Il Principe Di Sangue Nero (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
The Greyfriar occurs in the future, but, as is typically the case in such post-catastrophe scenarios, life for humans is anything but modern and computerized. The vampire attacks left humans with nothing, and the only technology humans have been able to harness is steam power. Thus enters the steampunk aspect of the narrative.The vampires are an interesting blend of myth and new creation. These vampires drink blood and survive by subjugating humans to their will. However, rather than the mythical undead, these vampires are nothing more than a subspecies of human, a parasite that exists because humans exist. There is even some question whether they are truly evil or simply selfish in their needs. This aspect of the story raises a lot of questions about origins of species all of which are unfortunately left unanswered at the end of the novel.Most, if not all, of the characters are little more than caricatures. Adele is the not-so-hapless princess gifted with great but as yet unknown powers. Her fiancé is a braggart, the proverbial bull in the china shop and utterly incapable of nuanced thinking. There is the ineffective king and his manipulators, two kings in fact. Then, we have the one character with the potential to change everything, with Adele’s help of course. None of these characters evolve overly much, which is a shame because character development would be one way to improve the story.James Marsters, as always, is impeccable as the narrator. He brings with him his talent for voices and uses it with maximum effect to differentiate the characters. In fact, the characters come alive under his ministrations. He captures their emotions and unspoken motivations even when there is none called out in the narrative. He takes the time to understand the characters and this care shows in the three-dimensional quality of his narration. Mr. Marsters is a natural storyteller, and any audiobook he narrates automatically improves as a result.In fact, it is Mr. Marsters’ narration which saves the story from becoming pure drivel. Without his added emotional depth, the story would falter from melodrama and weak characters. In many ways, the story is nothing more than a steampunk spaghetti western with vampires, which is only a good thing if one likes that those genres. The narrative hodgepodge also draws on too many modern vampire clichés to be truly unique. These vampires do not sparkle, but one still manages to fall in love with a human and vice versa. The Griffiths get points for creativity, but in the end, The Greyfriar is still just a mediocre amalgam of genres and literary devices that provides nothing but superficial and highly predictable entertainment. I enjoyed The Greyfriar much more than I anticipated. I acquired it as a Kindle book awhile ago and only just got around to reading it. I appreciated that vampires didn't sparkle and the unique setting. It's a steampunk novel that takes place in a dystopian post-1800's world. The authors do a wonderful job setting the scene and politics of this new society. It became almost believable. Enough so that I devoured the book even if at times it was painfully predictable. I look forward to reading the sequels soon. Oh, I also suspect the authors really enjoy "Beauty and the Beast".
What do You think about Il Principe Di Sangue Nero (2011)?
To the stranger at the library who told me how great this book is-thank you,thank you!
—bstoothoff02
Thoroughly excellent ! I need book two NOW...
—vidya
