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Other
Recommended Frightening Literature
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Frightening Books User Reviews
Dark
Celebration
Feehan's BACK!!!
Seeing as how I blasted Feehan for Dark Demon, it was only fair to take the time
to tell everyone how much I enjoyed Dark Celebration. Author Feehan does a great
job of bringing in every single couple (no joke) from her previous books, as
well as all their children.
Prince Mikhail Dubrinsky is humoring his lifemate, Raven, by throwing a true
Christmas Celebration for Carpathians and their human friends. All the
Carpathians have showed up, and the running joke through the book is which of
the hunters will be playing Santa Claus. While the book has humorous and
lighthearted elements, the story also has its dark spots as there are numerous
attacks on the women & children of the Carpathians. What makes the book really
interesting is that two new lifemates are found and Prince Dubrinsky finally
looks as if he has found a cure for the infertility and low birth rate of the
Carpathian women. How the knowledge comes about and who actually supplies the
cure is really great! Based on this plot device, it made me wonder just how far
Feehan has had this series plotted out!! Reading this book was like early Feehan
- Dark Celebration contained all the elements that made her Dark series so
successful - mental and emotional intimacy between 2 people; resolving actual
problems within the same book; visits with past pairs (in this case,
everyone)and great sex scenes. I highly recommend this book. It will go on
everyone's keeper shelf, and I guarantee you find yourself reading it more than
once. ~TBR
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The Ruins
Guest
Reviewer: Stephen King
When I heard that Scott Smith was publishing a new novel this summer, I felt the
way I did when my kids came in an hour or two late from their weekend dates: a
combination of welcoming relief (thank God you're back) mingled with
exasperation and anger (where the hell have you been?). Well, it's only a book,
you say, and maybe that's true, but Scott Smith is a singularly gifted writer,
and it seems to me that the twelve years between his debut--the cult smash A
Simple Plan--and his return this summer with The Ruins is cause for
exasperation, if not outright anger. Certainly Smith, who has been invisible
save for his Academy Award-nominated screenplay for the film version of A Simple
Plan, will have some 'splainin to do about how he spent his summer vacation.
Make that his last twelve summer vacations.
But enough. The new book is here, and the question devotees of A Simple Plan
will want answered is whether or not this book generates anything like Plan's
harrowing suspense. The answer is yes. The Ruins is going to be America's
literary shock-show this summer, doing for vacations in Mexico what Jaws did for
beach weekends on Long Island. Is it as successful and fulfilling as a novel?
The answer is not quite, but I can live with that, because it's riskier. There
will be reviews of this book by critics who have little liking or understanding
for popular fiction who'll dismiss it as nothing but a short story that has been
bloated to novel length (I'm thinking of Michiko Kakutani, for instance, who
microwaved Smith's first book). These critics, who steadfastly grant pop fiction
no virtue but raw plot, will miss the dazzle of Smith's technique; The Ruins is
the equivalent of a triple axel that just misses perfection because something's
wrong with the final spin.
It's hard to say much about the book without giving away everything, because the
thing is as simple and deadly as a leg-hold trap concealed in a drift of
leaves…or, in this case, a mass of vines. You've got four young American
tourists--Eric, Jeff, Amy, and Stacy--in Cancun. They make friends with a German
named Mathias whose brother has gone off into the jungle with some
archeologists. These five, plus a cheerful Greek with no English (but a
plentiful supply of tequila), head up a jungle trail to find Mathias's
brother…the archaeologists…and the ruins.
Well, two out of three ain't bad, according to the old saying, and in this case;
what's waiting in the jungle isn't just bad, it's horrible. Most of The Ruins's
300-plus pages is one long, screaming close-up of that horror. There's no
let-up, not so much as a chapter-break where you can catch your breath. I felt
that The Ruins did draw on a trifle, but I found Scott Smith's refusal to look
away heroic, just as I did in A Simple Plan. It's the trappings of horror and
suspense that will make the book a best seller, but its claim to literature lies
in its unflinching naturalism. It's no Heart of Darkness, but at its
suffocating, terrifying, claustrophobic best, it made me think of Frank Norris.
Not a bad comparison, at that.
One only hopes Mr. Smith won't stay away so long next time. ~SK
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Lisey's
Story
Guest
Reviewer: Nora Roberts
Stephen King hooked me about three decades ago with that sharply faceted,
blood-stained jewel, The Shining. Through the years he's bumped my gooses with
kiddie vampires, tingled my spine with beloved pets gone rabid, justified my
personal fear of clowns and made me think twice about my cell phone. I've always
considered The Stand--a long-time favorite--a towering tour de force, and have
owed its author a debt as this was the first novel I could convince my older son
to read from cover to cover.
But with Lisey's Story, King has accomplished one more feat. He broke my heart.
Lisey's Story is, at its core, a love story--heart-wrenching, passionate,
terrifying and tender. It is the multi-layered and expertly crafted tale of a
twenty-five year marriage, and a widow's journey through grief, through
discovery and--this is King, after all--through a nightmare scape of the
ordinary and extraordinary. Through Lisey's mind and heart, the reader is pulled
into the intimacies of her marriage to bestselling novelist Scott Landon, and
through her we come to know this complicated, troubled and heroic man.
Two years after his death, Lisey sorts through her husband's papers and her own
shrouded memories. Following the clues Scott left her and her own instincts, she
embarks on a journey that risks both her life and her sanity. She will face
Scott's demons as well as her own, traveling into the past and into Boo'ya Moon,
the seductive and terrifying world he'd shown her. There lives the power to
heal, and the power to destroy.
Lisey Landon is a richly wrought character of charm and complexity, of realized
inner strength and redoubtable humor. As the central figure she drives the
story, and the story is so vividly textured, the reader will draw in the
perfumed air of Boo'ya Moon, will see the sunlight flood through the windows of
the Scott's studio--or the night press against them. Her voice will be clear in
your ear as you experience the fear and the wonder. If your heart doesn't hitch
at the demons she faces in this world and the other, if it doesn't thrill at her
courage and endurance, you're going to need to check with a cardiologist, first
chance.
Lisey's Story is bright and brilliant. It's dark and desperate. While I'll
always consider The Shining, my first ride on King's wild Tilt-A-Whirl, a
gorgeous, bloody jewel, I found, on this latest ride, a treasure box heaped with
dazzling gems.
A few of them have sharp, hungry teeth. ~NR
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The
Historian
A
suspenseful, literary novel
The marketing campaign is underway and Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel is
already being hyped as the "Dracula Code" or some similar slogan. I disagree
with that approach, not just because they are quite different in more ways than
just storyline, but because "The Da Vinci Code" was a good thriller with
elements of history mixed in, but it is not even in the same league with this
book.
"The Historian" is an epic work of historical fiction that sweeps across Europe
during the four decades between 1930 and the mid 1970s. It just also happens to
involve the Dracula myth and a good dose of suspense. Now, some people may
object to me calling this novel a work of historical fiction because it is
mostly fiction and contains very few real characters. That is true, but Kostova
does such an amazing job of making the Dracula myths come alive that you can't
help feeling that the legends and the story are real. Her research is stunning
in its attention to detail and the wide range of topics Kostova must've studied.
A previous reviewer slightly criticizes Kostova for spending too many pages
describing the pilgrimage routes of monks hundreds of years ago. While sections
like that do slow down the pace of the novel somewhat, they don't distract from
it. The last book that I read that combines elements of history, suspense, and
great characters as well as "The Historian" was "The Devil in the White City".
Highly recommended! ~DB
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The Halo
Graphic Novel
From
Publishers Weekly
Based on the wildly popular videogame, this anthology collects four stories by
different creators, all set in the Halo universe of the 26th century. The game's
central story details a war between Earth's United Nations Space Command and the
Covenant, a coalition of hostile alien races. At the center is Master Chief, a
UNSC cyborg-marine who discovers the terrible secret of the Halo, a series of
ringlike artificial planets. Hardcore Halo fans will love Lee Hammock's "The
Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor," viscerally illustrated by Simon Bisley,
detailing the Flood, a nasty parasitic race of monsters that threaten both the
Covenant and the human race. For newcomers there's the legendary Moebius's
"Second Sunrise over New Mombasa," in which he renders a beautiful, futuristic
version of the Kenyan city—and deftly surveys the intersection of war propaganda
and the media. The book's artwork is skillful and unusual (including a story by
Tsutomu Nihei and a gallery by an all-star lineup of artists in the back) and
the writing brings the Halo universe and its central tenets to life. But
ultimately the reader will yearn for the depth of a real, book-length graphic
novel—and maybe that's next to come.
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The Book of
the Dead
Sinfully addictive writing that delivers the answers we've been waiting for!
Preston and Child are so much more than the sum of their individual parts when
they collaborate. This is so evident yet again in Book of the Dead. This novel
finishes with a bang what is an informal trilogy revolving around Aloysius
Pendergast and his brother Diogenes. This trilogy is populated with many of
their previous characters and protagonists serving in supporting roles to the
brothers, and is a very satisfying novel and a truly enjoyable read. How do I
know this was a trilogy? One of the best things about this book is a brief two
page note from the authors at the very end where they explain in which order to
read their works and why.
I have to give one warning though about what is otherwise a terrific book. I'm
not a professional reviewer, as are the writers of the two reviews which have
already appeared here, but I have to say I disagree with them that this can be
truly appreciated as a stand alone novel. If you have not read any of the
previous works then do yourself a tremendous favor and take the recommendation
of both the authors and myself: go back and start with Relic and work your way
forward from there. There is so much pleasurable reading you have missed and
there is simply too much going on in this book which, without the knowledge of
the previous stories, you will not fully appreciate. So, with that one warning,
on to my verdict.
I loved this book. It was everything I could hope for in a denouement and so
much more. I, like so many others, have been waiting impatiently for a year for
the answers and resolutions to the many apparently insoluble issues and problems
created by the authors in their foregoing works. Finally, to my great relief,
the book was released yesterday and with all apologies to Amazon, this was not a
book I was willing to wait a day or longer for someone to deliver to me so I let
myself off work early and went and bought a copy locally. I mentally steeled
myself to be slightly disappointed because I simply could not see how the
authors could convincingly solve the myriad of problems they had created
previously. Yet, with a kernel of hope in my core, I started reading around 3 in
the afternoon. I finished after midnight. Yes, as is typical of Preston and
Child, this is one of those books that you will want to finish in one go and
will find very hard to put down. I am happy to report that the authors, with
grace, style, and panache, provided answers that are believable, convincing and
reasonable and which resolve all the complex issues previously created. There
was so much to like about this book! The Cain and Abel brothers (or Holmes and
Moriarty if you prefer) have been locked in their dance of death for their
entire lives. But what caused this to be? What is the unimaginably horrible
crime that Diogenes is working feverishly to perpetrate? How can Aloysius escape
from a maximum security federal penitentiary that has never suffered an escapee?
And when will there finally be a point to Constance Green? All these loose ends
are tied up for us finally in a deeply satisfying way.
This novel delivers excitement, thrills, scares, mysteries, tension as fine as
any you can read, and delivers them in sinfully addictive prose that drags you
from one page to the next without remorse or relent. The best thing about the
book is its relentless intelligence and the competence of the two siblings as
they work to thwart and foil each other. The prison break was so intelligently
crafted, the diabolical crime really was diabolical and also so personal it just
dripped with hate, revenge, and misguided retribution. One final bit of praise.
The authors finish the book with one of the most satisfying closing sentences
I've ever read. It nailed the last niggling reservation I had and I unreservedly
admire how they set me up for it, stringing out my reservation to the very last
sentence of the very last page and then just crushing it. Do not skip forward to
the last sentence. Restrain yourself, don't do it. You can't appreciate it fully
unless you have been through the other novels and force yourself slowly through
this one, but my hat is off to Preston and Child for crafting this enormously
enjoyable conclusion that ties up all the loose ends and sets the stage for what
may come yet in the future. ~CPL
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Cell: A
Novel
You'll never think of those words: "Can you hear me now?" in quite the same way
again.
If for no other reason, I thank Stephen King for taking those five words which
haunt TV commercials:, "Can you hear me now?" and turning the phrase into
something more than merely annoying.. and into the realm of the truly ominous.
While it might seem obvious to some of us that cell phones are horrible little
devices, it still takes a pretty talented writer to write a book about evil
spread by cell phones...and to keep readers riveted the entire time. I was one
of those readers. Like King, I refuse to have a cell phone, an "electronic
leash". No thanks.
But I'm really digressing here. Back to The Cell . If you think you don't like
King's "supernatural" or "horror" style, I'd urge you to give The Cell a chance.
I read it from cover to cover in one sitting.
I can't say it is the best book he's written but it was still a fine read and
had many of the trademarks of King's superior writing - excellent
characterization, an unpredictable plot and just enough plausibility to make me
think, "What if?" What if there WERE some way to use cell phones to affect
people's brains, to create insanity in our population, with results leading to
the brink of civilization's collapse?
It is to King's credit that he not only raises these questions but kept me
wanting to find out what happened next, to see what happened to Clayton, a guy
who happens to be away from home when all hell breaks out. By the time it does,
I was already intrigued by this guy, someone who was trying to figure out a way
to curry his estranged wife's favor, who had the usual worries and imperfections
of the average man. He was no hero, just an ordinary guy, just trying to get by,
thinking about his career and the next step in his day, the usual stuff.. when
everything changes in an instant and he faces the type of test that he never
could have foreseen, not in his usual routine.. nope, not him. All around him,
people are attacking each other and there doesn't seem to be a reason why.
Clayton is forced to think quickly to save himself and others, without any
inkling of WHY all this is happening...at least, not at first.
I won't go into any of the "symbolism" that I'm sure some critics will have a
field day exploring, maybe something about how cell phones represent
"terrorists" and the horror and uncertainty akin to the type that hit New
Yorkers after 9/11, when normal life was suddenly a speck in the distance. A
detailed talk about symbolism and metaphor is for someone else to write.
All I can add is that I found this book to be one heck of a good way to spend
the day, allowing me to forget about the small irritations in my own life (the
dishes in the sink, the piles of laundry) and to ignore the twinges of guilt
about that for a bit longer. I needed an excuse to avoid that, feeling tired and
burned out on that particular day.
I'm glad I put off my usual routine a bit longer because when I finally came up
for air, bleary-eyed at 4 in the morning after reading the very last lines in
the book, I felt oddly reinvigorated. I stayed up most of the REST of the night
washing dishes and finishing laundry as my nerves settled (thanks, King) but
didn't regret a moment of the time I'd spend deviating from my usual
routine...well, okay, maybe a little...but it was still worth it. ~AC
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House of
Leaves
An
experimental blast
This postmodern, typographically chaotic novel is a monstrous book, both in page
numbers and ambition. It is the literary equivalent of "The Ring." As we learn
in the introduction, Johnny Truant, a tattoo parlor employee, has come into
possession of a trunk full of bizarre scraps of paper once owned by an old blind
man, Zampano, now dead. The papers comprise an exploration of a cult film called
"The Navidson Record" and its sub-films, documentaries about an ever-expanding
house that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside and which consumes
the lives of anyone who enters its dark hallways or watches the tapes. Johnny
becomes himself obsessed with Zampano's papers and, in turn, with the Navidson
house. He is haunted by the beast he smells and the descending madness he had no
inclination to stop. The book itself is the melding of Zampano's papers,
Johnny's footnote digressions into his own life and its troubles, and the debate
among academics as they struggle to make sense of a film that probably never
existed. The result is a dark, wild, often hilarious, sometimes excruciatingly
boring foray into the meaning of home, family, love, and self.
The structure of the novel is innovative, with Johnny Truant's story unfolding
in footnotes and in the appendices, while Zampano describes the film and the
academics bicker over its meaning in the body. The most riveting narrative
thread in this novel is of Navidson's and others' descents into the smooth
walled, dark cavern of the mysterious hallway. The consequences on Navidson's
marriage and on those he loves are devastating, and the reader is swept into
both the horror and the need for hope. Johnny's story is less compelling,
especially as the house fades into the background and his story takes over. The
academic over-analysis is tons of fun - as long as you have the patience to get
over the dryness to find the kernel it has been working toward. For example,
early in the book, Danielewski (in the writings of Zampano) provides a lengthy
academic discussion of the myth of Echo and its scientific and literary
significance, only to derail it with a Johnny Truant footnote telling the reader
that "Frankly I'd of rec'd a quick skip past the whole echo ramble were it not
for those six lines . . ."
Even more bizarre than the telling of Truant's tale in footnotes is the
typographical methods used to visually evoke the house in the Navidson Record.
The words become their own labyrinth, with "hallways" of text enclosed in blue
boxes; they sometimes inhabit corners only, or skip up and down the pages, one
or two words at a time. When the characters don't know which way is up, the
reader is twisting and turning the physical book to read upside down and
sideways. You have to see the book to fully appreciate the visual hijinks
Danielewski uses. It can take a long time to read certain sections, only to find
that you can flip through several pages with just a glance at each.
Despite the suspenseful plot, HOUSE OF LEAVES is anything but a quick read. Its
satisfaction is derived more from its individual parts than as a whole since it
ends, to paraphrase T. S. Eliot, not with a bang but a whimper. I recommend this
for patient readers and for those who delight in experimental turns in fiction.
~DLW
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A Hunger
Like No Other
A
Wildly Delicious Read!
Ms. Cole's latest effort is "wildly" delicious and entertaining. She has taken
the paranormal genre and created her very own legends and lore...filled with
ultra entertaining characters.
Emmaline is half vampire and half Valkyrie. She is known in her coven as Emma
the timid. Her family is shocked when she decides she wants to travel to Paris
alone to find out the truth about her father. While there she is attacked by a
handsome, yummy, strong, yummy, scary...oh yes yummy man who scares the stuffing
out of her. She is even more shocked to find out that in order to return to
Louisiana she will have to help Lachlain MacRieve the leader of a Lykae Clan
return to his home in Scotland. She'll do it believing she will be allowed to
return home. She has no idea Lachlain is her forever mate and he has no plans on
ever letting her get away.
Lachlain has spent the last hundred and fifty years being tortured by the
vampire Demestriu. He is slowly going mad and then...he scents his mate. He has
been waiting an eternity to find her and he is not going to let her get away
now. He is shocked and somewhat disgusted when he finds out his long awaited
mate is half vampire. But despite this he can't keep himself from feeling things
for the wee little Emma. She fires his blood and he will do what he must to keep
her...even if it means to lie to her. Anything to get her home to Scotland where
he will be able to keep her safe and protected when he goes to get revenge
against Demestriu. But, life doesn't always go according to plan and wooing Emma
is just one of those things. Will he be able to keep her safe and with him or
will the vampire horde take away the one thing he needs to live?
Lachlain and Emma are wonderfully constructed characters. These two are both
strong likeable characters. Their conflict is entertaining as is their way of
dealing with what they face. Emma is sassy and quick witted...Lachlain is
patient and yummy. This is a great new series and I truly can't wait for the
next installment. Ms. Cole has made her mark on the paranormal genre and is an
author you need to add to your must read list! ~KA
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Preludes and
Nocturnes
Here
your learning begins
This review is directed mainly at those of you who are not widely experienced
with modern (one can hardly use the word `adult' without erotica coming to mind)
comics, because I do not know many comics aficionados who are not familiar with
the Sandman saga - the Citizen Kane of comics, or the Sgt. Pepper, or the War
and Peace - and have not read, at the very least, this first installment in the
series.
So - you haven't read comics in a long time, have you? Sure, you read it when
you were a kid, like everyone else, but then you outgrew them. You went on to
read real books with no pictures. But suddenly a couple of people tell you that
there have been some interesting things going on in comics in the last twenty
years, and you should check it out. You decide to give the ol' funnybooks a
chance.
In that case, this book right here is one of the half-dozen masterworks you
should start with to get a general idea of what comics are capable of, at least
in the English speaking regions of the world (there are some fascinating things
going on in Japan and France that I won't even begin to discuss). The Sandman,
the ENTIRE Sandman saga, altogether ten books long - collected from
magazine-form comics that were published regularly throughout most of the 90s -
is one of the truly glorious, shining, perfect creations of, I'll say it, adult
comics. That Preludes & Nocturnes, the first story-arch in the series, is the
only one that can stand rightly by its own right, other than being a convenience
for new readers which may make it easier for them to deal with the size of this
saga, is a sure sign of the wisdom of the creator, the brilliant Mr. Neil Gaiman.
While completely revolutionizing what people though about comics, Neil started
doing so in small doses to make it easier to swallow for audiences and editors
alike. Thus, he started here with a story that is a classic folk tale, of a
dethroned monarch who goes through a series of quests and challenges in order to
earn back his rightful place in power. More help is given by cameo appearances
of old and popular characters from the DC Comics universe - such as the Martian
Manhunter, Green Lantern, the Scarecrow and John Constantine. Such appearances
will become quite rare as the series continues, and the story becomes, rather
than a folk tale, a mythology as grim as any Greek tragedy - which, doubtlessly,
was in the author's mind from the very beginning. However, though the storyline
of Preludes & Nocturnes is schematic and the drawings are often bland, Gaiman's
already famous storytelling skills are fully developed, and the books is one of
the most fantastic stories he had penned.
The hero of the series is, simply, Dream. His identity is a rather philosophical
matter, as he is not so much a god of dream, but rather, the embodiment of the
very concept of dream itself. At the beginning of the story, Dream is summoned
by a human mystic, and caged. Seventy years later, when he escapes from his
prison, he finds his kingdom in ruins, and must return to himself the symbolic
garments of his reign to rebuild it. Along the way we have the pleasure to meet
some of the most fantastic and fascinating characters in any literary creation,
and also some characters who, small though their part may be now, will be
crucial in the complete creation of the saga, such as Lucifer Morningstar, Cain
and Abel, and the three Furies (also known as the Graces, the Fates, or the
Kindly Ones). Though much more fascinating as part of the whole, Preludes &
Nocturnes by itself is a perfect piece of fantastic storytelling.
However, it is the final magazine issue in this collection, titled `The Sound Of
Her Wings', that gives it more worth than the rest of it put together. Sam
Keith's surreal, deformed image of Dream and dark, heavy, brooding lines move
over to make place for Mike Dringenberg's realistic backgrounds, light-hearted
lines and recognizable human faces. Dream's flowing black robes make way for a
t-shirt and a black jacket; the dark and towering Sandman is given a whole new
perspective. He now seems like a depressed, bored teenager, sulking in the park
and feeding the pigeons. He is then granted a visit by none other than his
sister - Death, which is the single most brilliant creation in Gaiman's
universe. Death is a perky, cheerful, beautiful, wise, mature goth-girl who
confronts Dream and show to him his own pettiness. Completely without any action
or suspense, it is this story that paved the way for the revolution that the
Sandman series began. And this story alone remains one of the handful true
perfect masterpieces of the medium. It is this story alone that makes this book
a milestone in modern comics - and literature - and essential reading for
everyone interested in the medium.
And, oh, I said half dozen masterworks, right? So, to complete the list, let's
say: Alan Moore's `Watchmen', Art Spiegelman's `Maus', Scott McCloud's
`Understanding Comics', Frank Miller's `The Dark Knight Returns' and Kurt
Busiek's `Marvels'. Or, to make it a top ten, let's add Peter Kuper's `The
System', Garth Ennis's `Preacher', Grant Morrison's `Arkham Asylum', and
anything by Robert Crumb. Enjoy! ~IK
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The Ghost
and the Dead Man's Library
A
charming who-done it
Rhode Island book store owner Penelope Thornton-McClure obtained a rare
collection of Edgar Allan Poe works; however she learns that the seller died
just after their deal was consumated. Not long afterward she sells her first
volume only to learn the buyer died in a car crash soon after the sale.
When someone attacks Penelope, her store's ghost Jack Shepard, a private
investigator before he was murdered at that location in 1949, takes exception.
He believes that someone thinks that the tomes contain a code that will lead to
a hidden treasure. Unable to stay out of it, Jack decides Penelope needs his
help to uncover an apparent killer whose motive is ownership of the Poe books,
but also cleverly disguises homicides as accidents with the book store owner on
the list for elimination.
Though a paranormal cozy, the story line like the rest of the Ghost and ...
series (see The Ghost And The Dead Deb and The Ghost And Mrs. Mcclure) feels
more like a time travel tale because of Jack's vernacular is out of the classic
1940s pulp detective stories. The Poe mystery is cleverly devised so readers
know the crimes (murder, assault, and robbery) and the motive, but will have no
idea who the felon is. THE GHOST AND THE DEAD MAN'S LIBRARY is a terrific
supernatural who's doing it starring an offbeat combo of a mortal amateur sleuth
and a spectral professional sleuth. ~HK
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Beauty's
Release: The Conclusion of the Classic Erotic Trilogy of Sleeping Beauty
Control and Compliance in a more Exotic Locale
The third and concluding chapter in Anne Rice's erotic retelling of the sleeping
beauty fairy tale, sees Beauty, Tristan, Laurent, and some secondary slaves from
the village kidnapped and whisked away to more sensual adventures in an unnamed
Arabian kingdome. Armed with first person dialogue and reflection through
Laurent [the rebellious, willful fugitive slave from book 2], and a more exotic
locale/plot, this chapter in the story was considerably more interesting than
the second, which I gave 3 stars. Part of the allure of this version for me was
a release from the utter crudity of the European castle and village. Beauty's
escapades with the Sultan's harem and his main wife were presented with a lot
more sublime sensuality than the whipping and paddling of the previous books.
Laurent's transformation from slave to master mentality and his ability to exist
moving seamlessly between the two are also compelling aspects. The slaves
eventually relish their time with the Sultan above all else, having even their
higher reason sublimated. They are told not to talk, nor to express anything
other than the most rudimentary understanding as they are used as sex toys, or
living sculptures to line the Sultan's gardens, bed, bath, etc. It is this
complete abasement and personality disintegration that Tristan, the most
philosophical of the group, touches on when asked why he loves it so. Religious
and philosophical thoughts of the region combine to show them that they are
simply cogs in a grander scheme, and they take pleasure and freedom in this
anonymity. Further plot break-down would lead to spoilers, so suffice it to say
there is eventually closure for each of the characters. Upon completing the
series I feel better about it than after the second book, it helped to think of
it anthropologically as if these strange undercurrents were the results of a
completely different culture. In that respect it was quite interesting to
observe the push for control, compliance, dominance, and love, and question
whether that can be squared with ideas of entwined aggression and tenderness.
Anne Rice provides the framework and fairy tale, but readers must ultimately
decide that answer for themselves. ~JH
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