I'm not a fan of the witch/vampire/werewolf genre. But I love a good story. I was given a Dean Koontz book (Odd Apocalypse...other worldly creatures) and enjoyed every minute of it. Historical fiction is a personal weakness...however...
What to make of Shadow of Night? It's a witch story in which (sorry) the main character goes back to late 16th century England for a bunch of reasons, including looking for a lost manuscript. She goes with a vampire geneticist. Oh, and I also love time travel books. Are we starting to see the cliches and genres piling up? No matter, Harkness makes them work.
I wasn't a fan of the name dropping early on and got a little lost in the first - too many - pages of the book. But slogging through that yielded a fun story that kept me reading. After that the pace picks up and I love this kind of peek into history with a few crazy turns along the way.
This book sold really well in hard copy and is now coming out in paperback ....just in time for summer reading!!!! Worth it? Absolutely. I find it hard to believe that this book will be anyone's favorite but it's just so enjoyable. I'm so glad I read this book!
I can't imagine reading this series and not loving it! I believe this book can appeal to lovers of a wide range of genres - romance, history, fantasy, etc. Professor Harkness masterfully weaves in mythology, religion, history, and geography - I challenge anyone to investigate a name or place referenced in the book and not find some interesting tidbit behind it.
ReplyDeleteI have my fingers crossed that this will make it to the screen, as it has been optioned by Warner Brothers. I can only see Richard Armitage as Matthew Clairmont...as does this group: www.armitage4clairmont.com
I would love to see this series as a movie!
ReplyDeleteI definitely recommend checking out the website then. There are some amazing videos depicting Armitage as Clairmont. You might also like the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/armitage4clairmont
ReplyDeleteI will check it out. I've started book one...and I really love it ...so far. Expect that to continue. I will review when done...but need to finish a few other books so this is a side pleasure. Luckily I read fast!
ReplyDeleteBut...to update the review..do read in order. But if you don't, as I'm doing...you lose little. And, indeed, I think I appreciate book one more...
Thanks for the comment!