With True Blood author Charlaine Harris and Otherworld author, Kelley Armstrong both endorsing the novel, there was really some expectation for this novel to be good. And it really is and kicks butt.I got introduced to the writing style of Christopher Golden when he penned the Gatekeeper trilogy for the Buffy The Vampire slayer tv tie-in books and I felt then that he was able to capture the essence of Joss Whedon’s characters and give us an adventure that most Buffy fans can dream of replaying it in their homes on their tv sets. But alas the story was only meant to be read. But that was enough to make a Buffy fan like me take notice of Christopher Golden and his ease and familiarity with the supernatural.Fast forward, I read about Christopher’s Vampire series but haven’t had much luck in getting the book locally as it was not available. Luckily, I was able to get Book 2 at a Book Sale some years back and finally last year, the book that preceded and started the series, entitled, Of Saints and Shadows.The whole novel apart from incorporating some canon information on Vampire lore that most people knew also included some massive reworking of that very same system into the heart of the novel itself. The novel centers on a vampire/private investigator, named Peter Octavian, living in the city of Chicago and discovering that the “random” case that he was working on may not be random after all. How could it not be when it involved seemingly indiscriminate killings of humans, with their corpses strewn around the crime scene and links to the Catholic Church. These same killings also coincide with the death of some prominent Vampires in their closed society as they are brutally hunted down by men of the cloth. One such Vampire happened to be Peter’s maker, a German Vampire who goes by his name of Karl Von Reinman. In moments of his death, we are given an insight as to how Peter was disowned from Karl’s Coven for he claimed that the Catholic Church lied to them and was actually covering up the truth in the hopes of subverting their existence and keeping them in check. These truths consisted of misinformation and a form of brainwashing; for Vampires can actually withstand the rays of the sun, can change into any form at will and like Peter proved at a later part in the book, can in fact, enter the Catholic Church and not be barred from it.Peter is no doubt the one who rallies his kind together in the hopes of exposing the lies that the Vatican has been spreading and hopefully inform as much he can of their kind; that all was lie. That the path for self discovery begins now.My idol, author Anne Rice has always said that her Vampire books are about the mentality and the metaphor of a Vampire which represents the outsider. Peter Octavian for the most although acts alongside humans and suppresses his Vampiric nature. The fact that he has been cut off from his original Coven of the Defiant Ones (as the Church calls them), and his secrecy at keeping his true nature at bay to most humans save his blood supplier a new found woman, he proves to be the ideal Outsider in this story.The other outsiders are the antagonists, consisting of Father Liam Mulkerrin, a Vatican Sorcerer after an old tome hidden in the vaults of the Vatican, called The Gospel of Shadows. The book itself is a prize to the Church but a truth revealer if in the hands of a Vampire. Golden’s writing is clear and accurate and makes any reader wish that this book would see the light of Hollywood if marketed right. But after reading this, I can contend myself in the fact that I would have to scour the many boxes of books I have in storage for the second book called Angel Souls and Devil Hearts and start looking for the subsequent books in the series of which Book 3 called Of Masques and Martyrs was released last December 2010 and Book 4 (The Gathering Dark) and Book 5 (Waking Nightmares) will be released subsequently in February and April of 2011.Vampires. Vatican. Venice. Vengance. Vindication. Very Good!
I read this book, actually the entire series, years ago but am not really sure what happened to the books themselves. I think I sold them to a used bookstore the last time I moved. I wasn't all that careful about what books I got rid of them, so I've been having to repurchase a lot of books as I find them. When I saw this reissue mentioned on both Book Chick City and SFF Chat, I knew I had to get it again.The story is pretty simple, and I'm gong to try and keep what I know about the rest of the series out of this review, it's your basic good vs. evil. The twist is that the roles have been reversed. This time around the vampires are the good guys and the church and it's agents are the bad guys.For what ever reason the church, while subjugating and even destroying other supernatural creatures, were never able to get the vampires under their total control. Instead they systematically brainwashed the vampires into controlling their own powers. All those myths about daylight, garlic, shape shifting limitations, all of those supposed limitations are false. They were all ploys used to get the vampires to act the way the church wanted them to. Peter Octavian is the first vampire to begin to realize the truth, he starts to go out in the daylight and even turn into a column of fire. But even he is unsure of how vast their powers really are.The theft of the book though changes the church's game plan. If that book falls into the hand of their enemies, The Defiant Ones make discover the truth. So the Church under the influence of Father Mulkerrin decides to take them out for once and for all, eliminate them all during their gathering in Venice. Little does Father Mulkerrin know what Peter and his allies, including Buffalo Bill Cody, have in store for them.I first started reading Christopher Golden when he was writing books set in the Buffy universe and quickly fell in love with his writing style. This series was the next logical step for me and it cemented my liking for him as an author. This is the beginning of a interesting take on the origins of vampires and it's one I urge all fans of the genre to pick up and discover for themselves.
What do You think about Of Saints And Shadows (1998)?
Of Saints and Shadows had a really interesting synopsis, with vampires battling a centuries-old hidden group within the Catholic Church. There’s a mysterious ancient book, some grisly murders, a few dodgy priests and a lot of conspiracies. It sounded right up my street! And I did like the plot. I found it interesting and imaginative. The lead character Peter figures out that vampires not being able to go out in sunlight is simply not true. They were taught to believe this in a massive cover-up by the Church a couple of millennia ago, and now they'll burn in the sun simply because they expect to. The reasons behind this are the basis for the story, and I thought it was a really interesting concept to build around and I enjoyed the vampire world that Christopher Golden created.What lets the story down is its characterisation. The characters never truly came to life for me. Peter was interesting, but he never leapt off the page and transformed into a fully fleshed-out being. And the female lead, Meaghan - also the love interest - was completely unconvincing. I don't object to a bit of romance in a book, provided it doesn't dominate the plot, but this relationship was utterly flat. It felt like it was put there simply because readers expected it, and I felt the book suffered for it. Cody was a little more interesting, perhaps simply because he was livelier and fun, but his antics weren't enough to save the story. The bad guys weren’t completely convincing either and they barely managed to stay on the right side of an ‘Evil Cartoon Baddie’ caricature.The book isn't like typical UF that gets churned out these days (it was written in 1998), which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's more of a thriller with vampires, than a paranormal romance. It actually reminded me a little of The Da Vinci Code, which probably isn't a compliment!!Overall, it was far from the worst book I’ve read and the interesting plot carried it. If the characters had felt more real to me, it would be a four star book. As it is, it’s more like two and a half. But, I always try to be more generous with first novels in a series, as the author needs time to develop, so I’ll give it three. And I am intrigued enough to want to read the second book.
—Lannister
I have really mixed feelings about this book. It took quite a while to really draw me but contained a lot of genres I usually enjoy. I liked the main character and even the romance that took place didn't seem too fanciful (as with a lot of other vampire novels). I liked the historical elements and the involvement of the church. Not wanting to give spoilers but I thought the explainations for they myths around vampires, well thought out....However the last few pages and especially the epilogue just didn't feel right to me. I had to go back and re-read it and I hadn't realised a character had died. It built up and then, there was so little response from the other characters I didn't register it.And then putting two female characters together in the last bit and describing their sexual encounter just seemed like lazy writing.
—Claire Flower
Book one of The Shadow Saga. This one sort of skirts the line between Urban Fantasy and Horror, yet somehow comes off kind of like a romance novel in writing style (though while there is some sex there is comparatively little compared to most of the "sexy urban fantasy" stuff that seems to be floating about). I think my biggest issue with it is the level of introspection of the characters. It feels like every other page is someone magically plumbing the depths of their soul to learn the truth about themselves and it's awfully contrived. I will probably read the rest of them but I'm not exactly bursting with the need to do so. Reasonable sunny day hammock reading but don't expect to be blown away.
—SterlingSpider
