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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Like the rest of the Western world, I am vamped out and picked this book because I didn't have other fiction handy over a holiday weekend. I really wasn't burning to read anything more about vampires indefinitely. But, I have liked Nancy Collins since I read her short story "Dancing Nitely" in the anthology [b:Under the Fang|748523|Under the Fang (The Horror Writers of America)|Robert R. McCammon|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223636308s/748523.jpg|734664] and this book turned out to be clever and original and I loved the kickass heroine. Alas, vampires had to go and become culturally omnipresent but do bear in mind this book was written in the 90's when all vampires wanted to do with people was eat them. Not shag them and, God forbid, not mope over their tragic love for them. Kids, things were better then.
This book is the first of a trilogy about Sonja Blue, a woman who was attacked by a vampire and left for dead in swinging 1960's London. Through a series of coincidences she lives and becomes a hybrid. And once she finally regains her memory, she is exceptionally pissed about the whole thing. So she travels the world killing vamps and other assorted predators while looking for her maker. Unfortunately there are things after her as well, including a creepy televangelist. Ok, ok I know, you're thinking are you sure this chick isn't named Blade and played by Wesley Snipes? But this book came out well before the movies and at any rate, Collins builds a uniquely imagined, well-crafted world that probably has something to say about feminine identity and violence toward women if you care to delve beneath the shiny layers of mythology and ass kickery. Or if you want to just revel in those top layers, that's fine too.
I got this book as part of an omnibus version of the trilogy and most of it is dedicated to Sonja's backstory. I definitely will read the other two parts eventually. I have the feeling if the timing were different, I would have devoured these books back to back to back.
(one of my male coworkers read the first Sookie Stackhouse book recently and complained that after an epic chain fight in the first chapter, it was all downhill. I wonder if I should have steered him this way instead.)
This book is the first of a trilogy about Sonja Blue, a woman who was attacked by a vampire and left for dead in swinging 1960's London. Through a series of coincidences she lives and becomes a hybrid. And once she finally regains her memory, she is exceptionally pissed about the whole thing. So she travels the world killing vamps and other assorted predators while looking for her maker. Unfortunately there are things after her as well, including a creepy televangelist. Ok, ok I know, you're thinking are you sure this chick isn't named Blade and played by Wesley Snipes? But this book came out well before the movies and at any rate, Collins builds a uniquely imagined, well-crafted world that probably has something to say about feminine identity and violence toward women if you care to delve beneath the shiny layers of mythology and ass kickery. Or if you want to just revel in those top layers, that's fine too.
I got this book as part of an omnibus version of the trilogy and most of it is dedicated to Sonja's backstory. I definitely will read the other two parts eventually. I have the feeling if the timing were different, I would have devoured these books back to back to back.
(one of my male coworkers read the first Sookie Stackhouse book recently and complained that after an epic chain fight in the first chapter, it was all downhill. I wonder if I should have steered him this way instead.)
dark
medium-paced
I have been wanting to read this book for about seven years now, and I was very excited to start reading this book.
The book starts out with Sonja Blue, our main character and vampire, locked in the danger ward in a mental institution. She is dream walking into the dreams of the other inmates and terrorizes the staff until she is strong enough to escape.
The vampires Nancy A. Collins has created are really interesting and their history and background is well developed. Sonja Blue is very powerful and strong and I think it was nice how the vampires in this book has the ability to change their appearance and fingerprints. This also makes the plot feel more plausible. About half of the book is devoted to telling us the story of how Sonja Blue was created and how she ended up where the book starts up, so we get both the present time and the past parallel to each other.
One of the things I liked best about this book is that it is free of forced romances and Sonja Blue is out for revenge, not a boyfriend.
The book starts out with Sonja Blue, our main character and vampire, locked in the danger ward in a mental institution. She is dream walking into the dreams of the other inmates and terrorizes the staff until she is strong enough to escape.
The vampires Nancy A. Collins has created are really interesting and their history and background is well developed. Sonja Blue is very powerful and strong and I think it was nice how the vampires in this book has the ability to change their appearance and fingerprints. This also makes the plot feel more plausible. About half of the book is devoted to telling us the story of how Sonja Blue was created and how she ended up where the book starts up, so we get both the present time and the past parallel to each other.
One of the things I liked best about this book is that it is free of forced romances and Sonja Blue is out for revenge, not a boyfriend.
I have to say this book was definitely a new take on vampires and demons for me, and how they exist. The story was very confusing at times, as it jumped around a lot with the Point of Views, and drove me bonkers trying to figure it out sometimes. Hence why it has earned only three stars from me. It was good, but I couldn't keep my focus on it very well, even in some parts that were actually very well put together.
Update on re-read:
Okay I re-read the book to see if I missed anything and to refresh the story for me, and I have to say, it seemed a lot longer than it did before. I'm renewing my rating to a 2.5 stars because it seemed like there was way too much background and scene-setting going on. It drove me nuts how the narrative seemed to repeat itself a lot.
Update on re-read:
Okay I re-read the book to see if I missed anything and to refresh the story for me, and I have to say, it seemed a lot longer than it did before. I'm renewing my rating to a 2.5 stars because it seemed like there was way too much background and scene-setting going on. It drove me nuts how the narrative seemed to repeat itself a lot.
Took a chance on a different genre via the Humble Start a New Science Fiction and Fantasy Series by Open Road Media Bundle. This novel was an urban fantasy all about vampires.
Alas, this was a bit of a rough, uneven read. The writing style was of that peculiar sort where on the first page of the first chapter we get to find out exactly how tall and how heavy a side character is to help set the scene. All too often attention seems to be paid to peripheral details like this at the expense of all else.
With the exception of a strong sequence in the middle delving into the main characters past there wasn't a lot of excitement or joy to be had in the seedy settings and occupations of all involved. The way events and motivations were set out didn't always make a whole lot of sense. It was difficult to really empathise with or get behind any of the characters here.
There may be something here for fans of the genre and vampiric action sequences but this wasn't for me.
Alas, this was a bit of a rough, uneven read. The writing style was of that peculiar sort where on the first page of the first chapter we get to find out exactly how tall and how heavy a side character is to help set the scene. All too often attention seems to be paid to peripheral details like this at the expense of all else.
With the exception of a strong sequence in the middle delving into the main characters past there wasn't a lot of excitement or joy to be had in the seedy settings and occupations of all involved. The way events and motivations were set out didn't always make a whole lot of sense. It was difficult to really empathise with or get behind any of the characters here.
There may be something here for fans of the genre and vampiric action sequences but this wasn't for me.
Another nice take on the vampire mythos. Unlike others, I do not tire of a well written vampire novel. The pop culture vampire books are the ones that make me cringe (we all know what ones they are). This had violence, gore, intrigue, passion and all the other things that make a vamp book worth reading. I look forward to reading more of Collins' work.
This is the horror I've been waiting to enjoy. While it's gruesome, the descriptions don't seem (at least to me) to be there for the shock or horror porn value like many other horror books I've read, which I don't enjoy. The Sonja/Denise/The Other dynamic was confusing at times and I'm not sure it was ever settled, but overall I enjoyed this book and its perfect balance of dark horror vibe with characters and plot I could invest in.
Sunglasses After Dark, the first of the Sonja Blue novels, is one of my favorite vampire books of all time. First published in 1989, it tells the story of Sonja Blue, a vampire who hunts her own kind and who has a convulted and compelling back story.
This is a great vampire book. It's also a precursor to later urban fantasy series. Collins has created an entire paranormal mythos featuring many races of Pretenders- supernatural creatures passing as human in the human world.
Sunglasses After Dark is stylish, scary, and gory in turns. Collins uses language to tell the story, but knows when to slip into more atmospheric and moody word choices.
I read this book when it first came out and fell in love with it. I still love it.
This is a great vampire book. It's also a precursor to later urban fantasy series. Collins has created an entire paranormal mythos featuring many races of Pretenders- supernatural creatures passing as human in the human world.
Sunglasses After Dark is stylish, scary, and gory in turns. Collins uses language to tell the story, but knows when to slip into more atmospheric and moody word choices.
I read this book when it first came out and fell in love with it. I still love it.
