This is the same book as "Search the Seven Hills" but under another title. Mystery concerning a young man and his girlfriend set in ancient Rome. Provides a well researched glimpse into the time period as well as a view of how the "new" religion Catholicism was first perceived. As with all of Barbara Hambly's books-a must read.

This is a thriller set in Rome, AD 116. The 16 year old daughter of the city prefect is kidnapped, and they're afraid that the Christians have her. Chapter headings from contemporary writings underscore the reason for the fear: cannibalism, infant sacrifice, etc. And, as those practices were parts of other religions of the time and empire, the fears were real rather than outrageous. Marcus, a young philosopy student and friend of the girl, witnessed the kidnapping and becomes involved in the search for her, working with the centurian in charge and enlisting the aid of a reclusive but scholarly retired general/former imperial governor.

Hambly has the gift of seeing history as everyday life and people. She never rubs your nose in her research; many the best bits are throw away lines. The action, however, is fast and both hair raising and hilarious. She doesn't wallow in the corruptness of imperial Rome, but she doesn't ignore it either. And, while the Christians aren't quite what you heard about in Sunday school, neither is this an exercis in religion bashing. She's writing about people, and her characters and scenes are vivid and unforgettable.

This book reads very well the first time; re-reading is even better. Yes, the re-reader knows what the solution to the mystery is, but the construction is brilliant, and it's breathtaking to read certain conversations again, seeing them from an entirely different perspective.

Another great joy is to find someone else who has read the book, and play the game of casting the characters for a movie. Sixtus, of course, is Sir Alec Guinness, but we can't decide between Tommy Lee Jones as Arrius, or Arnold Schwartzeneger. Either would be excellent.

I have read this book at least a dozen times, and have given away more than a dozen copies of the paper-back edition (Search the Seven Hills). St. Martin Press, or someone, needs to re-issue this. I've read enough reviews to know that I'm not alone in my devotion to this outstanding novel.

This book is Dargonsbane and Dragonshadow combined into a hardback edition. Refer to the individual reviews for details on each book. Dragonshadow is the first of a trilogy, so Winterlands is not an end-all book. Winterlands is worth it if you want a hardcopy of Dragonsbane.

This book has everything you could want; magic, dragons, knights, barbarians, unknown creatures of the night, and much more. It is written very well and I couldn't put it down the whole time I was reading it.

Dragonsbane. The bane of Dragons in the land is Lord John Aversin, the only living man who's slain one. This is all well and good, except the book isn't about him.

This book is written entirely from the mage Jenny Waynest's POV. DOn't get me wrong, this isn't a first person novel, but we never get a viewpoint other than Jenny's. In some ways this is good. It allows for excellent character development within Jenny herself, which we get.

Unfortunately, this style of writing also leaves most of the other characters pretty mono-dimensional. Halfway through the book, we know how John is going to react to this crisis, we know that Gareth wants to help out but is convinced he is too cowardly. We know Trey is sweet and sincere. And to this novel's detriment, none of these characters really evolve over the course of the novel.

In many other ways, though, this is a very good book. I've read a couple of Hambly's newer books, and it seems to me that instead of getting better, her writing style has diminished over the years. In her newer works, the action is unclear and indistinct, and the passages are often extraneous and boring. Not so in Dragonsbane. I never felt lost as to who was doing what, even when the dragon was flying around in combat with a giant monster and spells were flying all over the place. And it doesn't spend time describing every excrutiating detail of our heroes moving south. Although at first it seems a little jumpy, it is really much to the novel's benefit that the author keeps the book on the action, and doesn't feel it necessary to write a thousand page book.

As to the plot and pacing, the entire book was extremely well paced, flying right along, but the reader isn't quite sure where exactly the plot is heading until most of the way through the book.

Now on to the real stars of the book -- the dragons.

God's Grandmother! Finally here are some believable dragons with believeable motives. This book finally explains why dragons are drawn to gold. And the physics of the dragon itself are more clearly defined and better than any dragons which I have read before.

There were, however, a couple of little irkers. First, the constant talking about the spectacles. Okay, we get the idea that the characters are wearing glasses already! Sheesh. And also, how many times was "The key to magic is magic; to be a mage you must be a mage" repeated in this novel? Talk about overkill.

Still, overall it was a very fun read with some awesome action scenes. I'd recommend picking this one up.

The Dragonsbane book by Barbara Hambly is a tale of magic, mystery, courage, and the quest to slay a dragon. The writer creates a fantasy world in which her characters may interact, but it is her world that is my only criticism. Although the world she creates is fairly exciting, it is hardly likely that so many dangers could lurk in a universe, more or less one small part of the world. The basic concept of the slaying of the dragon, however, is pure brilliance.

The story itself is one of mystery and creativity, pitting young Prince Garath and John Aversin--the Dragonsbane--against a huge dragon that is terrorizing the city. The dissent and fear of people towards the gnomes, who had been storing up the grain that the villagers now badly needed, showed a true understanding for human emotion and reactions. The battle deep within the innermost part of John's soul as he grapples with the concept of having to kill yet another dragon, also shows a compassion in Hambly's style that is a rival to the greatest authors of all time.

A close parallel to A Wizard of Earthsea, a great book, is the concept of the Dragonsbane, and the Dragonlord of Earthsea. The Dragonsbane killed a dragon, while the Dragonlord learned its language and tamed it. Also, the book parallels the two greatest series of all time, The Belgariad and The Mallorean, in that the Dragon is immune to the magic of men, and that his hard scales and skin make attacking it difficult and, often, foolhardy.

Overall, the book is worth reading. The plot and character development is done well enough to make it a good read. Hambly has truly created a world worthy of the plot, and although it is perhaps a little overdone, she might consider using this world she created in any future writings.

I almost didn't buy this book when I saw its cover back in the eighties because I was afraid it was going to be one of those "damsel in distress" fantasy novels. But then, I saw a review that tempted me, so I bought it... This has become my novel to reread every year. My first copy became so dogeared, I had to buy more. It's the book I push off on friends and other readers. The book I say I wish I had written.

It's adventure, romance, intrigue and magic, all written in the Hambly style. It made me an undying fan of Hambly's work.

If I was ever stranded on a desert island with only one book to read, this would be it.

You have to try pretty hard to convince me that anything new or interesting can be done with vampires.

SISTERS OF THE NIGHT is a collection of fifteen stories concerning female vampires, and for the most part, it doesn't try hard enough. Contained within are stories of vampires among the homeless, a dying elderly man who is visited by the vampire lover who left him decades before, a couple old world vampire tales and a detective story. There is also an excerpt from one of Larry Niven's RINGWORLD novels -- a questionable practice, as it invariably ends up looking like an advertisement for another book, as well as making it seem like the editor couldn't find enough new material to fill the page count.

There may be variety to an extent, but few of the stories are original enough or good enough to be memorable afterward. I often found myself bored as I paged through most of them. One exception is Tanith Lee's "La Dame," which offers something truly different by broadening the definitions of both "vampire" and "female." The other is Steve and Melanie Tem's "Mama," which is the type of perverse familial horror story at which both authors always excel.

If vampires in any form still fascinate you, you'll probably want to pick up this volume as you'll surely enjoy it. If, like me, you think the vampire subgenre should be laid to rest at last, pass on it or check out the above mentioned entries only. Note: Lee's story also appears in Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling's YEAR'S BEST anthology for 1995. Unfortunately, the Tems didn't make it.

If you are one of the vast number of people who are fascinated by vampire fiction, and do not have a particular prejudice against female lead characters, you will almost certainly find this an excellent read. There are a wide range of different concepts here, from the relatively traditional vampire in Barbara Hambly's "Madeline" and M. John Harrison's "Empty", to the very offbeat and high-tech "Song of the Night People" by Larry Niven. Along the way, we meet tormented souls struggling against their nature ("In the Blood", by Michael Kurland), kind and loving immortals little different from humans save for the fact that they don't age ("Tumbling Down The Nighttime", by Dean Wesley Smith), a light-hearted spoof ("Survival Skills", by Deborah Wheeler), and even a vampiric ship ("La Dame", by Tanith Lee). All of the stories are extremely well-written, and the collection as a whole is well-edited (I found only one copyediting mistake in the entire book, almost unheard-of these days).

Highly recommended for anyone with a liking (or even a lack of antipathy) for the subject matter. Some of the best vampire fiction I've read.

Fourteen original short stories by award-winning authors such as Tanith Lee, Jane Yolen, Larry Niven and Barbara Hambly explore a dark sisterhood of blood. The past, the present and the future are all stalking grounds for these women who hunt the night. Hambly and Greenberg have taken a rather simple subject - female vampires - and collected fourteen tales from a diverse group of authors, which seek to illuminate the life, if it can be called life, of the female of a deadly, and sensual species.

As Hambly says in her introduction, there was no way to know in advance what she would find. Would the stories sent by men be dramatically different in focus and treatment from those of the women writers? And in the end, it seems to me that for the most part, there is a kind of unity of thought expressed in these stories which are at the same time, all quite different from each other. That unity - a real sense of what it means to be female first and foremost - is the thread that truly makes this volume fascinating. These creatures are women first, and vampires second.

In this volume you'll find all manner of vampire. Michael Kurland checks in with the most familiar take on the subject in his old-world, but deliciously perverse "In the Blood." Diana Paxson gives us a myth with the feel of a Norse saga and Pat Cadigan scrapes nerve endings raw with a contemporary tale of life and death on the trash-heap in "Sometimes Salvation." Tanith Lee offers her special brand of slow, languid, gorgeous horror in "La Dame" and George Alec Effinger even manages to work in a little cyberpunk with "Marid and the Trail of Blood. To my way of thinking, though, the true stand-out in this book is the last, shortest story, a powerful, stark, wrenching piece entitled "Sister Death" by Jane Yolen. If any of the stories have you in tears by the end, it will be this one.

If you're a fan of vampires or of horror, this book is a good bet. There's something for every taste here, and the over-all theme is well served by the editorial choices. Buy it.

I'm a fan of Ms. Hambly's vampire work and picked up Free Man of Color because of its focus on New Orleans -- a city I recently visited and of which I've learned a bit through the work of Anne Rice. Hambly's characters from the hero/detective Benjamin Janvier to the bigoted Kaintuck American takes you back to a time when a city and society were being pushed back by forces beyond their control. On top of that you get a very solid mystery to solve. Hambly describes pre-Civil War practices and traditions in a rich and descriptive way. Her use of language in describing the architecture, smells, sounds, tastes, fashions and actions of the characters bring you right into this smelly, dirty, unfair, conflicted but fascinating society. I look forward to the sequel and learning more about New Orleans and America's history. And to watch the development of a relationship between Janvier and Shaw. And hopefully get more intricate mysteries to solve. My only problem is I think Hambly put in too many plot and character twists for one book. I wonder what's left for the sequel?

This book definitely falls into the "how did I miss this?" category. Barbara Hambly is an extremely gifted writer capable of writing atomospheric prose full of emotion and marvelously descriptive. When those gifts are in the hands of someone who can also craft a good mystery, watch out! I am a big fan of historical mysteries, but only if they ring true--if the author somehow manages to evoke the spirit of the times in every character. A Free Man of Color does that, transporting us to the socially confusing and racially diverse world of New Orleans in the decades before the American Civil War.

Hambly paints with remarkable accuracy all the shades and tones of Creole culture: from the French plantation owners down through the mixed race free people of color, and down to the black slaves. Her hero, Benjamin January, is not only a gifted musician but a Paris-educated surgeon, who returned to New Orleans after the death of his wife in Europe. He returns to the city as an insider/outsider, the perfect person to observe the actions of society. When a beautiful mixed race mistress to a wealthy Creole planter turns up at the annual Blue Ribbon Ball in New Orleans, January is there to observe, to analyze, and finally to solve the mystery of her death.

If you like vivid historical mysteries I think you will love this book!

"Free Man of Color" evokes the splendor, gaiety and troubles of New Orleans in the early 19th century, when the Americans were uncouth newcomers. The book is expertly plotted and the characters are vivid without crowding out events. Once the book is read, however, it is not "who done it" that will linger in the reader's mind, but the images of this past time and place -- quadroon balls, sugar plantations, slave dances in Congo Square, Kaintuck traders, and "the custom of the country." Along the way, Ms. Hambly gently corrects a chunk of the folklore that I, at least, was taught in grade school as "history" (she does the same thing with Rome in "Search the Seven Hills"). I would recommend this book to any lover of a well-paced plot and well-used language, not just mystery fans.

This is a very well crafted book. The words and sentences flow beautifully. I loved the previous book, and was ready to love this one also. Fever Season was slightly disappointing. This book isn't as rich in detail as the first book. Ms. Hambly does not spend the time describing the societies and people, or developing her main characters, that she did in the first novel. I missed this. She does describes clothes and architecture vividly. These aren't merely a cosmetic detail, but are crucial parts of novel. Its a pity that this book doesn't come in a copiusly illustrated edition.

This is a very good read, but "Free Man of Color" is much better. I strongly recommend reading both books, in order.

Benjamin January (Janvier)- free man of color, educated, speaks several languages, classically trained pianist (and guitarist)as well as Paris-educated surgeon and now amateur sleuth. An interesting character to what could build into a great series.

The plot at first seems simple, January must discover the true killer of Otis Redfern, but along the way he gets involved with slave kidnapping, slanderous accusations among so-called "medical professionals" and must carefully maneuver the caste hierarchy that existed in 1830's New Orleans.

Here are things I liked about the book:
The level of detail presented was excellent, from the character's skin tone, dress and physicality to the way they spoke. The buildings and period description immerse the reader into that time. The atmosphere of hot summer, fever and cholera is as much a character as the people. In fact, once the summer was over and the plot remained unresolved I thought it took a little of the edge off the story.

I like that the characters, both black and white and in between, are depicted in shades of gray and shadows. Not every white person is shown as a cruel slave owner or crude illiterate and not every person of color or black is shown as a noble victim of the oppressed.

These are complex characters with the illusion of reality. January's best friend, Hannibal, is an Irish violin virtuoso who reads several languages and reels off quotes but is also a drunk, an opium addict infected with consumption and regular customer with prostitutes.

Abishag Shaw, January's associate with the law, is an unwashed, tobacco-spitting Kaintuck but who knows enough French to pronouce the names correctly and has a strong but unspoken moral and ethical code.

The story also introduces Rose Vitrac, an educated woman of color who runs a school for girls that want something more than to be a placee for a white man. Rose is also a complex character, emotionally scarred, but provides a good ally for January.

There are many other interesting characters and again I enjoyed the way January moves through the various levels of this society. The medical practice was truly horrifying.

My main critique is that January is always thinking about the caste system that exists there. Always. It sometimes detracted from the plot. I also wanted to get deeper into his relationship with his mother. Livia Levesque was one not given much dimension.
I also was a little disappointed with the historical epilogue and felt it was not needed.

My questions: What happens next? Will January and Rose develop a relationship? Where does his career go from here?

FEVER SEASON hooked me from page one. The layers of culture in New Orleans (circa 1833) are revealed to you through a variety of characters that have learned to live and survive in their respective "castes". These complex and believable characters are really what make this novel such an intriguing and engrossing read.
Ben January is an educated man. In fact he is a European trained doctor, but being a free man of color doesn't allow him to actively practice medicine in the race driven society of the 19th century. Fortunately, he is also a skilled musician who is allowed into the homes of New Orleans finest families. It is there, acting as a music teacher, that he hears and notices things that others might not. Because of his mixed race, the elite don't think of him as a real person and consequently things "slip out" in his company.
This second book takes place during the summer. A time of sweltering heat when many upper class families leave town and others just shut themselves up in their homes. The lower class don't have this luxury and consequently they often succumb to the cholera that runs rampant during this time of the year. With so many dying daily it isn't surprising that a few extra people missing wouldn't be noticed. When a young girl comes to Ben for help locating her missing lover he is intrigued but hesitant to get involved. She then disappears, but not quite "without a trace". Unfortunately both of the disappearances seem to have occurred near the home of the very wealthy and influential Creole wife of a local Doctor.
From the beautiful homes of the cities high society to the squalid hospitals of the terribly poor, this story takes you through every facet of the elaborate New Orleans society. Based on the true story of Delphine Lalaurie this novel is a wonderful mystery filled with historical tidbits that I found fascinating. Barbara Hambly is an extraordinary storyteller.

I got stuck about 20 pages into it and from there restarted reading it about four times before I finally finished it. I was inundated with the cast of characters and found it very difficult to keep all the relationships and subplots straight. This, along with the author's writing style of constantly interrupting the sentence flow by inserting other lengthy information right in the middle of it (count the em dashes in the book sometime!) made this book a tedious read. I did enjoy seeing Benjamin's & Rose's relationship further develop, and of course getting a great feel for how life was in 1830s New Orleans.

There are too many characters, and it's hard to tell them apart. Lots of incidents, but this time they don't add up to much at the end. At least this time it's nice to see January among a crowd that accepts him as a fellow artist, and treats him (at times) as a near equal. Full of interesting period atmosphere.

I have enjoyed every one of the Ben January "mysteries" from the first up through this one.

But i had to make about three starts at this one before i made it through.

There are too many characters, too many of whom really failed to register on me. I barely managed to keep track of the principals, and probably lost a number of plot details because of not grasping character interactions properly. (I generally like Hambly's books better when they feature smaller casts.)

I must also agree that i could have done with more of January's family (though his placee sister is featured in a rather tense little side-plot) and, perhaps, more of Rose -- although i suspect that "more of Rose" is going to be rather prominent in some future volume.

I especially would have enjoyed more of Abishag Shaw, the Colombo-esque "American" police officer with whom Ben has a working relationship based on mutual respect and trust that's about as close to true friendship as a free man of color and a white man would be able to come in the New Orleans of the mid-nineteenth century. ((Ben's friendship with his Irish fellow-musician is a special case...))

And i'd certainly welcome more of Marie Laveau...

That all being said, i still enjoyed the book quite a bit -- even if i lost track of the details of the mystery part of the plot -- because Hambly, as always, spins a great story of hope and despair, love and hate, life and death and tears and laughter.

While this is not the volume i'd choose to hand to someone who hadn't read any of the previous books -- i'd definitely recommend beginning with "A Free Man of COlor", the first -- and while i found it the most difficult of the series so far, i would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who asked me if they ought read it.

((Incidentally, if you have read this book or any of the previous books in this series and enjoyed them, but have not tried her fantasies, i definitely recommend them -- particularly my favourite, the unfortunately out-of-print "Stranger at the Wedding", which straight-facedly combines the best aspects of a Georgette Heyer romantic farce with a mildly gruesome horror plot.))

Dragonstar, by Barbara Hambly, is the conclusion to a series that never should have been. This series is a sequel to Dragonsbane, one of the best books I have ever read. It stood completely on its own and was wrapped up perfectly. Instead of leaving it, years later she started this series. Dragonstar, while much better than the first two books, still limps along unnecessarily, never earning the right to have been created in the first place.

I have read that Barbara Hambly was going through a very tough personal time when she wrote the first two books in this series (Dragonshadow and Knight of the Demon Queen). You could tell this because they were very depressing books. Characters that I had grown to love in Dragonsbane were being put through a ringer that seemed more than just the normal "putting characters through conflicts to see how they come out." Massive doses of mistrust were placed between John and Jenny, wrenching their relationship apart. Meanwhile, the story that she was trying to tell wasn't very interesting and seemed almost cliched at times. There really isn't a new spin placed on the "demons trying to take over the world" concept.

Dragonstar almost seems to have been written as an apology to fans for the gloom of the first two books. Jenny and John are rescued quite quickly in the book, both immediately thinking about what they should have said to each other the last time they saw each other. Both characters apologized to each other profusely in their minds, and then did so again when they finally met. Once they are together, there are numerous references to the pain they have caused each other, and how now that they're together, they will make things back to normal between them. When you take this book by itself, there is nothing wrong with all of that. It's the earlier behaviour that's a bit out of character for them. However, when you read the whole series, the change is extremely jarring.

The only other semi-interesting character is Morkeleb. He's a dragonshadow now, a dragon who has renounced magic. The relationship between him and Jenny, the love that they share (though Morkeleb knows that it can never replace her love for John) is very sweet. Morkeleb has a very un-dragonlike sense of humour as well. In this book, he leads the other dragons in an attempt to help Jenny and John defeat the demons. He does this for Jenny, but you get a sense that he does this for the good of the world as well, which is something a dragon would never do. It's interesting to see the culmination of his transformation from dragon to what lies beyond.

However, the same can't be said of any of the other characters. Especially sad is Gareth, the regent and the man who came to John & Jenny so many years ago (in Dragonsbane) for help in defeating a dragon. In this series, and especially this book, he's a shadow of his former self. Some of this can be attributed to the fact that his "dead" wife has come back to life inhabited by a demon, but even that doesn't excuse how uninteresting he has become. Events happen to him, but nothing seems to really affect him that much. Then, there are the three demon characters; Folcalor, Amayon, and the Demon Queen herself. None of them move much past the moustache-twisting villain. They're evil for evil's sake (not surprising, for demons, but that doesn't make them intriguing enough to read about). When your protagonists have nobody interesting to interact with, it makes for really laboured reading.

The final problem with this book, and this may surprise people who have read my reviews of Hambly's Benjamin January series, is the extremely slow pace of the novel, mainly caused by her excessive description. Usually, I love that trait in Hambly's writing. However, I think what she's writing about has to be of interest in order to make it bearable. In this case, it isn't, and thus the pace grinds to a halt as she's describing things. The action scenes plod because of this, and the lengthy scenes where the plot is "developed" are almost unbearable. The only thing that kept me reading was my loyalty to Hambly (probably my favourite author) and my loyalty to these characters.

The plot is resolved, but an opening is left for a subsequent series of books. I sincerely hope that, if Hambly does decide to give in to the temptation, she really thinks about it first. This series almost destroyed my love for the original. I don't think it could take much more of a beating.

I love Hambly's works. I love Dragonsbane, the first book in this series. However, this last trilogy is a gruelling read, and the ending of Knight of the Demon Queen is just brutal.

As this book begins, our characters are quicky rescued from the horrible situations they were in at the end of the previous book. They go on to make all things right, to my great relief.

But should you buy/read this book? I think that depends on what you want from it.

This series (Dragonshadow, Knight of the Demon Queen, and Dragonstar) is not like most of Hambly's other work. If you're looking for a book to transport you to another world and relieve you of the cares of your day, this isn't it.

If you're looking for a story that probes what happens when people are stressed to the breaking point, or how families can find their way back to each other afterwards, this is something you want to read. Fantasy is often described as escapist literature... but whoever does so hasn't read THIS. There's no escape here. There's going through all the hard parts.

You can tell from the mixed reviews here that this isn't for everyone. If you're going to read these, I recommend that you have Dragonstar on hand before finishing Knight of the Demon Queen. These are heavy books. They may save your sanity, or bore you silly. Take a chance on them.

Dragonstar, the latest book in the Dragonsbane series, returns to the breezy, upbeat style that made Dragonsbane itself so readable (and the lack of which made Knight of the Demon Queen, the third book in this series, so UNreadable). While this novel cannot be said to stand on its own, it is an excellent conclusion to the series. Read it!

This is one of my "junk reads", the old favourites I pull out to read one more time when I've run out of everything new.
James Asher is a former spy who has retired into the sedate life of an Oxford don, but finds the habits of his old life hard to break. When he spots the vampire Earl of Ernchester in company with Ignace Karolyi, a man Asher knows full well is a spy for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, his sense of responsibility leads him to chase them across Europe. For Asher knows only too well the power of vampires, and the thought of them in the service of any intelligence service is just too horrible to contemplate. Asher leaves a message with Lydia, his young doctor wife, telling her where to seek news of him in Vienna - but Lydia, following up a remembered reference in a medical journal, realises that her husband is going to seek help of a double agent. And so she sets off after her husband. She is joined in Paris by the vampire Don Simon Ysidro, to whom she had appealed for help, and Margaret Potton, a foolish ex-governess whom Ysidro has beguiled into loving him in order to have a suitable chaperone for Lydia - Ysidro being an Spanish lord of the Tudor era who is very concerned with appearances. Eventually, all roads lead to Istanbul, and we learn the reasons behind Ernchester's involvement with Karolyi, and what is really at stake in the worlds of vampires and Europe of the early twentieth century.
This is a lush book, full of description. I can't speak for the accuracy of the period detail, and I do think Hambly overdoes it sometimes, but the book is certainly atmospheric. The pace lags somewhat after it leaves Vienna, and the goings-on amongst the vampires of Istanbul were rather hollow. I did find it a pity that the resolution of the Ernchester storyline came with such a let-down, followed by bloody melodrama.
However, the characters are really what makes this story worth reading. Even those who appear only briefly are very well drawn; for example, Halliwell, the spy posted in Vienna, and the British ambassador's wife in Istanbul. There are also personal journeys for each of the three main characters: Asher, Lydia, and Ysidro. Asher finds himself caught up in a life he wanted to leave behind, recalling the terrible choices he made that led to him abandon his spying career. He has changed, but that makes the task ahead of him harder still. Lydia finds herself drawn to Ysidro, repellent though she finds his vampiric nature; and Ysidro is drawn to Lydia, despite knowing how she feels about him. The real end of this book only comes with the resolution of the situation between Ysidro, Lydia, and the jealous Margaret. Ysidro makes a hard choice that Asher applauds, recognising what Ysidro has done and why - because he once did the same thing himself. It is a moving end to the book.

Even better than the first. I enjoyed it tremendously. This book put a glamour over me. I was as drawn to continue reading its pages as Lydia was drawn to Ysidro or James to Anthea. It was heartbreaking, terrifying, enthralling, exciting, interesting, creative. Reading this book was thoroughly satisfying. I recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys vampire lore or vampire fiction. Hambly's is a class unto itself, so unique.

If the connecting thread in the previous "Those Who Hunt the Night" was the bond of friendship that can develop between extremely different people, then the underlying pattern in this sequel is the spirit of love that grows between hearts and souls. The story starts swiftly with James Asher (Oxford don and former British Intelligence agent) spotting a dangerous spymaster meeting with a known London vampire, Lord Charles, in a railway station. Immediately he's on their trail (with Anthea, the 200 year old vampire wife of the "traitor" vampire) to Paris, Vienna and onto Constantinople to prevent a disastrous alliance. Lydia, refusing to remain in London, courageously contacts the ancient vampire Don Simon Ysidro and forms an uneasy partnership with him as they, and a hastily acquired former governess, travel the same route. The story is convoluted and exciting as James narrowly escapes death by fire or vampires until he is captured by the "Deathless Lord" Master Vampire of Constantinople. Even imprisoned in the lair of the "Deathless Lord," James manages to investigate the dark reasons behind Charles' summoning to Constantinople, the power struggle between new vampires and old, and his adversary's manipulations. The draw of the story, however, is the emotional love between different characters: the unselfish/courageous love of Anthea for Charles (and James' admiration for Anthea) which drove her to choose the vampire life to remain with her husband, and then to leave the relative safety of London to follow him on his dangerous trip to Constantinople. The selfish love of the "Deathless Lord" is at the center of the mystery. Margaret's shallow, vampire-induced infatuation is ultimately selfish and hollow (on both her and Ysidro's part.) The impossible and unwanted web of love that weaves between Lydia and Ysidro is unbelievable yet undeniable to either of them. Even as Ysidro grows more vampire/alien in appearance (from a self-imposed "fast" for Lydia's sake)--their bond of reliance, protection, and a willingness to love what is impossible leads to a final heart-rending unselfish sacrifice for love.

In Barbara Hambly newest Darwath novel, old heroes return to fight old enemies as Prince Altir is kidnapped, the Keep of Dare is threatened, and the Icefalcon embarks on a mission of rescue. It is seven years since the end of the Time of the Dark and the routed Alketch general Vair na-Chandros is trying to gain power. He thinks that Prince Altir's racial memories about the time around the Dark's first rising will provide the key to gaining this.

Unfortunately, none of the old excitement of Hambly's previous novels set in the Kingdom of Dar returns in this book. Icefalcon, an intriguing and enigmatic character in the Time of the Dark series, is presented so blandly that the reader does not share any sense of danger as he travels across the homelands from which he has been exiled, following the southern commander who has kidnapped Tir. The northern tribes, which seemed so frighteningly dangerous before, are reduced to a garbled mix of unrelated names that blithely talk about the wind and the weather.

All the characters seemed emotionally uninvolved in the conflict, except for Tir, who is swept along by events. The great secrets that he possesses both help and hinder the party, but never embroil the characters in any kind of internal struggle. There is great potential in the ideas presented in this novel but they are never fully exploited to bring us closer to the characters. In the end, I was extremely disappointed when Hambly resorted to a deux ex machina to bring help to the Icefalcon and his companions.

My advice is to read the Time of the Dark trilogy and then let the characters all live happily ever after (or not) in your own imagination.

The best thing about Barbara Hambly, to me, is her flair for creating characters. The Icefalcon, who appeared periphally in the previous Darwath books, is revealed in detail in this action thriller. Most of the regular Darwath characters become peripheral instead, with two exceptions; but Hambly makes up for that with some marvelous new personalities. And, as usual, the hair-raising story kept my heart pounding as I read. Icefalcon Rules!

I bought this book because I liked the blurb on the back, and thought that it would make for interesting reading...needless to say, it's a move I absolutely do not regret. I haven't read any other book in the Darwath series, so perhaps that's the reason for my enthusiasm and fascination, but I've read Icefalcon's quest many times, and it's been enjoyable with every read.

The description of Icefalcon's emotions and understanding appear at first glance to be quite droll, but in understanding the tribal feuds and lifestyle, the reader starts to understand that the portrayal of Icefalcon is true to nature. It's not to say that he doesn't experience emotion or pain or fear, but rather that within his tribal upbringing, it is death to lay claim to such feelings. Only the strongest survive, and fear and cowardice have no place in the tribal structure.

The tribulations that Tir had to undergo, and his character's development as a result were very real and moving for me....The dark magic and evil was a potent stimulus in the book - and I was unwittingly caught up in the brutal descriptions of war and evil.

On the whole, I would definitely recommend Icefalcon's Quest... whether you buy it or borrow it, read this book and decide for yourself!