Helpful Score: 1
This is the first novel I've read by Mercedes Lackey, and it took me quite some time to get into it.
I was initially put off by the style -- very purple, adjectives attached to every noun (sometimes multiple adjectives), half of each page written as Diana's stream-of-consciousness thoughts, which were equally frenetic when she was standing alone in a shop as when she was having a panic attack. And while it isn't Lackey's fault (her magical butt-kicking heroine predates most others) the whole set-up seemed too familiar by far. It should indeed appeal to Buffy fans, but don't expect it to take the now-familiar subgenre anywhere new.
Then I was put off by a number of items that cropped up that read like anachronisms, whether they are or not. For no reason I could discover, the novel is set in the early 70s, after the Watergate scandal broke but before Nixon resigned in '74. Yet there is a mention of Diana wanting a personal computer -- and I'm pretty sure personal computers weren't available until '75. There's a mention of feeling like being in a Stephen King novel -- but he didn't get published until '73, and I find it unlikely that his was a household name THAT immediately. I grant, the times are close enough that there may have been a week or two in '74 when a person might have thought all those things, but they just READ like anachronisms, whether they actually are or not.
But around 2/3 of the way through, after Diana joined forces with Andre, the plot picked up enough pace that I sped through the rest. Andre was my favorite character, though doesn't break the ethical vampire mold in any way either, and though I cringed at the way the romance was handled, it was at least blessedly short.
So overall, I have to say I liked the book, but I am very borderline about whether or not to read another.
I was initially put off by the style -- very purple, adjectives attached to every noun (sometimes multiple adjectives), half of each page written as Diana's stream-of-consciousness thoughts, which were equally frenetic when she was standing alone in a shop as when she was having a panic attack. And while it isn't Lackey's fault (her magical butt-kicking heroine predates most others) the whole set-up seemed too familiar by far. It should indeed appeal to Buffy fans, but don't expect it to take the now-familiar subgenre anywhere new.
Then I was put off by a number of items that cropped up that read like anachronisms, whether they are or not. For no reason I could discover, the novel is set in the early 70s, after the Watergate scandal broke but before Nixon resigned in '74. Yet there is a mention of Diana wanting a personal computer -- and I'm pretty sure personal computers weren't available until '75. There's a mention of feeling like being in a Stephen King novel -- but he didn't get published until '73, and I find it unlikely that his was a household name THAT immediately. I grant, the times are close enough that there may have been a week or two in '74 when a person might have thought all those things, but they just READ like anachronisms, whether they actually are or not.
But around 2/3 of the way through, after Diana joined forces with Andre, the plot picked up enough pace that I sped through the rest. Andre was my favorite character, though doesn't break the ethical vampire mold in any way either, and though I cringed at the way the romance was handled, it was at least blessedly short.
So overall, I have to say I liked the book, but I am very borderline about whether or not to read another.
This is the first novel I've read by Mercedes Lackey, and it took me quite some time to get into it.
I was initially put off by the style -- very purple, adjectives attached to every noun (sometimes multiple adjectives), half of each page written as Diana's stream-of-consciousness thoughts, which were equally frenetic when she was standing alone in a shop as when she was having a panic attack. And while it isn't Lackey's fault (her magical butt-kicking heroine predates most others) the whole set-up seemed too familiar by far. It should indeed appeal to Buffy fans, but don't expect it to take the now-familiar subgenre anywhere new.
Then I was put off by a number of items that cropped up that read like anachronisms, whether they are or not. For no reason I could discover, the novel is set in the early 70s, after the Watergate scandal broke but before Nixon resigned in '74. Yet there is a mention of Diana wanting a personal computer -- and I'm pretty sure personal computers weren't available until '75. There's a mention of feeling like being in a Stephen King novel -- but he didn't get published until '73, and I find it unlikely that his was a household name THAT immediately. I grant, the times are close enough that there may have been a week or two in '74 when a person might have thought all those things, but they just READ like anachronisms.
But around 2/3 of the way through, after Diana joined forces with Andre, the plot picked up enough pace that I sped through the rest. Andre was my favorite character, though he doesn't break the ethical vampire mold in any way either, and though I cringed at the way the romance was handled, it was at least blessedly short.
So overall, I have to say I liked the book, but I am very borderline about whether or not to read another.
I was initially put off by the style -- very purple, adjectives attached to every noun (sometimes multiple adjectives), half of each page written as Diana's stream-of-consciousness thoughts, which were equally frenetic when she was standing alone in a shop as when she was having a panic attack. And while it isn't Lackey's fault (her magical butt-kicking heroine predates most others) the whole set-up seemed too familiar by far. It should indeed appeal to Buffy fans, but don't expect it to take the now-familiar subgenre anywhere new.
Then I was put off by a number of items that cropped up that read like anachronisms, whether they are or not. For no reason I could discover, the novel is set in the early 70s, after the Watergate scandal broke but before Nixon resigned in '74. Yet there is a mention of Diana wanting a personal computer -- and I'm pretty sure personal computers weren't available until '75. There's a mention of feeling like being in a Stephen King novel -- but he didn't get published until '73, and I find it unlikely that his was a household name THAT immediately. I grant, the times are close enough that there may have been a week or two in '74 when a person might have thought all those things, but they just READ like anachronisms.
But around 2/3 of the way through, after Diana joined forces with Andre, the plot picked up enough pace that I sped through the rest. Andre was my favorite character, though he doesn't break the ethical vampire mold in any way either, and though I cringed at the way the romance was handled, it was at least blessedly short.
So overall, I have to say I liked the book, but I am very borderline about whether or not to read another.
It's been awhile since I read this series but I really did enjoy it. Nice mixture of the paranormal and a mystery.
Michael G. (doctorslime) -
Anyway, here's a blurb I am unapologetically borrowing from Amazon: ;)
"This is the second of three books that Mercedes Lackey has written about Diana Tregarde, a psychic investigator and 'Guardian' whose job is to struggle with occult evil. The story is set in New York City, where Diana is working at an occult supply store making ends meet while she begins a career as a writer of romance novels. On this particular workday, she finds herself faced with an energy-draining hunter, a gypsy boy on the run from an unknown danger, and a different kind of hunter pursuing the first. Diana retreats to her apartment, baffled by these events.
Elsewhere in the city, a bus with a ghostly driver runs its route, delivering death to its passengers. One of these is the close friend of and lover of people who are dear to Diana. When Lenny and Keith call her from the morgue, she rushes down to discover that something has torn the living soul from the victim, leaving him a worse than empty husk. Then the gypsy boy turns up dead in a nearby alley and Diana finds herself confronting the vampire that failed to protect him. Diana's investigations will bring back some of her worst fears, panic attacks that linger from a time when she almost failed.
Somewhere else, a rock band relaxes at a Halloween party and they take a drug that makes a tiny adjustment to their metabolism. They find themselves feeding first on the appreciation and then on the fear, of their audiences. For all but Dave Kendall, once Diana's lover, this is a one-way spiral down to the darkest evil. Diana's energy hunter has made them, and a strange Japanese monster, a Gaki, is his companion. The Gaki takes what the energy vampires leave behind, the soul. To fight these creatures, human and not, Diana, Lenny and Keith team up with the most unlikely fourth, a true vampire. Even so, they are almost beaten before they start.
'Children of the Night' is very much the best of the three Tregarde tales, and I would even go so far as to name it one of her best stories over all. She lavishes enough attention on the characters to make them all believable individuals. The story is one that naturally keeps the reader's attention, replete with the embellishment that adds interest, and that has become so rare in modern storytelling. And the romantic byplay between Diana and Andre LaBrel, the vampire, is done just right. It is a shame that Diana Tregarde never went beyond the three volumes. But, Lackey's writing skills are such that she does not like to get stuck in a groove, and for that I cannot blame her. Maybe, some day soon, we will meet Diana again."
"This is the second of three books that Mercedes Lackey has written about Diana Tregarde, a psychic investigator and 'Guardian' whose job is to struggle with occult evil. The story is set in New York City, where Diana is working at an occult supply store making ends meet while she begins a career as a writer of romance novels. On this particular workday, she finds herself faced with an energy-draining hunter, a gypsy boy on the run from an unknown danger, and a different kind of hunter pursuing the first. Diana retreats to her apartment, baffled by these events.
Elsewhere in the city, a bus with a ghostly driver runs its route, delivering death to its passengers. One of these is the close friend of and lover of people who are dear to Diana. When Lenny and Keith call her from the morgue, she rushes down to discover that something has torn the living soul from the victim, leaving him a worse than empty husk. Then the gypsy boy turns up dead in a nearby alley and Diana finds herself confronting the vampire that failed to protect him. Diana's investigations will bring back some of her worst fears, panic attacks that linger from a time when she almost failed.
Somewhere else, a rock band relaxes at a Halloween party and they take a drug that makes a tiny adjustment to their metabolism. They find themselves feeding first on the appreciation and then on the fear, of their audiences. For all but Dave Kendall, once Diana's lover, this is a one-way spiral down to the darkest evil. Diana's energy hunter has made them, and a strange Japanese monster, a Gaki, is his companion. The Gaki takes what the energy vampires leave behind, the soul. To fight these creatures, human and not, Diana, Lenny and Keith team up with the most unlikely fourth, a true vampire. Even so, they are almost beaten before they start.
'Children of the Night' is very much the best of the three Tregarde tales, and I would even go so far as to name it one of her best stories over all. She lavishes enough attention on the characters to make them all believable individuals. The story is one that naturally keeps the reader's attention, replete with the embellishment that adds interest, and that has become so rare in modern storytelling. And the romantic byplay between Diana and Andre LaBrel, the vampire, is done just right. It is a shame that Diana Tregarde never went beyond the three volumes. But, Lackey's writing skills are such that she does not like to get stuck in a groove, and for that I cannot blame her. Maybe, some day soon, we will meet Diana again."
Chris K. (littleacorn) - , reviewed Children of the Night (Diana Tregarde, Bk 2) on + 43 more book reviews
Gypsies, vampires, and witches, oh my! Not real sexual like a lot of vampire novels. A fun read.
I liked this Diana Tregarde Investigation a lot better than Burning Water.
I liked this Diana Tregarde Investigation a lot better than Burning Water.
This is an interesting book with a well-written plot and a sarcastic heroine.
This is the first novel I've read by Mercedes Lackey, and it took me quite some time to get into it.
I was initially put off by the style -- very purple, adjectives attached to every noun (sometimes multiple adjectives), half of each page written as Diana's stream-of-consciousness thoughts, which were equally frenetic when she was standing alone in a shop as when she was having a panic attack. And while it isn't Lackey's fault (her magical butt-kicking heroine predates most others) the whole set-up seemed too familiar by far. It should indeed appeal to Buffy fans, but don't expect it to take the now-familiar subgenre anywhere new.
Then I was put off by a number of items that cropped up that read like anachronisms, whether they are or not. For no reason I could discover, the novel is set in the early 70s, after the Watergate scandal broke but before Nixon resigned in '74. Yet there is a mention of Diana wanting a personal computer -- and I'm pretty sure personal computers weren't available until '75. There's a mention of feeling like being in a Stephen King novel -- but he didn't get published until '73, and I find it unlikely that his was a household name THAT immediately. I grant, the times are close enough that there may have been a week or two in '74 when a person might have thought all those things, but they just READ like anachronisms, whether they actually are or not.
But around 2/3 of the way through, after Diana joined forces with Andre, the plot picked up enough pace that I sped through the rest. Andre was my favorite character, though doesn't break the ethical vampire mold in any way either, and though I cringed at the way the romance was handled, it was at least blessedly short.
So overall, I have to say I liked the book, but I am very borderline about whether or not to read another.
I was initially put off by the style -- very purple, adjectives attached to every noun (sometimes multiple adjectives), half of each page written as Diana's stream-of-consciousness thoughts, which were equally frenetic when she was standing alone in a shop as when she was having a panic attack. And while it isn't Lackey's fault (her magical butt-kicking heroine predates most others) the whole set-up seemed too familiar by far. It should indeed appeal to Buffy fans, but don't expect it to take the now-familiar subgenre anywhere new.
Then I was put off by a number of items that cropped up that read like anachronisms, whether they are or not. For no reason I could discover, the novel is set in the early 70s, after the Watergate scandal broke but before Nixon resigned in '74. Yet there is a mention of Diana wanting a personal computer -- and I'm pretty sure personal computers weren't available until '75. There's a mention of feeling like being in a Stephen King novel -- but he didn't get published until '73, and I find it unlikely that his was a household name THAT immediately. I grant, the times are close enough that there may have been a week or two in '74 when a person might have thought all those things, but they just READ like anachronisms, whether they actually are or not.
But around 2/3 of the way through, after Diana joined forces with Andre, the plot picked up enough pace that I sped through the rest. Andre was my favorite character, though doesn't break the ethical vampire mold in any way either, and though I cringed at the way the romance was handled, it was at least blessedly short.
So overall, I have to say I liked the book, but I am very borderline about whether or not to read another.
Johanna H. (bookladyjo) reviewed Children of the Night (Diana Tregarde, Bk 2) on + 84 more book reviews
Diana Tregarde, witch and guardian, becomes involved in the newest rock band to hit it big when she realizes they are backed by the sardonic "master" Jeffries.
Lynda C. (Readnmachine) reviewed Children of the Night (Diana Tregarde, Bk 2) on + 1479 more book reviews
Second installment of the Diana Tregare series, introducing Andre LeBrel and setting up Diana's relationship with the Rom community. Not as good a book as "Burning Water", unfortunately.
Pam L. (bookworm1952) reviewed Children of the Night (Diana Tregarde, Bk 2) on + 94 more book reviews
Witch/Vampire paranormal fantasy..Great Read
First off, I had a hard time figuring out if this book is supposed to be before or after "Burning Water". My copy has the title date after, so I read it second, but Diana is a total wuss in this story. Panic attacks, running in fear, none of which were in evidence in the last story. But okay, doesn't matter.
The stream-of-consciousness stuff seemed really long to me too. Show me, don't tell me. I did like the vampire guy, and the fate of the ex-boyfriend seemed quite fitting. So, it was okay, but just okay.
The stream-of-consciousness stuff seemed really long to me too. Show me, don't tell me. I did like the vampire guy, and the fate of the ex-boyfriend seemed quite fitting. So, it was okay, but just okay.
My thoughts:
I love these books! Comparisons with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Tanya Huff's Fitzroi and Vikki are inescapable, but these books came first and one must give Mercedes Lackey her due.
This is one of my favorite fantasy/vampire books. It was published in 1990, well before Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series and Tanya Huff's Fitzroy series. I think Hamilton culled much of Anita Blake from Diana Tregarde--no disrespect to Ms. Hamilton intended--but c'mon, there's even a sexy French vampire! This story has great imagination, suspense, romance, gore and humor and is, in my opinion, one of Lackey's best efforts. I don't think Lackey is one of the best writers, technically speaking, but you have to admit that her imagination is top-notch!
From the back cover: "The gypsy boy had asked for Diana's help--called on her for magical assistance--and she could not refuse; especially after he was slain practically on her doorstep.
But the vampire Diana finds cradling the body ISN'T the killer. He's the gypsies protector, Andre LeBrel, who informs Diana that there's more than one monster stalking the streets of New York.
Now it's up to Diana Tregarde, Guardian and witch, to find the killers and destroy them; with a little supernatural assistance from a very friendly and very sexy vampire."
I love these books! Comparisons with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Tanya Huff's Fitzroi and Vikki are inescapable, but these books came first and one must give Mercedes Lackey her due.
This is one of my favorite fantasy/vampire books. It was published in 1990, well before Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series and Tanya Huff's Fitzroy series. I think Hamilton culled much of Anita Blake from Diana Tregarde--no disrespect to Ms. Hamilton intended--but c'mon, there's even a sexy French vampire! This story has great imagination, suspense, romance, gore and humor and is, in my opinion, one of Lackey's best efforts. I don't think Lackey is one of the best writers, technically speaking, but you have to admit that her imagination is top-notch!
From the back cover: "The gypsy boy had asked for Diana's help--called on her for magical assistance--and she could not refuse; especially after he was slain practically on her doorstep.
But the vampire Diana finds cradling the body ISN'T the killer. He's the gypsies protector, Andre LeBrel, who informs Diana that there's more than one monster stalking the streets of New York.
Now it's up to Diana Tregarde, Guardian and witch, to find the killers and destroy them; with a little supernatural assistance from a very friendly and very sexy vampire."
Donna S. (OneGroovyMama) reviewed Children of the Night (Diana Tregarde, Bk 2) on + 29 more book reviews
Couldn't really get into this book. It just didn't hold my attention well.
This is not part of the Valdemar series, which Lackey is most well-known for. It's an amusing and entertaining vampire novel.
This is a great book. It is one in a series.
I'm a huge fan of Mercedes Lackey, but not a fan of this style of book. Diana Tregarde Investigations stories are all in "this world" but with supernatural activities.
