Blood: The Last Vampire 2002

Book Description

This graphic novel is based on Blood: The Last Vampire, once the fastest-selling title in the history of Manga Entertainment. Benkyo Tamaoki updates this Vietnam War-era anime story to present-day Japan. The immortal Saya returns — still clad in her trademark sailor suit and armed with an ancient Samurai sword — to continue her holy war against the vampiric Chiropterans. Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer in tone but with graphic violence, this book is recommended for mature readers.

Customer Reviews:

Like anime like manga..........2005-09-30

Good artwork and a simple plot but with a slightly interesting, if twisted, ending. Sequel to the events of the anime, decades later, Saya is once again hunting down vampires - Chiropterans stalking teenagers. Will she be able to wipe them out or are they waiting for her?

Not a shadow on the Anime.......2005-09-22

The plot was shallow and course. The artwork was uninspired and pornographic rather than erotic. It was an insult to a brilliant character developed in a masterful anime.

Great purchase, great shipping, great experience!.......2005-08-22

I was very pleased with the quick and efficient shipping. The book was in perfect condition and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Thank you!

It was pretty good........2004-01-30

When i got this book it was not what i had expected. it was pretty good as far as the story-line but it was quite graphic in well.....pretty much everything! but otherwises it was really good. i love vampire stories, so this was exciting as well as grusomely entertaining. if you are looking for a book that contains lotz of blood n' gore be sure to get this comic.

(i didn't really get the ending though..)

Full of gore, but great!.......2003-09-02

I've heard of the DVD and I checked it out, but I didn't buy it, even though I was dying to get it! Well, one day in a book store, my eyes came across this book, and I immediantly took it from the shelf. I sat down and read the whole book in the matter of minutes. Right in the beginning, it takes you into the book and fills you with confusion. But later on, it all comes together and satisfy your taste, but also leave you confused, wondering and wanting for more. :) It has some nudity, well...a lot...kinda, and one part of sexual humor. It also has some language. If you are one of those people like me, who don't mind those stuff, then you will LOVE this book!

Average customer rating:

Stunning....
A time of change...
Infodumporama
Where is Saya?
This Could Have Been a Contender

Blood: The Last Vampire
Mamoru Oshii
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1595820299

Book Description

At Yokota Base in Japan, American soldiers stand guard at the brink of the Vietnam War. Although they fear the enemy outside their base, an even more dangerous enemy waits within - bloodthirsty vampires walk among them. Appearing human, the beasts lurk in secret among the soldiers, waiting for the moment to attack. Saya, a fierce and beautiful vampire hunter, is sent to lead a team of undercover agents whose mission is to decide who is human and who is not, and wipe out the vampires before they can wipe out the base. But even though Saya is a powerful warrior whose skill with her Japanese sword is lethal, her ferocity may not be enough.

Customer Reviews:

Stunning...........2007-09-25

Finishing this book tonight the content is fresh in my memory.

I have to say, i am not the type of person that reads books. I stay as far away from books as possible. However, I really enjoyed the movie Blood The Last Vampire. As i'm sure most whom read this did.

Spoilers below....

I was expecting more vampire action, and a lot more Saya. But the story actually took a different direction.

It starts of with young High School rebel Rei(forget the word that was used)Protester in 1969 Japan. After their large group is attacked by police Rei makes his escape and witnesses a girl named Saya checking her blade after just killing a monster.

Rei is confronted by 2 foreigners and is knocked unconscious and wakes up in a hospital. He is confronted soon after by a man named Goutuda who claims to be a cop.

Throughout the book, Rei and his group of High School protesters...Try to figure out the answer to why there have been killings of several members of a very private organization called SR that their friend is part of. Fearing for his life they join Goutuda to help him figure it out why these members are being killed and why the blood is drained from their body, and why this girl named Saya transfers to the school and class of those members days before their dissapearance.

After another encounter with Saya, Rei and Goutuda are enlightened(after being kidnapped by the foreigners)In an extrememly long history lesson.

After that Rei goes back home and his final encounter with Goutuda and Saya takes place in the school, where its seemingly over...

The book ends in an Epilogue where 30 years later where it explains what happened to the boys after the events of the book. As well as Saya's final appearance.

--
--
Thats my somewhat brief summary of the book. Saya appears 4 times in the book, and is very brief each time.

This book has a lot of Very LONG talks in it. Somewhat interesting. They talk about corpses and how to dispose of a body. And about the evolution of vampires and humans.

I wouldnt call this a sequel to the anime movie, its more of a side story of someones encounter with Saya.

I would reccomend you read this if you really enjoyed the anime movie. It doesnt go into Saya's past at all. All we really learn about Saya is she is half human half vampire from experimental breeding, her being the only successful one. And that she hates humans and vampires but alias herself with the humans so that she can kill the vampires she hates...(read the book it makes more sense...)

All in all its a great tale on the life of a teenage boy in japan in 1969 and his encounter with a girl named Saya.

For a side note, I dont think you have to see the movie to enjoy this book. Because the only character from the movie is Saya. If anything, this might be a good prequel to the movie even though its afterwards...

P.S.S. If you are a fan of Blood+ a spinoff of Blood the last vampire, then this book and the movie, as well as the Blood the last vampire 2002 manga are different.

Blood+ is an alternate universe with the mostly the same characters but different approach.

P.S.S.S. There are also 2 more books in the Blood The last Vampire series other then this first one, I'm not sure when(if) they will come to the USA.

I hope I helped you understand this book a little better.

Not for children, kind of gory foul language, and drug and alcohol use by minors.

A time of change..........2007-03-17

Japan of the 1960s was a nation of great change. Young actors and musicians have become the new idols of youth while they search for their place in a society that is changing. Girls have been given greater opportunities and the school system itself have been changed to create a new kind of Japanese citizen. The economy is growing, the government is facing the challenges of becoming a true democracy even while radicals from the Right and Left bring violence. The family unit, from the Imperial Family to the family of the common man, has been changed. Change, change, change.
Add the Vietnam War and vampires and you should have an action packed novel. But Saya, the vampire killer, is barely IN the book. In fact few scenes have vampires, of any type, in them. Most of the novel is focused on the student protest groups, the politics of Japan and Darwin. Rei Miwa is the main character, a high school student who feels powerless in a time when Tokyo is a storm of power. Most of the time he does seem to just go with the flow and many times I felt totally bored by the whole story. In the end the plot turns out to be simple it is just getting from point A to point B that took so long. How much can a student eat, drink and smoke? How much do we need to know about how police work? How much do we need to know about the history of burial? Tons of data - very little story.

Infodumporama.......2006-09-16

I will be as brief as my disappointment with this book allows:

This novel violates the fundamental popular prose concept of "show, don't tell" for almost its entire length. And I did read it all just to ferret out the teeny tiny tidbits of story that were buried in it.

Actually, "violates" isn't strong enough. "Sodomizes" is better.

Page after page of boring pseudo-philosophical discussions and boot strap theoretics to justify the possiblity of rational vampire existence that have nothing at all to do with the STORY. Add to that little to no meaningful characterization that would get you to care about anyone in the book and you have a read that is not just slow, it's GLACIAL.

I'll take this book as proof that just because someone excels in one creative field of endeavor, they do not automatically have a right to pretend to have skills in another arena. I pity the poor translator. She must have spent a fortune in coffee to pull this off.

Additionally, the proofing of the English language version was full of outright typos and spell Czechs. For shame, hoping to ride the coat tails of a moderately successful little anime film (with a unsatifying and disappointing ending, by the way) by picking the pockets of people hoping for an action-packed book with meaningful details. Instead, what you get is a make-believe 300 page textbook with, maybe, a 5000 word short story hidden inside it. And not a very good one, either.

Next time, Mamoru Oshii and DH Press (also known as Dark Horse Comics), hire a competent ghost writer to actually put some real teeth into your project. A decent proof reader wouldn't go far wrong, either.

Where is Saya?.......2006-07-26

Slow-paced. Political rhetoric. Where's the action? Where are the vampires? For that matter, where is Saya? Don't be fooled... it was nothing like the movie.

This Could Have Been a Contender.......2006-05-02

Probably the best way to critique this book is to state right off that it simply fails to deliver what it promises. Blood was one of my early encounters with anime, a fine and chilling film that still sticks in my mind years later. When I found this book my biggest concern was that turning Saya Otonashi into the subject of a boys adventure story might spoil the fine edge that the film managed. But I need not have worried, Saya Otonashi is hardly the subject of this tale. Actually, it's hard to say just what is the subject of the story. Maybe it's the woeful lives of high school radicals in a conservative society. That I can connect with, but not in the context of something that claims to be horror fiction.

Rei Miwa is a boy in his late teens who is deeply involved in the politics of the Japanese anti-war (anti Vietnam War) movement. He gets caught up in a protest march that goes wrong, and in his flight from the police he stumbles on the scene of a slaughter. The victim is some form of horrible monster, and the killer is a young high school girl with a long sword and the eyes of a demon. When he wakes from unconsciousness later he finds that he has been suspended from school, and grounded to boot. But the sudden appearance of a police detective - Hajime Gotouda - draws Rei into a thickening plot that entangles his fellow radicals and brings him face to face with creatures that can only be called vampires.

Had the book kept going in this vein (sorry) it would have been a top grade story. But suddenly Mamoru Oshii seems to lose control of the plot, and everything bogs down in a pseudo-philosophical discussion of parallel species, the hunter hypothesis, Descartes, the international Jewish conspiracy, and the evils of the Catholic Church. Saya is reduced to a few walk on appearances and the reader, if he has good sense, promptly falls asleep. But the time things start happening the story has fragmented and Oshii rushes everything to a whimsical conclusion. It all turns into a more or less depressing coming of age story. I know you are sitting there thinking "Oh wow! A Blood novel." But pass this one up. You'll feel better for it.

Average customer rating:

Not prime Strieber
i read this book as a stand alone
Whatever this is, it isn't a sequel.
This book is a self-important bore.
a bad set-up to a sequel

The Last Vampire : A Novel
Whitley Strieber
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743417216
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Book Description

She lives.

Miriam Blaylock's insatiable hunger has never ceased. Her incomparable beauty has made her a legend among the Keepers. Her many lovers have come and gone, crumbling into ash and nothingness. She knows the secrets of civilization, and the mysteries of life. In the hollow soul of her mother she has witnessed the agony of undeath.

For centuries she has gained the wisdom of God and the wit of the Devil. For centuries she has traveled the world undetected. For centuries she has felt safe. Until now.

For Miriam Blaylock, immortality is a thing of the past.

He watches.

Vampires. Interpol agent Paul Ward knows of them: he has battled and cleansed continents of their exquisite poison. He orchestrated the extermination of an ancient lair in Bangkok, obtained their sacred Book of Names, and knows where they hide and when they feast. He knows their weaknesses. And what's more, he knows his own...it's Miriam Blaylock. Elusive and toxic, she has escaped his complex network of hunters for years. Seductive and cunning, she has become his obsession.

And now each has set a trap for the other.

Now, predator is about to become prey. Killer to become lover. Good and evil will become inexorably entwined. The endgame begins for the last vampire.

The eternal heroine of Whitley Strieber's classic novel The Hunger, Miriam Blaylock returns in The Last Vampire -- a new tale of stunning invention and mounting suspense that goes as deep into the dark as a nightmare.

Download Description

Predator is about to become prey and killer to become lover in this long-awaited sequel to Strieber's vampire classic, "The Hunger". As good and evil are rendered indistinguishable, the endgame begins.

Customer Reviews:

Not prime Strieber.......2007-07-31

The Last Vampire opens in Thailand, where Miriam Blaylock, the vampire anti-heroine from the 1981 classic The Hunger, anxiously anticipates a meeting with others of her kind, known as Keepers. Usually on the periphery of her small peer group, Miriam has not seen another true vampire for nearly a century. Although otherwise content with this situation, Miriam now finds herself in thrall to biological imperatives--she's ready to have a baby, something that only occurs four times in a female's lifetime. Miriam is especially anxious about this opportunity, as it will be her last.

Miriam soon discovers she has other things to worry about. Arriving at the vampires' hidden lair, she learns that its secretive denizens have been murdered, apparently by an organized hit squad. Worse, a book revealing the whereabouts of other vampires worldwide has been taken, threatening the entire species. Concluding that the next strike will be in Europe, Miriam decides to warn the vampires there, who have settled in Paris. On a whim, however, she decides to feed before she departs.

This uncharacteristic lack of caution brings her to the attention of the enemy, led by the ruthless and vengeful Paul Ward, a CIA operative who as a child lost his father to a vampire. Miriam thus joins the hunted, forced to elude Ward's team as she desperately tries to sound the alarm for her French kin. Ward follows her from Thailand, leading to an epic battle beneath the streets of Paris. Miriam is the only vampire to escape the carnage, vowing revenge on Ward even as she flees to safer environs in the US. Miriam's and Ward's obsessions fuel the action of the second half of the novel, as their mutual quests for revenge lead to (at least for them) unanticipated results.

So, how does The Last Vampire compare with its predecessor, The Hunger? Not very well, unfortunately--in fact, your chances of enjoying this book will increase greatly if you avoid The Hunger entirely. Why? Simply put, reading The Hunger will raise your expectations to a level that its successor simply cannot fulfill. The Last Vampire is the Hollywood version of the Miriam Blaylock story, jazzed up by a thoughtless producer to "enhance" the package. Gone is the cool, calculating, elegant, but tortured beauty, a character that many consider the best single element of a very powerful and original novel. For the first half of the novel, she is Lara Kroft, careening from one dangerous situation to another. In the second half of the novel, she becomes a creature driven by emotion, careless and cruel with those around her, bent on fulfilling her desires for revenge and passion. Gone also is the dark mood and subtlety of The Hunger. Strieber has abandoned much of the original novel's powerful premise, choosing instead to create a vampire mythos wildly divergent from that of The Hunger.

Taken on its own, The Last Vampire works up to a point. The action sequences are quite well done, harrowing and exciting. The supporting cast is well rendered--particularly Sarah, first introduced in The Hunger. There are also some nice set pieces along the way, particularly Ward's psychedelic experience in Miriam's New York nightclub. Then again, the plot twist on which the entire book hangs was telegraphed way too early, and the ending, seemingly designed with a sequel in mind, seemed contrived.

So, all in all The Last Vampire, despite its individual merits, was something of a disappointment. If you're looking for prime Strieber, read The Hunger, or better yet, his first secret race novel, The Wolfen. Those books, while certainly commercial, are the work of a writer at the top of his game; a storyteller using every trick he knows to grab his audience's attention. The Last Vampire, sadly, feels more like it was just done for the money.

i read this book as a stand alone.......2006-09-20

i wasnt aware of the previous book. therefore have nothing to compare to. with that in mind i found this book one of the most original vampire books i have ever read. the story is fasinating. the concept and growth of the vampire is incredibly original and a complete page turner.

this book makes me want to read the others . i hope i find the rest as good. i see there that most that have read them in order havent. maybe this will be good for me, reading them out of order.

Whatever this is, it isn't a sequel........2006-05-19

I am a tremendous fan of Mr. Streiber's work and "the Hunger" is my favorite novel of his, favorite vampire novel period. It is beautiful, stunning, and the character of Miriam Blaylock is a unique and memorable creation. I wrote and told him so, for what it's worth. I have read it over a dozen times. Mr. Streiber would have done well to have reread the first novel before starting the second. The character and the world they inhabit, even that facts as presented in the first novel seem completely absent. Same names but that is the only resemblence. Any art or magic he may have created in the first book is gone from the second. This second novel feels more like a body count video game or a bad "Blade" rip off.
I don't know if he was writing with the intent of eventually making it into an action movie but that's what it feels like.
It's sad. I refuse to consider this a sequel to such a fine novel.

This book is a self-important bore. .......2005-05-11

This book reads like a cheap, bloated paperback romance. Strieber's style is as antiquated and obvious as Miriam's 1970's Chanel. If you are a fan of the original, you might enjoy seeing the continuation of the characters, however.

a bad set-up to a sequel.......2005-02-10

**** this review contains spoilers and the ending to "The Last Vampire". If you do not want to know, please go to the next revew.****

I have to agree with all of the other reviews that said the story was inconsistent. For instance, at one point in the story, Paul surmises that he heals quickly because while slaughering Keepers, some of their blood gets on his shoe (i know, but that's what he thinks).... but then later on it's revealed that he's part of some experiment to breed Humans and Keepers. And then one moment Miriam is fierce and the next girlish. And let's not forget that in the first novel, it seemed that Miriam liked how independant and headstrong Sarah was, but in this novel, she calls her "boring". I was trying to like the book, but all of the inconsistencies ruined it for me.

Another glaring mistake: page 378 has Paul laying in bed with Miriam and saying "You are my wife" and thinking, "She lay in his arms, gazing at him with such adoration that he almost wanted to laugh from the pleasure it gave him." He even says "I will never leave you" and he feels this was their marriage vow. Now, please turn to page 384 - yes, only 6 pages ahead and the last page of the book. Now we see Paul with an old coworker, one he hadn't thought about it at least 100 pages and who, at least in this book, had only been in her presence a total of a few days. And now: "When he kissed her at last, he immediately found what he'd lost hope of ever finding, which was his heart's true happiness."

Whah? You were just saying you loved Miriam and wanted to stay with her - ONLY SIX PAGES AGO! You told Miriam that you were her husband and those were your marriage vows.... and now you want another chick who hasn't even been in the book but for possibly 4 pages?

The only thing I can think of that happened is that page 360 came along and Strieber thought, "Crap, I have to have this book done in under 400 pages" and completely abandons the story. Or worse, gave it to a friend to end the book for her. That is my #1 pet peeve about some of these books - you get sucked into a story and you stick with it even during the bad parts in hopes of a good ending, and then all of a sudden, you get shivved in the courtyard and you're left thinking, "What just happened?"

The last 6 pages of the book will make you scratch your head and reread the last chapter in order to "Get" what is going on. If you want to waste some time, get this book. I do not recommend it though.

Giovanni Chronicles: The Last Supper (Vampire)

Average customer rating:

The Giovanni Genesis & Beyond
Thank you White Wolf, it's about time.
An Excellent Tale for any Players of Vampire: the Masquerade

Giovanni Chronicles: The Last Supper (Vampire)
Dan Greenberg , Teeuwynn , and Joshua Gabriel Timbrook
Manufacturer: White Wolf Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565042506

Customer Reviews:

The Giovanni Genesis & Beyond.......2000-07-28

The Giovanni Saga 1 makes up the first of two collections of books detailing not only the creation of the Giovanni clan but the time and events leading up to it. This edition contains the now out of print first two books of the Giovanni Chronicles (The Last Supper and Blood and Fire). The first book details the main players in the Conspiracy of Isaac, the founders, and other minor players. The second explains the beginnings of Clan Giovanni and the troubles it faced in the beginning. The entire book is set up as instructions for the storyteller, with ideas for live-action roleplay and character stats. The book, aside from a very nonlinear and detailed chronicle, can also be enjoyed by simply reading as any other book. The book includes detailed storyteller information for every possible variation in the story. I recommend this book for anybody who plays vampire, is interested in the Giovanni, wants to host the greatest chronicle ever, or just wants to read a really neat book.

Thank you White Wolf, it's about time........2000-05-06

This is an enjoyable and wimsical tale set in White Wolf's World of Darkness halfway through the second millenium. Unfortunately the books The Last Supper and Blood & Fire are no longer in print, but White Wolf, in an effort to remedy this, has reprinted them in this superb compilation, I await the next parts of the series. I just finished my first read through the book, and soon I will be telling this tale of the Giovanni's beginnings, via the fall of their founders, the ancient Cappadocians. I hope others who read this will feel the sense of awe and fear that the World of Darkness conjures in me.

An Excellent Tale for any Players of Vampire: the Masquerade.......2000-05-06

This is an enjoyable and wimsical tale set in White Wolf's World of Darkness halfway through the second millenium. Unfortunately this book is no longer in print, but White Wolf, in an effort to remedy this, has reprinted it along with the second book in the series, Blood and Fire. I just finished my first read through the book, and soon I will be telling this tale of the Giovanni's beginnings, via the fall of their founders, the ancient Cappadocians. I hope others who read this will feel the sense of awe and fear that the World of Darkness conjures in me.

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Blood the Last Vampire 2000
Benkyo Tamaoki
Manufacturer: Editorial Ivrea
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Dark One Vampire Series: A Girl's Guide to Vampires, Sex and the Single Vampire, Sex Lies and Vampires, Even Vampires Get the Blues, The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires (Set of 5 Paranormal Romance Novels)

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Dark One Vampire Series: A Girl's Guide to Vampires, Sex and the Single Vampire, Sex Lies and Vampires, Even Vampires Get the Blues, The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires (Set of 5 Paranormal Romance Novels)
Katie MacAlister
Manufacturer: Signet Eclipse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000V714FW

Book Description

THE HEIRS OF CAHIRA O’CONNOR SERIES - BOOK THREE It is said that as Cahira, daughter of the great Irish king Rory O’Connor, lay dying of a wound from a Norman blade, she lifted her hand toward heaven and beseeched God that others would follow…breaking forth from the courses to which they are bound to restore right in this murderous world…

To Kathleen O’Connor, Cahira’s story was nothing more than a legend–until research divulged that the tale was true. Stunned, Kathleen realizes she herself bears Cahira’s mark. Is she destined to continue the legacy? To find the truth, Kathleen must delve into the past to find the truth about The Heirs of Cahira O'Connor…

When Flanna O’Connor, a young medical student in Boston, is cut off from her family in Charleston at the start of the Civil War, she decides to disguise herself and move south with the Union Army. While in disguise, she must prove herself as a soldier and a doctor, both to her messmates and to Major Alden Haynes, brother to the man she has tentatively agreed to marry. But when Flanna and Alden are trapped between two armies, can Flanna trust God with her future…and with the love she has sought all her life?

Customer Reviews:

The Best Yet!.......2007-01-10

Book Three of the Heirs of Cahira O'Connor was my favorite of the series. I enjoyed the setting - the Civil War - and the development of Flanna's understanding of the real issues of the war. The aspect of a woman doctor in a time when they were not accepted was very well done. Love, loyalty, faith - it has it all...

Fantastic Historical Fiction Based During the Civil War .......2006-05-16

This book is the 3rd in "The Heirs of Cahira O'Conner" series. Although I haven't read the 4th, so far this one is my favorite. Not that the first 2 are not good, they are terrific, it's just that this one gripped me from the beginning. I read this 400 page novel in just 24 hours!

Flanna O'Conner is finishing up medical school in Boston when the Civil War begins. She longs for her family in Charleston SC and disguises herself as a soldier in her effort to return to the south. Although Flanna's character has depth from the beginning, her travels deepen her character and trust in God. This is a profound story of sacrifice, loyalty, and how the effects of this war dramatically changed so many lives. These people gave up virtually everything (their lives, family, homes, & work) for a cause they believed in.

Flanna's experience and what is shared in this book really brings significance to the heroism of those who served in the Civil War. The author does an excellent job of researching our country's culture and circumstances during the mid-1800s. At the end she writes two pages on her references. I had no idea that there were 400 women who actually did pose as men in order to serve in the Civil War.

What I love about historical fiction is that it gives me a heart for the people who lived during the time, and a desire to learn more. What a great way to learn about history!!

Great Book Must Read.......2004-08-29

I love this book. Even though I'm just 15. I thought is had an amazing plot and a wonderful ending. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because of the beginning. It was incredibly slow and boring. But I'm so glad I decided to keep reading!

What a wonderful story!.......2002-05-23

This book is moving...I thought that it brought a new eye to the Civil War. Flanna is in Boston, studying to get her medical degree so that she can return to Charleston and help her father in his practice. However, the Civil War breaks out and Flanna is forced to figure out how she will get home. As in the other Cahira O'Connor books, she dresses as a boy and becomes a soldier.

I thought this book was very well written from beginning to end. The death of the professor is Kathleen's impetus to get back to work on the story of the heirs of Cahira O'Connor. What she finds leads her to wonder what HER role in this will be.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, but please read the other 2 books in the series first. This book will make you want to rush out and pick up the 4th.

Hunt highlights women in history.......2000-05-24

Novelist Angela Elwell Hunt has done it again! Her exciting historical women's fiction series shines with complex stories of gifted women seeking to make a place for themselves in a world, dominated by narrow ideas of women as little more than man pleasers.

Velvet Shadow is the third in a Cahira O Connor series. Flanna O'Connor a Southern bell who defied convention to study medicine in Boston Mass on the eve of the Civil War. Her hopes to take her degree back to the south are shattered by the outbreak of war, cut off from her family she tries to enlist in the Army as a Doctor and prejudice turns her back.

This theme runs throughtout the story as the wealthy Bostonian abolitionists bemoan the fate of slaves, while mistreating their Irish servants. Her keen eye for hypocrisy in society is entertaining. I had not known that some freed blacks also had slaves. Her devotion to research illuminates the Zeitgeist (ruling ideas) of the times. When an aspiring politican pursues her to marry him and forsake medicine, Flanna, like her ancestor and many actual women in the Civil War impersonates a man to join the Union Army. She hopes to make her way home to the south and desert but her destiny as a Doctor calls her to steal supplies to treat the wounded, in spite of threat of exposure, court martial or worse. As a surgeon she becomes the Velvet Shadow who saves men who would have perished without her. Hunt has captured the misery and mismanagement of troops, supplies etc in this heartbreaking war that redefined the history of our country. Again, we are led through a series of heart breaks and changes the character must conquer to survive and thrive.

This book will spark your appetite to read the earlier books in the series that began with The Silver Sword, set in 1400's Anika of Prague must pretend to be a knight in order to escape unwanted attention of a nobleman's son. She plays in integral part in story of Jan Hus, burned at the stake for his religious beliefs.

In the second book, the Golden Cross opens in 1642 when Aidan O'Connor penniless after the death of her father at sea ekes out a living in the slums of Colonial Batavia while her spirit longs for artistic expression. A master cartographer recognizes her talent and senses God leading him to train her. Aidan enters the aristocratic world as apprenticing artist and is coached in fine manners of high born women. She longs to learn and become a wealthy artist to lift her friends from the web of wharf poverty and degradation. Aidan casts aside the brocade to masquerade as a cabin boy aboard the exploration vessel of Captain Tasman to pursue her dream. The voyage is fraught with danger, slaughter and brings Aidan to cling to God. Aidan's voyage leads to unexpected danger, treasure and you'll need to read the book to find out if she settles or succeeds.

As readers we learn in pursuing the talents God has placed within us, we can experience Kairos time creative expansion of time, versus everyday chronos time. This writer broadens my view of the past and gives inspiration to my future.

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A Snarly Review

A read so fascinating that I had to go there twice... in a row--

Black Jewels-good read

Amazing!!!

Wonderful.
The Black Jewels: Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood / Heir to the Shadows / Queen of the Darkness
Anne Bishop
Manufacturer: Roc Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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The Shadows and the Light

ASIN: 0451529014
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Book Description

Anne Bishop's critically-acclaimed Black Jewels Trilogy is the saga of a young but still-innocent Queen more powerful than even the High Lord of Hell-and the three sworn enemies determined to win her and gain a prize that could be terrible beyond imagining...

Customer Reviews:

A Snarly Review.......2007-09-25

If I had to sum up this book in one word it would be "disappointing". Ms. Bishop creates a beautiful hierarchy of power with the Blood and drawing their power from Jewels, the delicate psychic roadways of the Winds, and an interesting take on death with the Demon Dead and Guardians. The geography of the different lands, the different races of creatures that occupied them, and the involvement of the Kindred were all wonderfully detailed and fresh. These aspects of the story are fascinating, well developed, and highly imaginative, and I truly wish the actual storyline could live up to this promise.

In contrast of the terrific world she created, Ms. Bishop's characters could not be any more two-dimensional and tiresome. For all of her attempts to write "Dark Fantasy" and to challenge traditional images of hell/darkness (with names like Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar) she creates some pretty standard, dull heroes and villains. No one hero is capable of doing anything wrong--Jaenelle most of all. I don't think I've read a heroine this mind-numbing in a long time. For a story like this to work, there needs to be actual, palpable danger for the heroine and the heroine's world. There was no question or danger here--Jaenelle was all powerful, pure hearted, and of course could overcome the simple-minded evil Queens. Hardly scintillating material.

So far as writing skills go, I am entirely done with the word "snarl". There are other adjectives to describe guttural noises.

Even on a romance front, I was disappointed. Daemon, the only true attempt at a multidimensional character, felt like a washed-out letdown by Book 3. There was some nice tension from the first book--I enjoyed Daemon's struggle--but it led to absolutely no payoff. When Witch and he finally get it on, it's almost laughable.

In short, the whole story felt contrived. Ms. Bishop creates dark scenes (like rape or murder) with no real consequence (everyone is *really* ok), an entirely dull love story, and "danger" without there really being any threat.

Ms. Bishop is the true Sadi here--these books give the ghost of promise and tease the reader seductively...only to find the results flaccid and leaving the reader completely unfulfilled.

A (generous) two and a half-stars.

A read so fascinating that I had to go there twice... in a row--.......2007-09-23

I recently stumbled onto this particular genre. And I can't believe how lucky I am. Where have I been all my life? It's fun. It's fantastic. It's absolutely amazing to me that someone can create an entire reality like this.

Anyway. I read this particular book from cover to cover and then, for the first time in my life, I turned right back to page 1 and started over. It is that good.

Black Jewels-good read.......2007-09-13

A rich world with interesting characters and a really fresh use of magic--beyond wands and wizards.

Amazing!!!.......2007-08-31

This book is Amazing. The very first paragraph caught me and the book never let go. I am an avid reader, of all books, and anymore it has become increasingly difficult to find a book with the power to grab your attention in the first 100 pages let alone the first paragraph. I will not sum up the book for you; my only advice would be to buy the book. The best way to describe this book is "All Encompasing."

Wonderful........2007-08-27

While I cannot hope to write as graceful a review as every other person before me has, I will try to tell you what I can about this book, and why is should be part of your collection.

The book (though there are actually three combined into one lovely volume) is about a very original world. I won't delve too deep into it, because part of the fun is figuring it out as you go, getting all the tidbits and making your own dreams of it. But, this world, this is what grabbed me the most. It's not like all the other fantasy books I've read; where there's always the set 'bad guy' and the 'good guys' and oh woe is me, someone must save us all.

While that concept is present in this book, it is not drawn out and used as the only tagline. There are so many other pieces to this great piece of writing!

Beyond the world, there are the characters. The deliciously real characters who I myself end up crying for, and getting angry about. Anne Bishop really draws you in and you start to know them so well... there are so many things about them, you feel like you could walk past them on the street. They do things that you think they would do, that you know is what that character would want to do. It is all very well done, gracefully, and well-fleshed so that they are believable, likable, and in some cases, absolutely despicable.

The plot is wonderfully twisted. There are so many strands of it that are to be pieced together, it's like a treasure hunt. And each chapter that gives you another lead, another piece... it's so lovely. And then a few things click, and you mentally go 'ooooh, that's why he did that!' And the way all the conflicts meet up in the end, how everything comes together so well; it's a piece of art.

And the romance, of course. My boyfriend stuck out his tongue and refused when he'd heard me mention that, though I know he was reading it when I slept... but it is a focal point. Enough that women will swoon, but not enough, I think, to turn men away from reading and enjoying this book.

With all the different characters, situations, and happenings in this book, there will surely be a thing for you to love and connect with, something to draw you in. If you give it a chance, I can assure you, you will not be disappointed. So... read some more reviews, think it over, and then do it, and enjoy reading about the life of the SaDiablo line, and all those who are drawn into their plight... :)

Heir to the Shadows: The Black Jewels Trilogy (Book 2)

Average customer rating:

true love
Absolute Must Read
please read and consider before dismissing
A Little Dissappointed...
Gripping story despite superficial flaws

Heir to the Shadows: The Black Jewels Trilogy (Book 2)
Anne Bishop
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0451456726

Amazon.com

Anne Bishop plunged into dark fantasy with her first book, Daughter of the Blood. She described a world where Blood Witches have always ruled, drawing males to their courts through seductive power. An ambitious High Priestess destroys more powerful females before maturity and has enslaved the strongest males, weakening magic and corrupting natural bonds between men and women. Sexual violence permeates Terreille. Jaenelle, born to be Queen, is vulnerable until adulthood. Though guarded by male Warlord Princes, Jaenelle is violated. Daemon, her destined Consort, rescues her but is convinced he attacked her and goes mad.

In Heir to the Shadows, Jaenelle's vampiric, adoptive father, Saetan, and her foster-family of demons shelter her. To restore her memory and emotional balance, they move to Kaeleer, where Jaenelle befriends the kindred--animals with magical and communicative powers--and gathers a circle of young Queens. She also heals Lucivar, Daemon's half-brother, who offers a brother's love and a warrior's fealty. As she recovers strength and memory, Jaenelle resolves to restore Daemon and cleanse Terreille.

Bishop subverts readers' expectations; the "darkest" powers reside in virtuous characters, demons and vampires are kindly, and Jaenelle's adolescence is more comically normal than horrific. Her vibrant characters and descriptions will keep readers hooked, anxiously awaiting what promises to be a riveting conclusion. --Nona Vero

Book Description

In this violently passionate, "darkly fascinating world,"** the Blood rule: a race of witches and warlocks whose power is channeled through magical jewels. Ambitions unfurl in this second novel of The Black Jewels Trilogy, as the realm's dreams of a liberator have finally been made flesh...

Jaenelle, singled out by prophecy as the living embodiment of magic, is haunted by the cruel battles the Blood have fought over her-for not all of them await her as their Savior. Nothing, however, can deflect her from her destiny-and the day of reckoning looms near. When her memories return. When her magic matures. When she is forced to accept her fate. On that day, the dark Realms will know what it means to be ruled by Witch.

Customer Reviews:

true love.......2007-07-18

I have enjoyed the The Black Jewels Trilogy, there is warmth and humour. Unforunately there does not seem to be much epic fantasy. The idea and plot are agreeable but the theme is not properly developed. Ms Bishop writes a great love story (romance novel) with a slight twist, but to place her in the fantasy novel genre is stretching the formula a little.The Black Jewels: Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood / Heir to the Shadows / Queen of the Darkness

Absolute Must Read.......2007-04-25

This series continues to impress me. I love the rich culture of the world created by Bishop. I'm fascinated by what goes on in each of the Realms and how they've changed yet still echo what they were created to be. And the characters--I find myself drawn to them, again and again, as if they're old friends already.

I'm amazed by how fast the books are moving. Thankfully Bishop doesn't feel the need to explain every last moment of Jaenelle's life. Sometimes whole years are acknowledged in mere sentences. It's rather refreshing after reading so many books that seem to detail every crumb the main character ate for breakfast; skipping through years that occurred but which didn't need to be talked about extensively is a nice surprise. After all, we're getting older in increments--it isn't the minutes that count, it's the years.

This second book focuses on Jaenelle after the events of Daughter of the Blood. Roughly two years have passed. This book got off to a rousing start with one of my favorite characters, Saetan Daemon SaDiablo. Demon-dead, Guardian, the High Priest of Hell itself petitions the Council for parental rights to Jaenelle. And we get to see a taste of Saetan's power. Not that we didn't know how powerful he was in the first book--he is the High Lord of Hell after all--but this is a very public, very ... emphatic show of power.

In this book we also meet many of the friends Jaenelle talked about in Daughter of the Blood. Each of them are as amusing as Jaenelle and they keep Saetan on his toes even more than just Jaenelle did.

The ending is one I know I'm going to want to read again and again. In fact I've read it a few times already. It is lushly and powerfully written allowing us to see that Jaenelle is a match for her adopted father's power.

please read and consider before dismissing.......2006-04-30

So I got into this series because a friend recommended it highly and lent me the books. The first one defied expectations by being quite good, but book 2 is plagued by a couple of major problems. First, I hate to repeat other reviewers, but the almost total omission of Daemon from this book hurts it considerably. The other characters lack the charisma to carry the plot, and their crazy antics after their convergence and establishment at Saetan's hall give the quieter scenes in this book more the feel of a pre-teen slumber party than anything else. And speaking of that plot, it can be summed up as follows:

Villain: "ha ha! Because I am so crafty and eeeevil, Jaenelle will never escape this dark plan."
Lucivar/Saetan/generic good guys: "Mother night! Jaenelle is gone and we sense that she's in danger! May the darkness be merciful!"
Jaenelle: "Ugh . . . disaster was averted once again, but I'm so weak . . . I don't know if I'll pull through this time."
Lucivar/Saetan/generic good guys: "(worry, fret)"
Jaenelle: "Okay, I'm better now."
Lucivar/Saetan/generic good guys: "Let's celebrate with a charming domestic scene!"
Villain: "Curses, foiled again! But no matter-- Jaenelle will never escape this new scheme, which is even more crafty and evil than the last!"
(repeat)

And speaking of those villains, they fall entirely into one of two categories:
female villain: The head of a court, she is sexually sadistic in how she abuses the males around her. She constantly comes up with exaggeratedly evil schemes so as to leave no doubt as to how evil she is.
male vilain: Subservient to a female villain (see above), he is sexually sadistic in that he is a pedophile.

And speaking of those villains, it's only fair to ask how their schemes always come so close to succeeding, when the good guys are so powerful and discerning? Well, the good guys ARE discerning, EXCEPT when Bishop requires them to be flamingly incompetent for the sake of plot advancement. Then they believe ridiculous stories, get mad at the wrong people, and drink potions offered under suspicious circumstances that render them incoherent and open to manipulation without first analyzing the contents of said potions-- despite the fact that in this world characters are explicitly said to have that ability, which they often use.

Okay, so put these ingredients together, and what do we get? "Heir to the Shadows," an easily forgotten book, in which you will predict the major events one to three hundred pages before they happen. Sure there are occasional charming moments, and some of the characters seem interesting at first, but overall it just isn't worth it. Find a summary of this book somewhere so you won't have to take the trouble of reading, and hope that book 3 is an improvement.

A Little Dissappointed..........2005-10-13

...but the book was brilliant, all the same. After all, what else would you expect from Anne Bishop?
The only major flaw? Easy: they don't mention Daemon enough. Like, 5 or 6 times in the whole book is soooooo not enough. But we got more of his half-brother, Lucivar. Daemon for Lucivar isn't my definition for fair, but it'll do. For one book...oh, to Hell with it, I just wish there were more mentions of the Sadist. No BJT book feels right without the Sadist. But there was some mention of him, which is why it still got 4 stars.
But still, the plot was superb. Up to her usual standard. Although I only no so much about Karla and Kary, I still luv them both. Jaenelle's just...Jaenelle, I suppose. I mean, she might be the Queen and all, but something from her is missing. Hey, don't get me wrong, I luv her, but she's just...herself.
Despite its problems, it is a must read for all BJT fans like myself. But for all fans of Daemon, just remember: you might be...well... A Little Dissappointed.

Gripping story despite superficial flaws.......2004-10-10

The continuation of the Black Jewels Trilogy keeps up with the promise Bishop seems to make with the reader in the first novel - a highly readable, enjoyable, unrelenting view of the world she created. Even more so than the first, I could not put this book down. When I did, it's because I was so tired my brain could no longer comprehend the idea of "sentences" and "words." Again, there are a few apparent flaws that need to be discussed in an honest appraisal of the book:

(1) The descriptions of characters can get repetitive. You can only read that Jaenelle does something no one has ever done before in all of history so many times before you're like "alright already, I get it!" And you'll read the description "membranous wings" more times than you care to.

(2) Some phrases are repeated ad nauseum to make dramatic points. "Briarwood is the pretty poison" and something along the lines of "Everyone pays the price" are constantly inserted between paragraphs or after a particular event for dramatic effect, but again, it's a case of "enough already" the fourth or fifth time.

(3) As more characters are introduced (which many are in this book), they become more stereotypical and progressively less interesting. And the introduction of intelligent animals (members of the Blood called "Kindred") made me roll my eyes a bit, but overall they worked out. Definitely wasn't "Lassie" or "Flipper" even if it seemed a bit corny at first.

(4) The jumps in years seem a bit awkward at times. In this book, Jaenelle ages about 10 years. It's a little aggravating that Bishop introduces this evil little plot by the antagonists, and then when you go to the next part, it's two years later. What happened in that time??? Granted, if she did fill in those details, this trilogy would probably be drawn out like the Wheel of Time saga or the Song of Ice and Fire series.

Despite my criticisms of her style, however, Bishop's creative energy and constantly-moving plot kept me firmly embraced by her characters, her plot, and her world, and sets the reader up well for a gripping finale. I highly recommend it.

In the Shadow of the Oak King (Dragons Heirs, No 1)

Average customer rating:

A Pictish take on King Arthur
You have no choice, you must read this book.
A great retelling of the Arthurian legends
What a book!
If you liked "Mists of Avalon", you'll enjoy this!

In the Shadow of the Oak King (Dragons Heirs, No 1)
Courtway Jones
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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A Prince in Camelot

ASIN: 0671734032

Customer Reviews:

A Pictish take on King Arthur.......2005-09-15

This is the first in the series and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants a new slant on the King Arthur saga. This book is told from the viewpoint of Peleas, a Pictish blacksmith. The other two books are told from the perspectives of Morgan, Arthur's half-sister, and Mordred, who turns out to be not so evil a fellow. Together they will leave you with a very well researched and compelling look back into a time that might have been.

You have no choice, you must read this book........2001-02-01

This is how the Arthurian legend should have gone. The story fills in the gaps that a typical King Arthur story fails to address. By the end of this epic tail you will have come to love these characters through crying, laughing and cheering for them.

A great retelling of the Arthurian legends.......2000-11-16

Young Pelleas is a Pictish boy, one who has earned the ire of the Druids, and does not expect to survive the next Samhain. When a smith named Myrddin rescues Pelleas, he begins an adventure that introduces him to his half-brother Arthur, makes him instrumental in the founding of the Knights of the Round Table, and crowns him as High King of the Picts.

In this book, Professor Courtway Jones takes the Arthurian legend back towards its Dark Age roots. Many of the original characters are recast as Britons, Picts and Gaels, and many of the old customs (including those of a sexual nature) are reflected in the story. Christianity is merely a patina on this multi-ethnic society, as both religions and races fight for dominance. Magic is downplayed in this book, with telepathy and magical healing potions being about the extent of it.

This is a great retelling of the Arthurian legends. Though Professor Jones' inclusion of knights and tournaments in the Dark Ages represents an anomaly, his Dark Age story is fascinating and informative about the era. The storyline is fascinating, and becomes positively gripping once Pelleas is knighted. Indeed, I found myself unable to go to sleep before I read the final few chapters.

By the way, though this is the first book in a trilogy, it is an entirely self-contained story, and can be read on its own.

What a book!.......1999-04-10

Author Courtway Jones takes you into the magic of Camelot with characters who are seen with all of their human foibles. Rather than the hocus pocus of Merlin, and the heroic Arthur, Jones gives us more reasonable characterizations of these mythical figures. You are drawn in because first and foremost, these are flesh and blood men and women, who do ordinary things, have reasonable explainations for the actions they take, and act like you would expect could really have been the way things were in medieval Britain. The reader, rather than feeling like they are reading a fantasy novel, feel like they are reading about real peoples lives. This made this reader feel much more involved in the storyline and characters. This is a fabulous book. I, for one, will be reading the next books in this fabulous series.

If you liked "Mists of Avalon", you'll enjoy this!.......1998-10-22

A playful retelling of the Arthurian legends from the point of view of a mischievous, bright young boy. Detailed and educational while telling a familiar story with unexpected twists and turns.Very easy to read and hard to put down!

Jedi Shadow (Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights)

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Jedi Shadow (Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights)

Manufacturer: Berkley Jam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Young Jedi Knights | Series | Teens | Subjects | Books

ASIN: B000CQC85C

Product Description

This book includes the three novels:Heirs of the Force, Shadow Academy,and The Lost Ones.

The Black Jewels Trilogy By Anne Bishop; 1. Daughter of the Blood (1998), 2. Heir to the Shadows (1999), 3. Queen of the Darkness (1999) (Vol 1,2,3)

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The Black Jewels Trilogy By Anne Bishop; 1. Daughter of the Blood (1998), 2. Heir to the Shadows (1999), 3. Queen of the Darkness (1999) (Vol 1,2,3)
Anne Bishop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000WX9IFI

Product Description

3 book set

Black Jewels Trilogy; Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness

Average customer rating:

Black Jewels Trilogy; Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness
Anne Bishop
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VA0R66

Average customer rating:

Heir to the Shadows
Anne Bishop
Manufacturer: ROC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KW9Q30

In The Shadow Of The Oak King - First Book In The Story Of Dragon's Heirs

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In The Shadow Of The Oak King - First Book In The Story Of Dragon's Heirs
Courtway Jones
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K04LCI

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In the Shadow of the Oak King: First Book in the story of Dragon's Heirs

Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HKF8DC

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