Customer Reviews

Blood Pact

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

One of the most unique things about Tanya Huff's vampire tales is that they are never really vampire tales. Of course, Henry Fitzroy, one of the investigators, is a vampire, but the villains never are. Demons, mummies, and spectacularly deficient humans, but no bad guys with pointy teeth. One has to admire an author who consistently comes up with monsters that make vampires seem tepid.

"Blood Pact" opens with Vicki Nelson's worst nightmare. Angry with both Henry and Mike (the other member of their 'love' triangle) she ignores several phone calls from her mother. Suddenly the worst happens, Vicki receives a call from Queen's University where her mother worked. Mrs. Nelson has collapsed at her office, dead of a heart defect. Vicki leaves Toronto for Kingston, full of bitter self-recrimination and at her wits end. Fortunately, both Henry and Mike realize Vicki's state and follow her to Kingston, both determined to help her, and equally determined not to get along.

For Vicki the real nightmare starts when she discovers that her mother's body has disappeared from the funeral parlor. Not trusting the Kingston police to give this mystery their full attention, Vicki, driven by her guilt, along with Celluci and Fitzroy, begin their investigation. Stymied by a lack of clues and compulsive driven to keep searching, Vicki comes close to a nervous breakdown. Then, one night, she is disturbed by noises at her window. Outside she sees her mother's face, dead, but somehow horribly alive.

Thus begins a mind boggling tale which is more of a medical thriller than an occult mystery story. Driven by greed and growing insanity scientists are experimenting with bacteriological resurrection. Mrs. Nelson is the latest in a series of victims. What follows is a grim hunt for the perpetrators, one that tests every bit of strength that Vicki has. In the meantime one of the creatures discovers a fondness for killing people that disturb its peace of mind.

This story is more serious than previous tales of Vicki Nelson, and raises some interesting moral and ethical issues in the context of dealing with the would be Frankensteins and their modern zombies. The cast is small, but intensely drawn. Henry and Mike gain extra depth as they put aside their differences in an effort to keep Vicki from total self-destruction. The scientific and psychological counterpoint is quite a change of pace from Huff's previous novels in this series. While not the best book of the series to start out with, it is certainly an enjoyable read for a regular fan.

"Blood Pact" is the fourth book in Tanya Huff's fantastic "Blood" series and it is stunning in every sense of the word. It's shocking and affecting, it tore at my heart and made me cry, and it horrified and amazed me. I absolutely could not put this book down and stayed up all night to finish it. "Blood Pact" is a book you don't want to miss; it's suspenseful, frightening, thought provoking, and heart-rending. But most importantly it is, quite simply, a highly entertaining, great read!

"Blood Pact" begins with Vicki Nelson, ex-cop and now Private Investigator, receiving the news every child, no matter how old, lives in fear of. Her mother, whose phone calls she has been avoiding recently, has died suddenly of a heart defect. Wracked with guilt and already annoyed with the two men in her life, 450-year-old romance-writing vampire Henry Fitzroy and homicide detective Mike Celluci, Vicki leaves Toronto for Kingston to lay her mother to rest.

Unfortunately, Vicki's coping skills are failing her, and dealing with her mother's sympathetic co-workers isn't helping. Luckily, Henry and Mike both discover what has happened, and head off to Kingston to support Vicki in the midst of this tragedy. But things just keep getting worse, as Vicki's mother's body is stolen from the funeral home. Convinced that the police will not put much effort into the case, Vicki sets out to find her mother on her own, stubbornly refusing to grieve for her loss or even acknowledge her pain, and heading straight for a nervous breakdown. Henry and Mike are truly frightened about Vicki's mental state, and the two of them decide to put aside their differences and work together, in hopes of preserving Vicki's sanity.

But then, one terrible night, the unimaginable occurs. Sitting in her mother's apartment Vicki hears a noise at the window and opens the curtains to reveal her mother on the other side of the glass, unmistakably dead and yet somehow horribly alive. This grim discovery leads Vicki, Henry, and Mike on a disturbing and perilous hunt for a group of scientists experimenting with resurrecting the dead through the use of bacteria.

And Huff's portrayal of this group of scientists is genuinely disturbing. Indeed, the real monsters in this book are not the zombies at all, but the humans creating them. Their utter lack of humanity and their clinical indifference to the suffering they cause is appalling, and Vicki's mother is just another experiment to them. Sickened by what she has discovered and all the more determined to bring those who stole her mother to justice, Vicki leads Henry and Mike into very dangerous territory. The story is full of twists and turns and heart-pounding suspense, as Vicki, Henry and Mike must deal with a situation that seems more nightmare than reality.

"Blood Pact" is an utterly riveting read with a shocking surprise ending. The final chapters are full of thrills and chills and unspeakable horrors, and yet at the same time are a testament to the undiluted beauty and power of love. Huff manages to elicit a diverse range of emotions from her readers, and her moving tale had tears streaming down my cheeks. It is impossible not to become completely wrapped up in the lives of Vicki, Henry, and Mike, and the tension created by their strange love triangle is intense. "Blood Pact" is a brilliant mixture of horror, mystery, fantasy and romance, and it is sure to take you for a ride you won't soon forget!

Blood Pact is the fourth book about Vicki Nelson, PI, and Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, bastard son of Henry VIII, and vampire, continueing the enjoyable series.

Those who already know that they like vampire novels, anything at all that features a vampire, can skip this review, and likewise, those who hate the whole idea of vampires can skip it. But for those trying to decide whether or not to read more of this genre, or whether the one vampire novel you've already read was a fluke, it may help to have some ways to categorize these novels. Thus: BunRab's Standard Vampire Classification Guide. First, most authors of vampire novels approach from one of the main genres of genre fiction; thus their background may be primarily in romance, or in science fiction/fantasy, or in murder mysteries, or in horror. Second, many vampire novels come in series; knowing whether this is one of a series, and where in the series it falls, may be helpful. Then we have some particular characteristics:

- Is the vampire character (or characters) a "good guy" or a "bad guy"? Or are there some of each? - Are there continuing characters besides the vampire, through the series? - Are there other types of supernatural beings besides vampires? - Can the vampire stand daylight under some circumstances, or not stand daylight at all? - Does the vampire have a few other supernatural characteristics, many other supernatural characteristics, or none other than just being a vampire? (E.g., super strength, change into an animal, turn invisible) - Does the vampire have a regular job and place in society, or is being a vampire his or her entire raison d'etre? - Does the vampire literally drink blood, or is there some other (perhaps metaphorical) method of feeding? - Is sex a major plot element, a minor plot element, or nonexistent? - Is the entire vampire feeding act a metaphor for sex, part of a standard sex act, or unrelated to sex? - Is the story set in one historical period, more than one historical period, or entirely in the present day? - Does the story have elements of humor, or is it strictly serious? - Is the writing style good, or is the writing just there to manage to hold together the plot and characters?

Tanya Huff's series about the vampire Henry Fitzroy starts from the mystery and thriller genres (Huff also writes Fantasy), and is a continuing series. Fitzroy is a good guy, just leading a quiet life. The continuing characters include several types of humans: police officers, detectives, street people, family members. There are other supernatural characters, usually only one type per book (e.g., werewolves). Henry definitely can't stand daylight at all; it literally burns him. He has extraordinary strength and speed, and a sort of hypnotic influence but no "magic" powers. In fact, other than the existence of a few types of supernatural beings, there is little supernatural going on in the series - it's everyday modern Toronto, not a fantasy world. He's got a day job - er, make that a night job: he's a writer. He drinks blood, usually from consenting adults, sometimes associated with sex, but not necessarily. There is sex in the books, but it's a minor plot element, not graphically detailed. These stories are there for the mystery/thriller elements; romance is only a sideline. Huff allows the characters to have a sense of humor: witty dialogue, a way with words. Some of the characters are set up for humor and farce as well, although not in a crude or gross way. The writing is well above average for "genre fiction" and the books are quite enjoyable to read.

In Blood Pact, we are introduced to the usual new type of supernatural character - in previous books, it's been demons, werewolves, mummy - this time it's zombies. We also get introduced to a type of character that's not supernatural, but none the less has its stereotype in the genre: the mad scientist. Vicki's mom dies, and Vicki travels to Kingston to see to her burial - only, there isn't a body to bury. We do get some bits of farce, reminiscent of several classic movies, where people lose track of corpses, but there's nothing actually insensitive or offensive about it. Henry follows Vicki; Mike follows Henry, and soon the crew are interfering with the hapless campus police (Vicki's mom worked at a university) and the Kingston police.

I can't tell you too much more about this one without giving away the surprise ending, and it is indeed a surprise, one that will change the tone of the series, and of the characters' relationships, profoundly. Suffice it to say that the gigantic fire that wipes out the mad scientists and their lab, and kills all the remaining zombies, is the least of it.

"Man's inhumanity to Man" all for Glory & Money... true horror, more so than any of the "creatures" in this set of books. Once again we find Vicki Nelson~Detective, Henry Fitzroy~ Vampire, & Mike Celluci~Cop in a scary fast pace tale of true evil. That all come to about because Vicki goes home to arrange things when her Mother dies. Only to find someone has stolen Mrs.Nelson's body. Interesting blend of Romance, Mystery, Scfi & Horror...

This is another fun book from Tanya Huff. I have wondered when Victoria Nelson's degenerative eye disease would be cured. I am waiting to read the last book of the series because then it will be over. I have loved all of the books in this series and eagerly await more. Yes I also read Laurell Hamilton, but somehow Vicki seems more real to me.......if having vampires for friends can be real.

Blood Pact (1993) is the fourth Fantasy novel in the Blood series, following Blood Lines. In the previous volume, the mummy of a priest of Akhekh was bought for the ROM collection, but the priest was not quite dead. He escaped and started converting others to his god. Soon he was ready to bring Akhekh back to the mundane world.

In this novel, Victoria Nelson is a former Toronto homicide detective who had resigned for medical reasons. She has various visual disorders, including night blindness, tunnel vision and myopia. Now she works as a private detective on cases that don't overtask her senses.

Henry Fitzroy is a vampire. Henry now acts as Vicki's partner in some cases. She works during the day and he takes the night work.

Mike Celluci is Vicki's former partner in the Criminal Investigation Division. He didn't believe in vampires until he met Henry.

Marjory Nelson is Vicki's mother. She lives in Kingston and works at Queen's University as a private secretary for Dr. Burke.

Aline Burke has an MD, a PhD in Organic Chemistry and an MBA. She is Director of Life Sciences at Queen's University.

In this story, Vicki keeps getting calls from her mother, but she is too busy or too upset to answer them. She knows that her mother will want to know about the details of her life, especially about marriage plans. Vicki can't handle her mother right now.

Then Vicki gets a phone call telling her that Marjory is dead. She immediately leaves for Kingston and shows up at her mother's office. She doesn't even inform Mike or Henry about her trip.

So Mike and Henry find out about Marjory's death from Vicki's answering machine. They travel -- separately -- to Kingston to try to support Vicki in her grief. But Vicki isn't in the mood for grief. Instead she wallows in guilt.

Since her mother was aware of the condition that would kill her, the funeral and burial have been prearranged. Vicki only has to be present. She even gets out of giving the eulogy; she lets Dr. Burke have that privilege.

Then Aunt Esther wants to see the body. Although the funeral is closed casket, Vicki agrees. They open the casket and finds two sandbags and no body.

This tale takes Vicki into depths of emotions that she has never had before. She is determined to personally find the individuals who have removed her mother's body from the casket. She barely tolerates the attempts of the local police to investigate the case.

This story leads in unexpected directions. The next installment is Blood Debt. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Huff fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of vampires, body snatchers and feisty private detectives. If anyone has not previously read this series, the initial volume is Blood Price.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I, too, have read the first three in the series. I was a little disappointed with the third one, Blood Lines, so it took me awhile to get around to Blood Pact. When I did, I couldn't put it down. The interaction between Vicki, Henry and Mike becomes much deeper than it has been -- Vicky is in a state (in her own unconventional way) over her mother's death and disappearance, and the guys, in being there for her, have to reluctantly develop a relationship. The ending was a little unsatisfactory: I wanted to know more about what Vicki was doing in her changed circumstances. All in all, though,I found it really engrossing and am going to have to go out tomorrow and buy Blood Debt!

I fell in love with Tanya Huff's works ever since "The Wizard of the Grove", and "Blood Pact" did not disappoint me. Vicki Nelson receives a call that turns her life upside down, her mother has died. Vicki quickly packs her things to Kingstown to say her farewells. But when somebody steals her mother's body, Vicki is on the case and very eager to exact her revenge. This was such a beautiful story that I thought I was going to cry, and I haven't cried in three or four years. It almost made me want to say "I love you" to my mother, almost. This book was undoubtedly the best book in the series.

Excellent Series - This is the fourth novel in Tanya Huff's excellent vampire series. This book and the entire series gets 5+ stars. Although I must admit I liked the first three books more, this still is an excellent continuation of the story involving Vicki, Mike and Henry. (If you have not read the entire series, you must read it, you will not be disappointed. The series order: Blood Price, Blood Trail, Blood Lines, Blood Pact and Blood Debt).

This fourth book continues with Vicki, an ex cop turned private investigator, who had to leave the police force because she is losing her night vision. From previous novels you met Henry, a 400 year old vampire who is also a romantic writer, and Vicki's friend and lover. Also, you met Mike, Vicki's ex-partner, who is also involved with Vicki.

As the fourth book begins Vicki receives the telephone call that no one wants to receive. Her mother has died unexpectedly. Vicki has to come to grips with her mother's death, and at the same time if you have been reading the earlier books of the series, also has to finally deal with her relationship between Mike and Henry who both love her.

This book has some surprise twists, namely the fact that even though her mother is supposed to be dead, While Vicki is staying at her mother's house, she sees her in a window. Is she dead, or isn't she?

This fourth book had some surprise twists, and I must say I felt a little saddened for Henry in this series, who for so many centuries has been alone. But I won't give away more, you will have to read it to find out. A very excellent book if you are into the Tanya Huff series. I recommend.

This is the fourth book in the BLOOD series featuring Vicki Nelson and Henry Fitzroy, which was the basis of the too early canceled BLOOD TIES tv series.

Vicki Nelson had always had a difficult relationship with her mother. Vicki had always been fiercely independent even after she developed a degenerative eye disease which necessitated her early retirement from the Toronto PD. Her mother though wanted to keep track of her daughter and perhaps make a few helpful suggestions, particularly some about the charming Mike Celluci. As usual Mrs Nelson's calls came at the most inconvenient times and Vicki was just not in the mood to pick up the phone and deal with any more of her mother's well meaning interference at the moment. When a later call came through though letting Vicki know that her mother had died Vicki was overcome with guilt and regret. She traveled to her mother's home to make the needed arrangements in a state of shock, one that deepened when she was told that her mother's body had disappeared from the funeral home. Both Mike and Henry came to offer her help during the trying times neither realizing just how much help they would need to give nor how trying the times would become.

Fans of this series will absolutely not want to miss this one which brings about at least a temporary resolution to the problems that had begun in the first book. This is absolutely not the place to begin this series, which has such a pronounced overall story arc that it really must be read in order. This series will appeal to all fans of romantic comedy vampire stories such as FORVER KNIGHT and TRUE BLOOD.