(My Half-way-through review)Ahhhh, where to begin? I want to like this book. I enjoyed both of the previous books for the most part, but this one? Meh.Normally, I don't get caught up in the inconsistencies in books. I can overlook them and just enjoy the story for what it is. But I'm finding myself increasingly annoyed by Lilith's Dream.Little things like the fact that Lilith is supposed to have been around since when mammoths roamed the earth, she's supposed to have interacted with humans within the last 200 years, she knows that the Germans perform(ed) something called the Blood Eagle upon her kind (which would indicate intelligence)...but now she's somehow surprised that humans have evolved into sentient beings? That they have souls? She somehow is completely oblivious to the fact that civilization has spread beyond Egypt? (she believes that Cairo must rule the world, given it's present size)At the moment, she's coming across as nothing more than the over-sexed, vampiric Village Idiot. Hell, she even banged a dude for 4 days in the desert (in present day) while staying with his "tribe"...but she never figured out that humans have souls? It takes a miraculous kiss from a pre-teen girl (who just watched her equally young friend get eaten, I might add...obviously the little kiss-puppy is a complete hard-case) to realize this?********3/4's Through Review*****I'm liking this book less and less. I've taken to just skimming through the pages for the most part.First, I'm curious if Strieber has a history of anti-Semitism? If not, he definitely comes across as anti-Semitic during some scenes. He refers time and again to how bad the blood of Jews tastes, how it causes Lilith to almost vomit, it is so bitter.And what's up with the continual references to the drug X/Ecstasy?? We get it, Mr Strieber...you're a proponent of it's usage. If you're using it as a device to show hip and cool your characters are, you should know that the heyday of Ecstasy was about 20 years ago, in the early 90s.***************The Final Review*******************Good god, did trees really die so this atrocity could be published??With a lot of books that I don't finish, it's usually because I just lose interest in them. With this one, I was actually becoming annoyed with the story/author.
1.5 stars Like most people, I had no idea this was book 3 in a series. It really didn’t encourage me to read the others (although I hear The Hunger is much better.) I wanted to like it, but couldn’t engage with the characters, the plot, or the themes of . . . of what? Humans are stupid food? Vampires are evil human-herders and must be destroyed? This is all a dream? What the hell? Also, what was up with the flashbacks to another time/place/planet? Were we supposed to gain sympathy for Lilith and feel sorry for her as she rips apart people? Was this novel supposed to be erotica? The voyeuristic bar scene surprised me – I get the sensuality of vampires, that is a common theme, but I found the idea of red-carpet, Hollywood elite donating to a charity and then being perfectly comfortable with what is essentially live porn being performed in front of them at that charity event to be highly unlikely. Also, there were so many internal consistencies – a character tosses a gun away, then has it in hand the next scene. Suddenly, there are portable holes to vampire hiding places, just when the characters need to make an escape? Hmmmm. The only redeeming thing about the book was the confusing and odd ending. I felt like here lies the real story, which seemed like it could have been far more interesting than the book I just read.
What do You think about Lilith's Dream (2002)?
The last in The Hunger series. It's a little sad to see our beloved Miriam NOT take center stage, and instead introduce Lilith... the biblical Lilith. If The Last Vampire seemed like a different road than The Hunger, then Lilith's Dream is a different highway all together. Still an amazing high-octane read, this third and final act concludes with a lot of satisfaction. Once again Mr. Whitley breathes such life into his characters, it's very easy to find yourself struggling with them... standing beside them... and journeying among them. Of course I would absolutely recommend this series to anyone; The Hunger, The Last Vampire, & Lilith's Dream. His work is on of the inspirations in pursuing my own writing.
—Michael Vischi
Read it to complete the trilogy: it's the last piece in a downwards spiral started by nr. 2. Pity, the Hunger was nice. Ok, so there are a few nice moments but it's hard to take the book seriously. Major spoiler: the idea of a prehistoric vampire risen from under a pyramid (with an elongated head [probably from reading every scroll in the hall of records, whoop whoop for mentioning it] but otherwise quite dashing) trying to eat the horny local des(s)ert people whilst driving and shifting a sodden modern vehicle is quite funny. The drug induced orgy (from the second book) set in the hippest bar imaginable was equally entertaining(/disturbing). Now what to read next? Only the abduction chronicle will do. Anticipating goodies...
—Fiona Shacklehack
meh.The only good thing I can say about this book is since this is a pre-Twilight vampire novel there are no sparkles! Maybe I needed to read the others in the series first. I'm having a hard time summing up exactly what was wrong with this novel. First, This story seemed incredibly confusing. Lilith has odd flashbacks to possibly another time, or another world, or both. Leo talks about her previous life before becoming a vampire while she was basically a thrall. Paul and Becky seem to love each other, but the marriage was one of convenience. Ian acts like a smart teenager, but then he gets X just to hang out with girls. I couldn't connect to any of the characters emotionally, and none of them seemed very believable in the first place.Spoiler?Ian wandering off in New York, and going all the way to Egypt, with two strange women was completely ridiculous. Basically the whole second half of the book was stupid and full of bizarre sex and strange images. And Paul Ward wanting to kill his son. It made no sense.Maybe it would make more if I had read the series, but the book isn't listed on the cover, or inside as "book 3 of" or anything like that, so I took it to mean it could be a stand-alone novel.
—Tess
