Customer Reviews

Dhampir (Noble Dead)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've read one previous novel by Barb Hendee, Blood Memories, and was impressed enough by the experience that I decided to read Dhampir. Let's begin by saying that I am not regretting that decision.

This is the first novel of a series, the next of which will not be available until January 2004. She is writing with her husband this time, J.C. Hendee, but the integration of their writing styles is seamless. If you liked the writing style of Blood Memories, you won't even notice that J.C. Hendee has come aboard. I count this as a good thing, because I liked Blood Memories quite a lot.

The story revolves around Magiere and her partner, Leesil (a half-elf), who are an awsome vampire slaying duo. Magirere is more special than she realizes; let's just say that she has some interesting ancestors. When the two decide to retire, their peaceful plans are interrupted by a trio of undead who know more about Magiere's birthright than she does herself.

This novel is set more in Tolkien's universe than in Laurell K. Hamilton's, Tanya Huff's, or P.N. Elrod's, but it should still satisfy fans of those authors. Still, it is one of the best introductory novels I've read in a long time. I hope that the rest of the series lives up to the promise.

For several years Magiere, Leesil, and Chap have been moving from village to village, earning their living by ridding frightened and superstitious people of the undead creatures that plague their lives. But the whole thing is merely a sham, an elaborate game they have concocted, and Magiere is no true Hunter. Or is she? Finally tired of playing `the game' for so long, Magiere is ready to call it quits and settle down to a simpler and easier way of life, running a tavern. But what she and Leesil don't realize is that Magiere really is a Dhampir, a Hunter, and what they have been playing at for so many years will soon become a shocking reality. Vampires (and other undead creatures) really do exist, and they have decided that the Hunter is a threat that must be eliminated.

I am very, very impressed with how the authors have created a vampire story set in a true fantasy world. It felt real and natural, and was a refreshing change from the norm! The world building was very well done, the characters were vivid and compelling, and it had a nice dash of mystery and intrigue. There was also lots of great action, humor, sadness and grief, and questions of selfishness, sense of duty, and honor (or doing 'the right thing'). The story sucks you in from the very beginning and there is never a dull moment. I read this one from the first page to the last, without ever putting it down.

I loved how Magiere and Leesil's relationship was portrayed, and how they were both far from perfect, even as far as having secrets that they knowingly, or unknowingly, kept from each other. We are introduced to them at an important junction in their lives, and along the way we are given tantalizing glimpses into their past which, amazingly, never breaks the flow of the story. And it was a joy to watch them grow and evolve, and learn to understand each other better, even though when we meet them they have already been companions for several years. We even get fascinating glimpses into the thoughts and motivations of the villains that make you feel very sympathetic towards them at times. All in all, it makes for a very complex, engaging, and emotional story that is not just as simple as good vs. evil.

Towards the end of the book I was feeling a little disappointed that the adventure would soon be over. But to my surprise, and delight, it looks as though Dhampir will be the first in a series (or will have a sequel at the very least). I can't wait to read the next installment that holds the promise of more mysterious revelations, and greater things to come. Please don't miss this one, I HIGHLY recommend it!

STORY: The "charlatan" vampire hunters Magiere and Leesil go from town to town exploiting the fears of the locals. Magiere is tired of such a life and without Leesil's knowledge buys a tavern on the coast announcing to him that she is retiring and he is coming with here. Little do either know, that the little coastal village where they are headed is a nest of vampires. Through the story Magiere finds out she is specially equiped to fight vampires for real and not pretend. Aided by Leesil, their "special" hound Chap and some townsfolk they fight for thier lives and future dreams.

MY FEEDBACK:
1) Setting - Could have used a map of the world. Each time a place is described I wanted to start drawing so I can get in my head where every city, town, or region is in relation to the others. This fantasy setting only has humans, quick reference to elves and of course vampires...no other races or monsters referred to. With that said, I didnt feel at any point that the story needed these things, YET. There is so much room for the authors to take and create a more vivid world. What they've created here is a functional envioronment that is very small in scope and works for this first story installment.

2) Characters -
a) Protagonists - I really liked the three main protagonists: Magiere, Leesil, and their hound Chap. Each had their strenghts, weaknesses, and secrets. It was a nice twist that all three have travelled several years together, yet there is so much they don't know about each other or themselves. Nice character growth and relationships through the story.
b) Antagonist - The best thing about the vampires is that each one comes into his/her mental abilities differently. The authors played up on such strengths which helped define the individual vampires from the rest. Overall, the authors kept to most classic forms of killing vampires (garlic, stakes, etc) which was totally acceptable.

3) Story - Great Action! Believable dialogue and decisions made by characters. The story is written to be the first book in a series. The nice thing is 98% of all story conflicts are resolved in the end so even if they never get around to writting more in the series this book is a self-contained story. No real major plot twists and turns or comments on society and life...it was simply a straight forward action story, which was ok with me.

OVERALL: If you like what I said above, then you won't be disappointed by getting your hands on this book. I'm keeping this book in my collection and recommending it to friends. Fun story that I read in two-day's time. I'll be looking for any future installments of the Dhampire series.

As a child Magiere was shunned by the townsfolk because her father was a traveling noble and her mother was a peasant woman. They made her life so miserable that she ran away from home at seventeen carrying only a magical knife and two amulets that her father left behind for her. She worked at any job she could find, traveling from town to town until she met the half-elf Leesil. Together they worked the perfect con, pretending she was a vampire hunter who could rid the town of a vampire that was in the area.

After she saved enough money, Magiere bought an inn in the town of Miiska. Nobody could be more surprised than Magiere and Leesil to learn that a trio of vampires lived in the town and what's more they know about her since she killed one of their kin. Magiere comes to learn she is the natural enemy of the vampire, a DHAMPIRE born of a mortal woman and a vampire father, with powers she must learn to use if she doesn't want to end up being a vampire's meal.

Barb and J.C. Hendee have written a refreshingly innovative horror novel where the protagonists and antagonists act according to their own nature. The vampires serve as worthy adversaries for the Dhampir to destroy if she can and the reader will be rooting for her all the way. After years of being homeless, Magiere and her half elf companion finally have a home and they will do everything in their power to protect it. The plot is meaty and juicy with unexpected turn so that readers are already anticipating the next surprise.

Harriet Klausner

Mixing the high fantasy genre with tales of undead hunters, DHAMPIR refreshes both genres with a mixture of wit, humour, adventure and gothic flavor that I've not seen in a while. Magiere and her partner, Leesil the half-elf, begin the tale as not very likeable charlatan vampire hunters in a dark medieval-like world. They make their living scamming villages out of their hard-earned money by pretending to rid the area of imaginary undeads. At least so they think. And when they finally decide they've had enough and want to settle down in the quiet life, they're in for a big surprise. (Personally, I loved the twist where instead of adventurers just hanging out in a tavern as part of the tale, they'd rather buy the place and run it themselves). But they unwittingly settle in the home town of three true vampires, or Noble Dead as they are called in the book. Both Magiere and Leesil have dark pasts, which begin to creep up upon them from memory as they must deal with illusions and superstitions turned real. (The author's site now lists THIEF OF LIVES as the coming sequel to be released in January 2004.)

Magiere, her half-elf partner Leesil and his dog, Chap, travel many lands to rid towns and villages of the undead, but do they indeed rid the town of Vampires or is it merely ridding hapless villagers of superstition? Little is known of Magiere's and Leesil's pasts, even to each other, and slowly it unfolds as the rest of the book's characters come into play: The Noble Dead.

This book is as much about Magiere and Leesil as it is about the vampires that haunt it. The past of Rashed, Teesha, Ratboy and Parko, vampires of Miiska, come out even more human than the Dhampir and her partner, though this does not disturb the great characterization of the important players in the "game". I am glad that the writers of this book didn't go too much into the "technicalities" of vampire hunting, turning, etc. While they had to establish some perimeters, the characterization, I feel, was the story's strongest point.

While the characters weren't overly emotional, I think the tone of the story is dark; intense, with only a smattering of relief (Leesil makes a few wisecracks, but that doesn't make much of a dent in the gothic nature of the whole thing.) The action in this book was played just right and I did appreciate the detailing in the right places. If someone were to turn this book into a movie, the director would be Tim Burton.

The writing and narration flows excellently and while I would prefer less points of view, my tastes shouldn't defer anyone from reading this well-crafted story.

The cover indicates the book is a blend of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lord of the Rings. I found this to be untrue and most likely a crass marketing attempt the authors of this great book wouldn't ascribe to. What is presented is a nice blending of traditional non-epic fantasy akin to the D&D type and the modern interpretation of vampires as something more than loathsome monsters but entities who have their own hopes, dreams and desires.

Magiere has an obscure past, one she doesn't even fully realize. Her partner in fraud is a half-elf from the Northern lands named Leesil who has a past he is desperately trying to forget. Leesil's one tie to his past, the one element he wouldn't be able to do without is a dog, Chap, that his elven mother gave him when he was a boy to act as a friend. Together they defraud superstitious villages, with Magiere taking the role of vampire hunter and Leesil the role of vampire.

When the game becomes tiresome to Magiere she buys a tavern in a small coastal city in hopes of settling down and leaving her `hunter' past behind her. On her way to the tavern, she is attacked by a raving lunatic and with the help of Chap, subdues and kills him. Fearing repercussions from the village, she sinks the body in the river and flees. Unknown to her at the time, she had killed a vampire and in the process brought the attention of that vampire's brother and his cohorts to her.

A story of this nature is allowed a few `coincidences' to push the plot forward and the key coincidence in this story is the tavern Magiere purchases happens to be in the same city as the vampires who seek vengeance for the death of Parko, the lunatic Magiere killed. When she arrives in the city, Rashed, the leader of the vampires and Parko's brother assumes she is there to hunt them.

What follows is a story of a reluctant hero coming to terms with her destiny and a tragic story of a `family' struggling to survive in a world where they are predators.

The characters in this book are rich and the story is tightly written. The action scenes are well crafted and easy to visualize. The authors, unlike many writers, were able to clearly detail what actions were taking place without becoming plodding or losing the sense of danger.

Though, at times, I felt the story was written too much like a Ravenloft D&D novel or a Vampire: Dark Ages novel, but I am willing to deal with that because I have a soft spot for roleplaying games. The world created in this book has such depth and detail that I could very easily see it as a setting for a campaign of one sort or another.

Im a pretty jaded reader, having been reading scifi for 35 years and the same old plots can get on my nerves. However I really enjoyed this book! The plot was interesting, the end was unguessable (could have gone easily more then one way) the main two 'heros' (hahaha) had complex but explicable personalities that get you hooked to find out more. Also the 'ememies' were well thought out and described with different personalities and motivations. Of prime interest, the characters reacted within their defined characteristics and motivations, but not TOO predicatably. Something in the style reminds me of Barbara Hambly who regularily produces 'can't put me downers'. I'm hoping for more books in the series and for more series as well!

Dhampir is a book that I ended up looking at several times before actually buying it. Although the cover caused me to raise a skeptical eyebrow, the blurb on the front really caught my attention. It called the novel a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Lord of the Rings. Although Buffy and LotR are two of my favorite things, the two are so different that I couldn't picture any book as being a crossover between the two. Dhampir is quite different from Buffy and LotR, but it does possess some of their strengths. Those are: a convincing fantasy world, and interesting supernatural characters.

Magiere and Leesil run a profitable vampire exterminating business. Magiere will arrive in a town where the undead is rumored to be lingering and, for a large fee, will take care of their pesky vampire issues. Unfortunately for these suddenly poorer town folk, Magiere and Leesil's act is nothing more than a con. The "vampire" Magiere fights is nothing more than Leesil, a half-elf, in costume. Money is good, but the two have finally decided to settle down by buying a tavern located in a town called Miiska. Unfortunately, Magiere's reputation has followed her. When three vampires learn that a hunter has invaded their territory, they quickly look towards exterminating her before she can kill them. Magiere is about to face a terrible and deadly challenge that will eventually lead her to learning her own hidden identity; she is a Dhampir, a half-human, half-vampire, and she is destined to destroy the undead.

The fantasy world that Dhampir takes place in is very unique. Besides elves, it doesn't seem to possess many of the stereotypical fantasy races. Instead, we get creatures more commonly found in horror novels, such as vampires and ghosts. I was particularly impressed with the characterization or some of the characters, especially the three vampires. Although they are supposed to be the "bad" guys, they are just as complex as out heroes and just as easy to sympathize with. The reader is likely to find themselves confused as to who they should be cheering for. Leesil and Magiere are interesting as well, although the latter comes off as a little personality-less at times. Unfortunately, some of the other characters, such as the blacksmith Brendan, come off looking rather flat and uninteresting in comparison. Also, some of the plot points in the story prove to be a little illogical. If Magiere is so famous, why hasn't she run into any angry vampires before? How come none of the townspeople, upon realizing that their problems have not been solves, have spoken poorly about Magiere? Why has no one come looking for her in revenge? Beyond these two bumps in the road, the book is a very fun read. I plowed through it in a weekend and I am eager to pick up the next installment. I can only guess where things will go next!

The only thing that kept me moving through this book was that I wanted to find out what happened to the 2 main characters. I give the authors credit for that

Unfortunately, that's all they got right. The writing is unbearably flowery. Nothing is black or red or hot or cold. Instead, everything is "garnet" or "the color of freshly picked dill" or "as warm as a mother's kisses" or something like that, which is both awkward and not particularly informative. In one passage they actually say that a guy has hair "the color of black cornsilk"! Now come on, how is that different than black?

The passages having to do with the various characters' motivations are just as murky in meaning and over wrought in word choice. They take 20 words to tell you something, and then you're not sure what they just told you. In one section they actually take a 5 sentence, with very long sentences, paragraph to tell you that a guy is standing on a catwalk watching his workers work.


The actual story itself is 2 steps forward, 2 steps back, all the way up to the last 20 pages or so. Nothing happens. They fight some vampires, the vampires get away. The vampires ambush them, they get away. You realize things about 200 pages before any of the characters do, then they spend the whole book laboriously hinting at those same things you already figured out, only to stun you with it at the end of the book like you would have had no idea what was coming

All of that adds up to a book that was an incredible chore to slog through. It did get better towards the end, so I bought the next one in the series. I immediately regretted it, since it starts everything all over back at square one, and you have to go through all the boring hints and super descriptive language that doesn't actually describe anything all over again. So discouraging

Take a pass on this one, and on anything else by these two. You could literally teach a writing class on what not to do with their books as examples, that's how bad the plot and prose are