Customer Reviews

Clan Novel: Setite

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is the best book so far in the clan novel series. If you have been following the series so far then you are familier with the concept. Each novel is sopposed to be a stand alone story weaved into the fabric of a larger plot. To date the first three books have been less stand alone and more like chapters in a continuing story. Setite corrects that and returns to the premis of stand alone stories in a wider framework. The novel, all though not fine liturature, is a great read that is hard to put down. I found myself captivated by the caracters, and genuanly involved in the plot. I also found that I cared about the main characters, and understood their motivations. This novel is part of a larger series, and therfor reading the earlier books help to explane the subtext, you can read this book without any preamble, and that is what makes it a good stand alone novel. A definate read for those who like the world of darkness.

Best of the books so far. Can't help but feel that the characters were real and that the book could even stand alone, almost.

I haven't really been impressed with this series so far; the stories aren't bad but aren't really impressive in their own right. This one, book four in the 13-book series, is the best so far, due mainly to more interesting characters. It's still too early to have a very clear idea of where the overall series plot is heading, but this book does a fair job of advancing that plot, and has an interesting one of its own. I may be wrong, but I'm expecting to see some character continuation in the Clan Novel: Ravnos book when I get to it.

Setites are an unexpected complication in the world of the Masquerade. While most vampires are Cainites (the children or followers of Cain), Setites are the followers of Set. The premise is that any being that draws energy from both the world of darkness and the world of light must follow certain rules. So a Setite still drinks blood and must avoid exposure to sunlight, but you can't kill one with a stake the way you can kill a Cainite. There are other clans that claim this kind of origin (Gangrel and Ravnos), but Setites take the prize for eeriness.

Hesha Ruhadze is the perfect Setite - money, power, and a truly devious intelligence. He can be a perfect gentleman, lie with a straight face, and almost never makes a mistake. Behind the mask though is a creature whose thoughts wander far and wide from the mainstream vampire. On a perpetual quest for antiquities of his heritage his path crosses that of art preservationist Elizabeth Dimitrios. Hesha finds something of value deep within her and he draws her into his web. Even as his hunt for the eye of Hazimel intensifies.

Elizabeth becomes Hesha's curator and gradually comes to understand that for all that Hesha never seems evil, the world around him is a dangerous one. She will soon find herself traveling through the dark world, a privileged spectator in a deadly war for power.

Kathleen Ryan really breaks the clan novel mold with this book. We've had to wade through several volumes that are crowded with details and sometimes almost academic in style. Setite, however, even more so than Gangrel, is a character-based book with plenty of action and mystery. This is one of the best novels in the series, and can almost stand by itself. She has written another novel in the series (Ravnos) and I'm looking forward to it.

I wasn't thrilled with the Gangrel and Tzimisce novels. It was mainly because it switched from character to character in a multiple narrative fashion. I enjoyed Setite more because it lacked this multiple narrative trend and wasn't as chopy as the others. In addition, because it was consistent within its focusing on certain characters, it had lots more character development, primarily Hesha and Elizabeth. The plot was rather interesting and due to certain conflicts, the location changes were a nice change. For those that LARP, the series is good if the knowledge of the application of abilities and disciplines is needed to be seen/learned. All in all, this was the best in the series so far.

I have read all the calan novels so far. I agree with the GA. reader that this is the best so far. But I have to say that I am disapointed with the series up to date. I am hoping for a better future though:). I will warn non White Wolf readers not to get any of these novels(or maybe I should say chapters) because you will not understand a thing. (sorry its late just a short thought on the book)

With such a poor beginning as was offered in books one and two of this (by and large) pedestrian series, I was shocked to find this jewel among the trash pile. Kathleen Ryan (whom, until now had only written lead-in pieces for White-wolf's Mage game) has tepped forward and claimed the lead-horse position in this race.

Setite is full of facsinating and believable characters, fantastic dialogue and cunningly described scenes. The characters are VERY human and very likable... even in their villainy.

A suggestion to the folks at white wolf... should you launch another new series, place Kathleen Ryan at the helm.