A Taint in the Blood
Shadowspawn #1
Publisher: Penguin
Books USA as Roc
(2010)
Author: S.
M. Stirling
Genre: Urban,
Fantasy, Horror
Pages: 502
Price: $9.99
Aeons ago, Homo
nocturnus ruled the Earth. Possessing extraordinary
powers, they were the source of all manner of myths and legends.
Though their numbers have been greatly reduced they exist
still – though not as purebreds.
Adrian Brèzè is one such being.
Wealthy and reclusive, he is more Shadowspawn than human. He
rebelled against his own kind, choosing to live as an ordinary man,
fighting against his darker nature. But Adrian's sister is
determined to bring back the reign of the Shadowspawn, and now she
has struck him at his weakest point by kidnapping his human lover,
Ellen.
To save Ellen – and perhaps all of
humanity – Adrian must rejoin a battle he swore he would never
fight again.
I'm a
huge fan of urban fantasy. Give me the familiar fantasy elements and
drop them into present day and I will give the story a chance. I
made a mental note to pick up this series after attending a panel
discussion that included Mr. Stirling. It took me a while to finally
get around to it, but I finally did.
A Taint in the Blood
introduces the reader to the world of the Shadowspawn. They've been
around since before humans recorded history. Besides their vampiric
thirst for blood they can read the minds of those they've fed on and
affect probability in major ways. This ability is explained as
having something to do, loosely, with quantum mechanics. Is it the
best explanation for magical powers I've read? No, it's not, but at
least it's something I haven't run across before so there can be some
points awarded for originality. The way it's presented in the book
makes me think of the Shadowspawn as the walking embodiments of
Murphy's Law. If there is the slightest chance something can go
wrong, a Shadowspawn can make it so.
The
story itself isn't anything terribly original. You've got a
reclusive former member of the bad guys that has sworn of everything,
deciding to fight for neither side of the ongoing conflict. Someone
he cares about his stolen away from him, and he and his grizzled
mentor most do everything they can to get her back. The villain is
someone very close to the protagonist, his sister, and she has
kidnapped his former lover, Ellen, to draw him out of retirement and
end the threat he poses once and for all. In the background bigger
plans are being set into motion that will bring about the end of
civilization as we know it, a return to humanity's days of being
nothing more than cattle for the Shadowspawn.
The
quality of the writing helps to make some feelings of “I've seen
that before” fade from the reader's mind as the book progresses.
The characters are well crafted, and none of the main players seemed
to suffer from a lack of personality or motivation. Despite the
quality of the writing there were times when I felt there was a
little too much detail. Some of the locales are described to a level
unnecessary to the story, but the most glaring offense in this
department comes with the food the characters eat. Due to the
Shadowspawn's heightened senses they like food with lots of taste and
layers, and every bit of the meals is described in painstakingly
elaborate detail. These were the passages during which I noticed my
mind wandering the most. I didn't find myself needing to kick back
into gear when the action resumed, but it was close a time or two.
Another
aspect of A Taint in the Blood
that is highly detailed is the depiction of sexual relationships,
sadomasochism, and at times, rape. This is where I believe the book
could lose some of it's potential readers. Very little is held back
during those scenes and I'd imagine that they could spark some
uncomfortable feelings in some people. The world itself is an
intriguing creation, although the endgame of the villains is
stereotypical, the method by which they can accomplish their goals
isn't quite so familiar feeling. Besides, there's something to be
said for taking an old idea, and making it new by adding a little
twist.
Conclusion:
There aren't a lot of new ideas contained in A
Taint in the Blood,
but fans of the genre should find enough there to be entertained.
The amount of detail hammered into the story can get tedious, even
though there are reasons for that much detail to be included.. When
it's all said and done there's room for a lot of improvement in
subsequent novels, but there are enough positive aspects to make the
beginning of a fun series.
Rating:
6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment