Clan Novel: Setite [Paperback]

Kathleen Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vampire: The Masquerade Clanbooks | Publication Date: June 10, 1999

One Million Words of Terror
It began with Clan Novel: Toreador.This book, Clan Novel: Setite, is the fourth of a 13-book series concerning the Kindred the hugest event ever in the World of Darkness.From small details to grand spectacles, this epic series of over one million words reveals the secrets of this hidden world through the eyes of individuals on both sides of a great conflict. The continued existence of all Kindred, from the youngest neonate to the eldest Methuselah, hangs in the balance.
Around the World
The enigmatic Setite Heshas quest for knowledge and treasures takes him from North America to Calcutta. But not before finding a surprising ally in a mortal woman and dealing with the disappearance of his agent, Vegel, shortly after the Summer Solstice party in Atlanta. What Hesha finds in India is crucial to the culmination of this series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing; First Edition edition (June 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565048040
• ISBN-13: 978-1565048041
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars nicely done, August 7, 2000

By 

Cat (oh cities are so passe....) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clan Novel: Setite (Paperback)

I agree with the others that this is perhaps the best written book in the series so far. We get to see very intimately how Kindred interact with mortals. Hesha, the Setite that the story revolves around, is constantly referred to as a "monster" and yet acts so very gentlemanly... we find out in the end what he truly is, just as Liz, our hero, finds out.

This story does in fact stand alone but it does tie into the larger story, adding some rather frightening details that seem to be almost glossed over. Keep your eyes open.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Bunch?, June 22, 2000

By 

Odilon "odilon" (Oak Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clan Novel: Setite (Paperback)

I've read everything in this series so far (thru GIOVANNI) and this book is still in the running for the best in the series. Like Gherbod Fleming's GANGREL (the previous installment), it takes a break from the broad sweep of the series' plot to establish a strong main character focus. It's much more light-hearted than GANGREL, tho, and might be a welcome relief for those who found GANGREL too grim. It's still more serious than Kathleen Ryan's other book in the series (RAVNOS) and seems a little stronger for that reason. Here, the main characters are the Setite antiquarian Hesha and his mortal assistant, Liz- the first chance in the series to really see the action through a mortal's eyes.

Despite the cliff-hanger ending, this book is strong enough to be read on its own. The search for the Eye of Hazimel is a good mystery and ends up in some pretty momentous developments for the CLAN NOVEL series. There is also a lot of fascinating interplay and intrigue between characters, compelling enough to hold your attention even if you don't know anything about what's happened in the other books. The story is told as a flashback and a small flaw is that to get everyone to where they need to be in the situation depicted at the start of the book, some alliances seem to shift very abruptly. It's not enough to detract from the overall story, however. The book also takes us all the way to Calcutta- pretty interesting in itself.

Like GANGREL, the book also has a good focus on the title clan (something which was missing from TOREADOR which spent a lot of time using a Toreador-sponsored party to depict Camarilla Elysium politics and from TZIMISCE which was more about the Sabbat generally.) With all its intrigues, this story a good depiction of how the Setites conduct their business (the strongest lies subtly incorporate as much of the truth as possible) and use their powers. It's also a good depiction of a character following a Path of Enlightenment (who degenerates if he does something for purely selfless reasons). It's interesting that, although Hesha can't be called "good" in human terms, he doesn't seem to be exactly evil, either. I ended up both really liking him and wondering if I should.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, July 18, 2000

By 

Michael K. Turner (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clan Novel: Setite (Paperback)

This series of book, obviously intended for people familar with White Wolf's World of Darkness, are wonderful reading.

As an avid fan of Vampire the Masquerade I have never been widely fond of the "evil" Vampire Clan, The Followers of Set. This book, though, is one of the best in the Vampire series.

As it chronicles the Setite Hesha's search for the Eye of Hazmael it deals explicitely with the relationships the Setite forms with a young woman, Elizabeth and his retainer, Thompson. It is not a book filled with heavy fighting but rather one that details the Setite's being pulled between his humanity and inhumanity.

I heartedly recommend this book for all parties, particularly those who play Vampire the Masquerade roleplaying game. If nothing else it will give you a new understanding of the Followers of Set, something that is very difficult to attain in the roleplaying supplements.