Darklost [Hardcover]

Mick Farren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2000

Los Angeles--City of Angels, city of dreams. But sometimes the dreams become nightmares.

Having fled New York, Victor Renquist and his small group of Nosferatu are striving to reestablish their Colony in Los Angeles. They have become a deeper, darker part of the city's nightlife. And Hollywood's glitterati are hot on the scent of a new thrill, one that outshines all others--immortality.

But someone, somewhere, is meddling with even darker powers, powers that even the Nosferatu fear. Someone is attempting to summon the entity of ancient evil known at Cthulhu.

And Renquist must overcome dissent in his own Colony, solve the riddle of the Darklost (a being brought partway along the Nosferatu path and then abandoned), and combat powerful enemies to save the world--of humans!

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The endangered fangsters of New York--who prefer to be called nosferatu rather than vampires--have found a new home in Los Angeles in this sequel to The Time of Feasting. Victor Renquist, their debonair Master, senses something amiss in the world of Dark Power, but he's so angst-ridden over the loss of his partner, Cynara, that he can barely consider the danger. The problem lies with the Council of Nine, which controls a religious cult. The council's leader, Marcus De Reske, has decided that his route to immortality lies in summoning Cthulhu to wreak havoc and chaos on Earth. Although De Reske's former ally and sidekick, Orton Ghast, points out, "Cthulhu? The great squid-headed demon who's supposed to be confined to the undersea city of R'lyeh? That's pure H.P. Lovecraft, Marcus," this does not deter De Reske and his new super-bimbo Tara Swerling from their evil path. But Philipa, Marcus's ex-partner--a classy dame and a true psychic power--lets Renquist in on the council's plot, so the Elder Gods don't have such an easy time achieving their nefarious goal, after all. Meanwhile, Elaine Dance, a "darklost" who was only halfway turned into a nosferatu by Cynara, has come to L.A. seeking Renquist and the rest of the tribe so they can either put her out of her misery or make her fully one of them, while the other nosferatu deal with their own problems in a maze of overlapping subplots. Farren successfully conjures up a vision of nocturnal Los Angeles as sexy and dangerous, but his extraneously detailed writing drags down the story line and his stilted dialogue makes it difficult to believe in his fantastical characters. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This is a sequel to Farren's The Time of Feasting. After a deadly encounter with a vampire hinter, Nosferatu leader Victor Renquest decides to move the remaining members of his small colony from New York to Los Angeles. Victor's immediate goal is to re-energize the colony; however, before he can do that, he must overcome the lethargy that has engulfed him since the destruction of his consort, Cynara. To compound his problems, he soon becomes aware of a monstrous evil in the city that is gaining strength and that threatens vampires and humans alike. The entity known by the Lovecraftian name of Cthulhu is being raised by members of a religious cult. Through nightmarish dreams, Victor discovers that the monster plated an important part in the development of the vampire race. This intriguing tale of horror could have done with some judicious editing, but readers of the genre will enjoy is, especially those who read the first book. For all public libraries.
Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Bowie MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 412 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312869797
• ISBN-13: 978-0312869793
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,709,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vampire lovers are going to enjoy this one, March 1, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Darklost (Hardcover)

Fear of being unmasked and grieving the loss of his significant other leads vampire (call me nosferatu) master Victor Renquist to relocate his brood in Los Angeles. In spite of its heavenly name, Victor finds his new city easier to hide in than New York because so many of humanity's lost boys and girls live here.

However, a new trend begins to grow amidst the rich and famous. Hollywood wants immortality, but not just on the silver screen. Led by the charismatic Marcus De Reske, the Council of Nine believes that bringing the demon Cthulhu to earth will cause destruction and lead to their immortal life. Victor has ignored the increasing efforts to bring back the most evil of the ancient gods because he must deal with his own tribe and tribulations. However, Victor finally realizes he must act even if it costs him his immortal life before the evil one eradicates all life forms including vampires.

DARK LOST, the sequel to the TIME OF THE FEASTING, is a chilling supernatural tale that pays homage to some of the masters of horror fiction such as Lovecraft and Stoker. The numerous subplots tie together while bringing to life the dangerous streets of LA and the overall acceptance of vampires in our midst. Although the belief in nosferatu and other supernatural beings as a whole feels genuine, the individual major otherworldly players fail to come across as real. Still, fans of vampire tales or supernatural stories in general will fully enjoy Mick Farren's look at the lost dark side of Los Angeles.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darklost - worth the price of admission, January 18, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Darklost (Mass Market Paperback)

Farren is a rarety in this day and age, a writer who takes the time to build a plot and define characters. There is faint element of parody in what he does that gives it an unexpected tang.

In the Darklost Farren weaves several subplots into a very enjoyable read. The Nosferatu have fled to California and are trying to reestablish a home there. Almost inexorably they are forced by events into saving the world for humanity. Interesting characters and many insights into the history and culture of Farren's vampires make this an exceptionally pleasant bedside read.

This isn't a book for readers who want splatter and intense violence. But if you like to linger over a book, Darklost will work for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Great, But Worth Reading, March 6, 2001

By 

E. M. Hunt (Donelson, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Darklost (Mass Market Paperback)

This vampire novel takes place in Los Angeles, CA. It's about a vampire colony that fled to LA from NY and the "Dark Lost" (1/2 transformed vampires) left in their wake. The circumstances that caused them to flee NY are spelled out in the first book of the series, The Time of Feasting. This story pits the colony against a human cult that is raising an ancient enemy of the vampires, Cthulhu. The story is full and well rounded plus Mr. Farren's idea of vampire history is a new one for me. In his universe vampires are the bio-engineered soldiers of an alien race that conquered Earth about 15,000 years ago.

In the background the colony's Master, Victor, is mourning his dead consort. Julia is lusting after power in a weird Oedipus complex/revenge thing. Dahlia and her sister are sorting out their un-dealt with sibling rivalry and re-defining their relationship. Sada is dealing with teenage style angst as she tries to find her place in Vampire society. Lupo is trying to maintain a balance of the old vampire culture and the new emerging one. Segal is trying to grow and be an adult that make his creator/sire proud. All of these different personalities and subplots bring an enjoyable depth to the story and make it more believable. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Farren's novels.