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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really good vampire novel, a bit like True blood but written 25 years earlier, set in the golden age of steamships on the Mississippi river. Main focus is friendship between a vampire and a full blood riverman.
A beautifully bitter sweet tale. 14 years before George RR Martin wrote the first ASOIAF book, he wrote Fevre Dream. The world building and character development are ever bit as good. Abner Marsh is a steam boat captain down on his luck. All but his worst ship were destroyed over the winter. Then he is approached by a strange man, Joshua York, wanting to buy into his company as a full partner and co-Captain. Marsh only has to ignore all of Yorks strange habits and friends. "Ask me any questions and I will lie to you, so don't ask." Marsh agrees, after all York is building him his dream steamer. It will be tha fastest, largest and most luxurious steamer to ever exist and with it Marsh will finally be able to race and defeat the current most envied steamer on the Mississippi, making Marsh a legend. York's strange ways are finally to much for Marsh to Ignore and he confronts him. What York confides in Marsh will change his world forever. York has an impossible idealistic vision he wishes to make come true, but will it ever happen? This story takes place just a few years before the American Civil War broke out. A very interesting time from the perspective of characters living through it. I loved Abner Marsh, such a great character. This story will stick with me for a long time.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Mississippi River, 1857. Abner Marsh is a riverman, owner of several riverboats that have experienced a bout of bad luck. When he is approached by the wealthy and mysterious Joshua York to co-captain a steamboat, he convinces his new partner to fund building the grand, fast, beautiful Fevre Dream. York's conditions are that he be allowed to engage in odd behavior - particularly sleeping all day and disappearing from the boat for days at a time - with no questions asked. When Marsh's curiosity gets the better of him, he ends up embroiled in a world of nocturnal creatures he wouldn't previously have believed in, and makes some frightening and dangerous enemies.
This one took me by surprise and I ended up really loving it. Martin takes his time with the setup. The vampire stuff doesn't really get going until the second half. The first half meticulously builds the world of 19th century riverboating - perhaps some might consider the detail of it excessive and dull, but I found it fascinating, informative, and vital to the story. More importantly, Martin spends a lot of time depicting the layers of the complex, obsessive, gruff, but somehow likable character of Captain Abner Marsh, and constructing his friendship with Joshua York (as well as developing the rest of his cast of characters). When the tension and vampire violence ramp up, it hits all the harder for it. Absolutely captivating, magnificently written, and highly recommended.
This was my first read by Martin. I don't really read a lot of high fantasy because I frequently feel lost and so many of them are such chonkers. After reading this and experiencing Martin's incredible storytelling, I guess I'm going to have to dip my toe into his other stuff and see how it goes.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not a lot of horror, unsure what I would label this as, historical featuring vampires? If you want a scary book, this is not it.
It was slow getting started, it was slow all over to be honest and a rushed dull ending.
It was slow getting started, it was slow all over to be honest and a rushed dull ending.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes