Customer Reviews

Darksome Thirst

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm always a little nervous when reading new vampire stories. It seems the majority of them always fall into a cliché or stereotype category. Rarely is the vampire genre given a fresh new look on the monsters. Morven Westfield didn't just take a risk in writing a modern vampire story, however, she's writing a whole series.

Darksome Thirst is the first book in that series. There were a great many good things I found while reading the book, but I won't lie and say there weren't any Bad, or Ugly for that matter. I don't believe in book bashing, so this won't be a flame review, but I won't keep it one-sided either. Hopefully this will be a fair attempt at rating all sides of the book. The story isn't about one particular character, but actually a great many. Most work in a computer environment, but the reader also falls into the point of view of supernatural club members and even the vampires themselves. The reader gets to learn a lot about the character's jobs (too much) and lifestyles, but the point of view changes every other paragraph making it very hard to concentrate on what's actually happening to what character.

If I were forced to only pick on only one thing about this book, it would be the
ridiculously often change in point of view. Each 12-page chapter has at least 6 character changes. It was a writing style that I never got used to, ever. I'm still not sure what characters went through what simply because they all mixed together as I read along.

On a more positive note, I loved Westfield's inclusion in folklore and superstition information. You can tell she's either well educated in the subjects or researched them extensively. There was also some characterization where one of the computer programmers often thinks about the vitamins she takes, and some interesting back story about one of the girl's ex-boyfriends. Simple yet impressive
characterization.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Morven Westfield is a very talented author, you can tell that much from reading Darksome Thirst, but there were definitely some flaws in at least this story. First, it took what felt like forever for any action to take place, however that slump may be accounted for the tricky prose where choppy point of view switches made picking up the book more of a chore than a joy. Knowing it was a series and the ending wouldn't be an ending at all, but a "To Be Continued" didn't increase my excitement either. That being said, I'm sure I'll end up reading the next book in the series just to see what happens next.

Don't you just love it when you find a book where the Pagans are the heroes?

Stories like these are too few and far between, so here comes Morven Westfield to the rescue. Darksome Thirst is the first in what will be a thrilling series of novels.

The novel is set in southern New England in the 1970's and follows Alicia Anderson who is a hard-working computer operator on the night shift at Theoretic Scientific Devices. Working alone during these shifts, she thinks she is imagining strange things in the shadows until she can no longer deny that she has company - the vampire, Wesley.

Matricaria is a young witch who is on the receiving end of some very disturbing messages, which she and her coven take very seriously. We see the group pulling together to try to solve the mystery and do what they can to help. Of course, the answers aren't obvious, so the two story lines run parallel to each other building the suspense beautifully.

Ms Westfield's lyrical prose and attention to detail make this an enjoyable read. I will have to admit, though, that I preferred to read this page-turner in the afternoon while sitting in the sunlight rather than at night before going to bed!

Vampires, Witches, and technology... an intriguing combination, and Morven Westfield has put them together in an ingenious and entertaining story. In this, the first in a planned series, we meet Alicia, a computer operator who dreams of becoming a programmer, and Matricaria, a Witch-in-training, in the late `seventies. Strange things are beginning to happen around the company where Alicia works, and Matricaria has had a vision of terrible evil. Meanwhile, a vampire named Wesley has set up camp in this small central Massachusetts town, and he is looking for a more permanent abode and perhaps even a mate. How will these two women overcome a seemingly unstoppable horror? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Filled with deliciously rounded characters and believable situations, Darksome Thirst is a delight to read. Morven has captured the inner voices of her characters, and the reader can see people they know, and perhaps even something of themselves, in them. Each one has a distinct voice, which remains consistent throughout the book. You really care what happens to them, because they could be your friends or even you.

Full of suspense and surprises right to the very end, you will find yourself looking forward to the next book in the series. Anyone who is a fan of vampire stories and horror that's not over-the-top will enjoy Darksome Thirst.

I read this book on a cross-country flight and literally couldn't put it down! A fast-paced read with enough twists to keep me guessing. I'm definitely recommending it, and am looking forward to the next one!

This book is not from the genre of books I usually read. It was a gift to me and I was astounded by the book! The author takes me on a paranormal journey that I did not even know existed. The characters were so real, so alive and I was mesmerized by them. This is a trite saying " I couldn't put the book down." In my case, this is the absolute truth. I was bound to the story line, the characters, the intrigue and the lives of two brilliantly real young women. The twists and turns kept me trying to figure out what was going to happen next and I didn't! This is a great book, I enjoyed it thoroughly and hope to see many more books of this caliber by Morven Westfield.. I loved it!

I can't wait for a sequel! This book takes normal, average people, and throws them into situations that are anything but normal. A great read for vacation, because you won't get much sleep - first from not being able to put it down, then from remembering the scenes. Not for the faint at heart!

I'm somewhat of a snob when it comes to reading for pleasure; so much so, in fact, that there are only a few authors who make my list. The reason is simple. I don't have a lot of free time, and I certainly don't want to waste the little I do have being bored out of my mind. Instead, I want to be guaranteed passage into another world - a world where I can be thoroughly entertained, take a peek at someone else's life, and maybe even have the bejesus scared out of me. [Okay...I happen to like suspense thrillers and horror novels, and that's what they're supposed to do.] And only a few authors are able to take me there consistently.

That said, it takes a lot to get me to add someone new to the list. But when I came across Darksome Thirst, something told me to take a chance. A loud something. A clear something. A something I couldn't ignore. It was so persistent, in fact, that I finally opened the book and did just that: I took a chance and read it.

Since you're obviously reading my review, it's a safe bet that I didn't toss it aside after only a few pages. No, I read the whole thing. And all I can say is WOW!! This book captivated me from the very first word, and held me literally spellbound until the very last. The only problem at all was that it ended. [I was so caught up in the characters, their lives, and their stories that I wanted it to go on forever!]

Needless to say, Morven Westfield has now been added to that very elite list of authors I spoke of earlier. And once you read this book, you'll add her to your list as well!

Dorothy Morrison
Author of "Everyday Magic," "Utterly Wicked," and "The Craft"

Darksome Thirst is Morven Westfield's entry into the world of fiction and is, hopefully, the beginning to a long career. It is a vampire thriller that preys on our fears of the commonplace becoming the unknown.

Alicia is a hard working computer technician who is under valued and over looked at work. She knows more than her supervisors but, due to lack of formal education, she is always passed over for promotions. She works long hours on the second shift, laboring in her windowless cubical. She is the epitome of "being the job," no time for friends or lovers. Meg is Alicia's newly hired boss. A product of the harsh world of corporate life herself she understands and sympathizes with Alicia's predicament. But she is unable to do anything to change the status quo. Alicia is trapped in her situation. It is into this that comes Wesley, the vampire that decided she should be his woman for eternity. His power brings the loneliness of her life to her realization, the longing for a change becomes unbearable.

Janith is the fairly new leader of her own coven. With her husband, she is teaching their new initiates the intricacies of becoming wiccan. Matricaria, one of their students, begins to have dreams of danger and evil. It is as they come together to face the root of this malevolence that they truly understand the depth of the danger. Wesley will not leave easily and has had close to a century to hone his skills. Can a newly formed coven of beginners stop the progress of the determined vampire?

The setting of modern technology (ok- not so modern- it takes place in the computer land of the 70s) is a wonderful contrast with dark powers of the hidden. Westfield has created characters that get our attention, keeps our interest and . Although we may not think our friends or coworkers could be practicing witches or fodder for a vampire, this seems entirely possible after meeting Alicia, Janeth and Matricaria. It is this ability to give credibility to the other worldly that is this author's strength.

This one I really liked. You've got your classic bloodsucker, circa 1800s, and a twentieth-century nerdette battling wits. Enter the new cavalry, good witches, and you've got an unexpected tale with some of the flavor of the vampire stories of the Dark Shadows era. Loved it.

First, I have to make a confession... I'm not usually a big reader of vampire novels, but I was looking for some different summer reading material and this filled the bill. Wow, vampires and witches romping through the computer industry (and I thought *my* company was weird :-) and the witches are wearing the white hats -- well, you know what I mean.

This was thoroughly entertaining, and the characters will ring true for anyone who worked in the computer industry in the 1970s. The book is suspenseful, fascinating, and has some interesting plot twists along the way. My wife and I read it aloud to each other on successive "dark summer nights" until the end, then wished the promised sequel was already available so we could continue reading.