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dreaming_ace's review against another edition
4.0
This story felt like a fever dream, a dream of a dream, a story that floated and bobbed on some unsettled sea.
I liked the premise (A queer vampire story is fun to read) but I got a little lost within the presentation because the story was coming from a different cultural background (in this case Mexican) so some of the nuance of the story became mist in my head.
While I could follow the plot somewhat (I am familiar with Dracula and the story of Dracula) I was really glad for the afterward by Poppy Z, Brite which "translated" the plot so I better understood what was going on during the story and which gave more cultural background to both The Route Of Ice and Salt and the story of Dracula.
Also being reminded by the story of the reality that for so long in human history us being amazing and beautifully LGBTQ+ was seen as something wrong, something sinful, broke my heart like it always does. (Not new information but information that always hits me hard)
I liked the premise (A queer vampire story is fun to read) but I got a little lost within the presentation because the story was coming from a different cultural background (in this case Mexican) so some of the nuance of the story became mist in my head.
While I could follow the plot somewhat (I am familiar with Dracula and the story of Dracula) I was really glad for the afterward by Poppy Z, Brite which "translated" the plot so I better understood what was going on during the story and which gave more cultural background to both The Route Of Ice and Salt and the story of Dracula.
Also being reminded by the story of the reality that for so long in human history us being amazing and beautifully LGBTQ+ was seen as something wrong, something sinful, broke my heart like it always does. (Not new information but information that always hits me hard)
pianofromthelibrary's review against another edition
5.0
The way…gay vampire literature… has been feeding us for the last 2 centuries and a half is wild.
I love the idea of this very containted retelling of a story within a story. Dracula’s trip to England seemed a great mystery to me when I read the book, as none of the main characters are present and all you know is that Dracula is put on the ship in Varna (my hometown hihi) and, once that ship docks in England, all that’s left to find is the dead captain who went down with the ship. Even in Nusferatu, there is something so sinister about the poor sailors just trying to do their job and their stoic captain holding onto faith to the very end.
The way the captain is portrayed here works so SO perfectly with the themes discussed in queer readings of vampire novels. His repression only makes his hunger stronger, obsessive and insatiable. The language is abstract enough to allow for you to picture the liminal, dreamlike, ghostly state of the ship and the growing anxiety of the characters as they realize they are mice in a trap, slowly hunted. Especially considering the time and place in which the author wrote this story, the idea that the real monsters are not those society deems degenerate but rather those willing to sacrifice others to satiate their desires OR to punish themselves for what they deem ghastly in themselves by projecting and inflicting violence onto marginalized groups is a statement that resonates through time and space.
The foreword and afterword in the English translation were also very interesting and informative
P.S I would love to reread this in Spanish
I love the idea of this very containted retelling of a story within a story. Dracula’s trip to England seemed a great mystery to me when I read the book, as none of the main characters are present and all you know is that Dracula is put on the ship in Varna (my hometown hihi) and, once that ship docks in England, all that’s left to find is the dead captain who went down with the ship. Even in Nusferatu, there is something so sinister about the poor sailors just trying to do their job and their stoic captain holding onto faith to the very end.
The way the captain is portrayed here works so SO perfectly with the themes discussed in queer readings of vampire novels. His repression only makes his hunger stronger, obsessive and insatiable. The language is abstract enough to allow for you to picture the liminal, dreamlike, ghostly state of the ship and the growing anxiety of the characters as they realize they are mice in a trap, slowly hunted. Especially considering the time and place in which the author wrote this story, the idea that the real monsters are not those society deems degenerate but rather those willing to sacrifice others to satiate their desires OR to punish themselves for what they deem ghastly in themselves by projecting and inflicting violence onto marginalized groups is a statement that resonates through time and space.
The foreword and afterword in the English translation were also very interesting and informative
P.S I would love to reread this in Spanish
books_and_keys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
tristan_f's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
roonilxwaslib's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Body horror
graysonahrensbennett's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
starsandgutters's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
animalculum's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Sexual content, Murder, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: War