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rainwatersparkAll right, so Fevre Dream is the first book I've read by the legendary George R. R. Martin (I have A Game of Thrones on my shelf, and it better not distract me from my work...). I've been sick these past two days, which is what led me to read Fevre Dream instead of banging my head over Chemistry. In retrospect, reading a vampire novel was probably not the best thing to do before bed, but anyways...
Fevre Dream is a vampire story that takes place along the Mississippi River in the 1850s. If the setting doesn't catch your attention, I should add that yes, Fevre Dream is a good vampire story, with none of that sparkling skin and romantic rubbish. The secondary protagonist, Joshua York, is a vampire with a very interesting philosophy, one that I wonder why isn't explored more often in the vampire genre. The descriptions of the Mississippi River and the steamboat culture are occasionally a little long-winded, but they are lushly detailed and exquisite, bringing the time period fully to life.
I have, however, one major complaint about the novel: The pacing is, in some places, pretty terrible.
The problem is that the third act of the story, in plotting terms, is far too drawn-out. Heck, it spans about half the book! It consists of the protagonists trying to beat the villain, and failing, and getting up again, only to get beaten again. Then there's a timeskip of over ten years before we FINALLY get to the Final Battle. After a point, I started skimming, only because I wanted to see the protagonists win, goshdangit, not keep reading about how many times they failed. At some points I really wanted to scream at Joshua--he has his moments of brilliance and charisma, of vulnerable naïveté, and finally of outright stupidity and wishy-washy-ness. There were some interesting dialogues which reveal his inner conflict, but they didn't feel enough to me.
To sum it up a bit more facetiously:
JOSHUA YORK: I have a dream...that one day, vampires and humans will coexist peacefully together! Ah, isn't it beautiful?
DAMON JULIAN: Muahaha, I am more powerful than you, and I am going to crush your dream and make you obey me, minion.
JOSHUA YORK: :( :( :(
ABNER MARSH (& ME): Just kill the guy already, or revolt, or something, dammit, Joshua! D<
I'm also not sure on some level what to make of the villain. Yes, he's scary and formidable enough, but is he supposed to be an allegory of the enslavement of vampires...? Or am I just making wild guesses?
Fevre Dream is a vampire story that takes place along the Mississippi River in the 1850s. If the setting doesn't catch your attention, I should add that yes, Fevre Dream is a good vampire story, with none of that sparkling skin and romantic rubbish. The secondary protagonist, Joshua York, is a vampire with a very interesting philosophy, one that I wonder why isn't explored more often in the vampire genre. The descriptions of the Mississippi River and the steamboat culture are occasionally a little long-winded, but they are lushly detailed and exquisite, bringing the time period fully to life.
I have, however, one major complaint about the novel: The pacing is, in some places, pretty terrible.
The problem is that the third act of the story, in plotting terms, is far too drawn-out. Heck, it spans about half the book! It consists of the protagonists trying to beat the villain, and failing, and getting up again, only to get beaten again. Then there's a timeskip of over ten years before we FINALLY get to the Final Battle. After a point, I started skimming, only because I wanted to see the protagonists win, goshdangit, not keep reading about how many times they failed. At some points I really wanted to scream at Joshua--he has his moments of brilliance and charisma, of vulnerable naïveté, and finally of outright stupidity and wishy-washy-ness. There were some interesting dialogues which reveal his inner conflict, but they didn't feel enough to me.
To sum it up a bit more facetiously:
JOSHUA YORK: I have a dream...that one day, vampires and humans will coexist peacefully together! Ah, isn't it beautiful?
DAMON JULIAN: Muahaha, I am more powerful than you, and I am going to crush your dream and make you obey me, minion.
JOSHUA YORK: :( :( :(
ABNER MARSH (& ME): Just kill the guy already, or revolt, or something, dammit, Joshua! D<
I'm also not sure on some level what to make of the villain. Yes, he's scary and formidable enough, but is he supposed to be an allegory of the enslavement of vampires...? Or am I just making wild guesses?
