliantly in Infestation. Actually, I was really disappointed when this ended – I wanted to know more about the slightly weird, hippy-style main character. And I wanted to know how this epic war of aliens that left us with killing-machine vampires actually turned out. Did he win the war in the end? Did he bring back his creepy sounding captain?

Again and again I remember just why I love Garth Nix – not only does he know how to spin a great yarn. But he is also able to create a vivid world that teaches us lesson after lesson. In such a fantastically unforgettable way. In this case, the aliens left the bad things behind, and you should never try to play god.

<- Stop! ReviewThe Heart of the City Review ->
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Twilight by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview
otherworld-nights

Title: Twilight
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #7.2
In: Otherworld Nights (Kelley Armstrong) & By Blood We Live (John Joseph Adams)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: When an exit door wung open, I darted into another doorway to avoid detection and spotted my victim.

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Synopsis

A visit to Cassandra Du Charme as she faces her mortality.

Thoughts

Cassandra is an incredibly odd character in the Women of the Otherworld series – she isn’t really likeable, but she also isn’t horrible enough to truly dislike. It is her apathy and lack of regard for others that just seems so at odds with the rest of the characters, and makes her seem cold and withdrawn from the rest of the world. Which, in all honesty, she is. However, some of her gumption and reasoning behind this apathy for the rest of the world is explained in Twilight.

I really liked that in the introduction to Otherworld Nights, even Kelley Armstrong dislikes the titling of this short story. After all, it just has too many negative connotations with another well-known (and in my case, strongly disliked) series. Having said that, if it wasn’t for the fact that the title reflects the Stephanie Meyers series, it is actually quite suitably named. Not only is Cassandra spending her time hunting in the twilight hours, but it is completely obvious from her actions and the storyline that she is in the twilight of her life.

Again, Armstrong takes a different spin on the presence, and existence of vampires. Especially the ending of their lives, and the way that even these incredibly long-lived creatures eventually meet their end. Cassandra’s unwillingness to accept her demise, unless it is on her own terms makes this hard-to-like character actually quite likeable. As does the explanation of her relationship with Aaron. It is obvious that they have a past in the other Women of the Otherworld books, but finally, Cassandra’s side of the tale is revealed. As is his concern and care for this difficult woman.

<- FramedStalked ->

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