Customer Reviews

Forever Knight: These Our Revels

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Discriminating readers will find the writing, and especially the dialogue, in this book startlingly good and always inventive. Co-authored by two members of Forever Knight's online fan community, the book is lightly peppered with subtle references to FK fan factions and in-jokes. The writing betrays an extremely fine grasp of the main characters' (Nicholas Chevalier/Knight, Lucien LaCroix, Janette DuCharme) individual motivations, as well as developing some minor characters - sexy but rough-cut Conquistador Javier Vachon, his peculiar sidekick Screed (whose dialog alone is worth buying the book for IMO), and the pragmatic ancient Aristotle, who handles matters of vampire secrecy (and will not divulge whether he is "the original of that name"). Fans of the Nick-Janette relationship (Immortal Beloveds) and of Vachon (Vaqueros) will find this book of particular interest. Shakespeare fans as well, whether they have ever seen an episode of Forever Knight or not, should enjoy this. It delves deeply into the flavor of Elizabethan life, and visits all the Bard's haunts. It shouldn't surprise FK fans that Nick, the vampire who knew Joan of Arc, Rasputin, and probably myriad other historical figures, was a close personal friend of Will Shakespeare and very occasional actor. Some of the other reviewers make some astute criticisms, and this book is probably not for everyone. It is too episodic to be a real page-turner in my opinion, and some may find the language, which betrays the authors' very strong grasp of Elizabethan English, difficult to wade through.

I highly recommend this book to anyone not intimidated by dialects. It is the product of a close partnership of two talented writers who know their subject matter very well.

This book was well worth the buy. It was more intellectual then many novels of today (esp. in the genre we're talking about here). It was more beefy in content, dialect, language, and history.

I give it five stars for creative design and interaction. I was able to "believe" this could have really happened. Awesome.

If I may compare (although its a stretch) I compare this book to more of the intellectual level of "Lord of the Rings" where many others of its kind are at the "Harry potter" intellectual level. If you love to read and like Forever Knight then this book is for you. If you read just to pass the time... not a good pick.

In this life Nick Knight is a police detective in Toronto but as a vampire he has lived many 'lives'. During one of those lifetimes Nick and his family spent time in Elizabethian England where Nick of course met Shakespeare and his friends. Janet is appalled by London, it's crudness, it's filth and longs to return to the only civilized city in the world - her beloved Paris. LaCroix is annoyed by his errant son's insistence on regarding these mortals as equals instead of as a meal. Nick is still grieving for his lost Alyssa, and seeks a way to exist in his 'forever night' without harming mortals.

Vachon and Screed also appear in a secondary plot line giving fans of the series a wealth of information into their pasts. We are also treated to Aristotle, the elusive vampire who arranges new lives for the community when it is time to move on.

This is a delightful treat for FOREVER KNIGHT fans. The characters are consistent with the tv series, the dialogue is skillfully done and the story itself is engaging, sadly a rare find in tie-in novels. The Shakespearean dialogue takes a bit of work on the reader's part to follow at first but is definitely worth the effort. The interactions with Shakespeare and the general background makes Elizabethan life come alive in a way those long school lectures failed to do.

This is a tie-in that is definitely worth the effort to track down.

If you delight in Shakespeare, you will probably like this book a lot. For myself, it was much slower moving than the other two Forever Knight novels, and therefore harder for me to get into. The authors are very good at recreating the time of Shakespeare, and what society was like then; there are many, many details that enrich the reading experience. But it is definitely not a fast read, unless you're the type who is able to race through plays like Hamlet, not bothering too much with the details.

This was a pretty good book. It had some boring parts but mostly it was interesting. This book would be really good for those who want to know what Nick's and Janette's relationship was like in the past. This book is mostly about Nicholas' life and how he, LaCoix, and Janette lived during the late 1500 and early 1600.

One fun thing about Forever Knight is the way that Nick always weaves the past into the present. The whole "those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it". This book spent the entire time in the past so several characters were not able to appear. I also thought the book was way too carried away on putting "Thees and Thous" in and neglecting minor things like plot.

It was hard for me to put down this book. The very first time I read it, I read it straight through, unwilling to let anything stop me. Since then, I've read it and re-read it until I know the story by heart. The authors' ability to take the reader back to Elizabethan England, to Shakespeare and the Globe, to a time when taking a bath really was considered a major deal, is amazing. The style of writing is rich and elaborate -- full of life -- and it brings the characters, mortal and vampire alike, out into flesh and blood. This book is an absolute necessity for any Forever Knight fan (it can even create them) or for anyone who would like a glimpse into the mud and brocade world long gone.

Shakespeare started his plays with an event meant to capture the viewer's attention. Pity this author didn't learn that in her research. This book has, among other things, the lack of a solid plot. The background of the main character was thrown in, without tact, in the very beginning, and was then restated, for some reason, later on. Many of the known characters engage in uncharacteristic behaviors and new characters come off shallow. Also, Elisabethan English was a literary style, not a vernacular language; common people did not speak in it. Even though it fades away as the book runs on, it still creates confusion. Not that the dialogue is purposeful. Many times, I found myself constantly wondering: "Is this going anywhere?" The book had a few good moments, centering on the three vampires, but they all seemed to end badly. And the parts with the mortals seemed only relevant because of the figures themselves, and not for any real purpose. In relation to the two previous books, this one is a weak attempt. Although apparently accurate in several parts, it lacks in storytelling, in tact, and in interest. But don't take my word for it.

I hate to say this, but I really couldn't finish this book. I tried and tried, but it was just so uninteresting to me, I couldn't. Don't get me wrong - I'm a HUGE fan of Forever Knight and watch the series faithfully(okay, obsessively ;)), but this book just didn't appeal to me. I commend the authors for all of their incredible flashback research and all of the hard work they put into it, but in the end, the novel really had no plot. There wasn't as much Vachon/Nick interaction as I wanted, and I felt like it was just night after night after night in London, and no real point to the book than to show Nick was friends with William Shakespeare and he visited the Globe Theatre. That's all great, but.... where's the plot?

I am in no way insulting the authors' writing ability, but I think there could have been more of a story within _These Our Revels_ and maybe some suspense and mystery. There was none.

This book appears to have been written solely for the purpose of providing the author with an excuse to research Elizabethan England. Since I am not an Elizabethan scholar, I cannot judge how well or poorly she has succeeded in this goal. To a non-specialized eye, the dialogue seems appropriately Shakespearian, but it is so stilted and obscure that readers may wish to locate a dictionary of 16th century slang before wading in. Unfortunately, "wade" is definitely the best word to describe any attempt to read this novel. There isn't much of a story, and what there is, is bland, meandering and ultimately pointless. Very little time is given to the Forever Knight characters, period, and none of it does them justice. The original characters fare no better. They remain so lifeless and monotone throughout that it is impossible to develop any interest in their fate. The participation of William Shakespeare and other luminaries of the period amounts to nothing more than scholarly name-dropping. They could be edited out without having a substantial effect on the novel, except to shorten its length. If you enjoy page after endless page of Elizabethan word play for its own sake, by all means, buy this book. If you wish to revisit the Forever Knight universe, buy Susan Garrett's "Intimations of Mortality" instead.