Customer Reviews

The Delicate Dependency

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Michael Talbot has woven a tale of the vampire unlike any you have read. He places them historically in the development of the human race, identifying them as artists, popes,collectors and inventors. He depicts them as the curators of all things important to human kind. It is the way they obtain those things worth protecting that is the meat of his book, The Delicate Dependency. Set in London at the turn of the century, a kidnapping of a child occurs which sends her father and a renowned vampire hunter on a chase all over Europe. The father is a physician who has discovered a lethal virus. While on the search the fabric of vampire society and history is revealed to the reader. Complex, sumptuous, sensual and immortal, the vampire move about the world gleaning all that is best, surviving on the blood of willing victims who serve them. Revelations at the close of the book produce a "back to the future" which is all too keen and chilling. The book departs from the usual blood and gore of Ann Rice. Talbots style and understanding of the world surpass all other vampire books I have read. Devastating content for a feature film.

I like others have read and re-read this book many a time. It's truly a literary piece of genious. Not just a novel about biting necks and drinking blood, but a brilliant story written with great images (no, not pictures...) and the most descriptive words/phrases of any of the vampire novels. Way more accessible, and far better written than the more popular Rice novels. If you can get your hands on this,do not let it out to anyone. This book has a tendency to disappear like a sock in a clothes dryer. Yes, I was foolish enough to let a few of my copies out only to have them never returned. My one copy now is stapled to my forehead...

It is a pity that this book is so inexplicably obscure and out of print. Michael Talbot is an author who can write with authority and imagination. It certainly makes me want to read other material he has written which, at a glance, seems to be of unusual variety. My guess is that he is a true renaissance man with an extensive working knowledge of a great many subjects. Contained in this tale is a "whodunit" of truly page-turning proportions and a morality play that sets this head and shoulders above any other story in its realm that I've ever read. I just wish I could get my hands on one copy (or a half dozen!) It seems to be one of those books that has a way of disappearing - (I've owned three copies) - If you're reading, Michael Talbot, let me know where I can find this - and thanks for a great read!

Talbot is pure genius, the type of writer who can soak up diverse historical trivia and blend it into an engaging novel of a secret society: vampires. Of the novels in this genre I've read, no one else can compare. It's amazing to learn about the little mysteries of the world, then to hear an eye-opening "theory" in the form of a vampire story! NOW I know who crafted those doors to the Notre Dame...

This is the BEST vampire book ever written. You will love it.

As others have noted, it is a shame that this masterwork is obscure. Hallucinatory and brilliant, Talbot succeeds in telling an engrossing story. Even today, the novel seems fresher than the horde of Anne Rice knock-offs on the market. If you are a vampire fan, this is a must-read.

I read this book when it was first printed 18 years ago and although I forgot a lot of the plot elements I have never forgotten this book. I obtained a copy 2 days ago and finished it today. It is rich with the History of the world and with mythic vampire lore and is very believable in it's statements. I was there for awhile (in the reading) in London and Paris and I enjoyed it tremendously

Like the reviewer below, I've owned several copies of this novel, all of which I've regrettably lent to friends, never to get them back. If you can find a copy, HANG ON TO IT! I've been reading vampire novels since I was kid, running home from school everyday to watch Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows. This is my favorite. I just ordered it, and hopefully, amazon.com will be able to find me another copy. JUST DON'T ASK TO BORROW IT!!!

Please, if you see this book--buy it!This has got to be one of THE best vampire novels ever written.What makes this novel so wonderful are the vivid landscapes and detailed history. You literally become lost as the novel evolves into an epic literary adventure that won't let you put this book down.A mixture of art, history and well-developed characters allow you to cross the realm of reality into a world that dominates your imagination!You will feel for these characters. Or rather, you will feel like you are one of these characters! I don't want to give away anything about this book. It is good from beginning to end. Enjoy!

I first read 'Delicate Dependancy' when I was about 12, not understanding most of it but enthralled all the same. I read it again at 18, yet again at 21, before I was foolish enough to let it leave my possession. Easily one of the best books I have EVER read, if I am ever fortunate enough to find another copy, it will only be shared in the privacy of my own home with people who have proven themselves to be trustworthy. Beyond the blood and sadness that usually plagues this genre, it is a masterpiece of the possibilities of the human mind and soul. Maybe if enough of us keep talking about how much we need another copy, someone will take the hint and get it back in print?