Customer Reviews

Graveyard Dust

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been reading Barbara Hambly's science fiction for years. When I saw that she had written a series of books based on a free man of color, as an African American I was skeptical of what her view would be. I have been pleasantly surprised. I could not put Fever Season down and anxiously waited for Graveyard Dust.

Both books are meals which should be slowly savored, with new tastes and smells to entice the palate on every page. I think the characterizations are on the money, with Benjamin's mother an excellent case in point. I like Rose Vitrac the best, but I have known Dominique's and the rest of the crowd in my life, as well as Olympe's and Benjamin's. I think Olympe's character could be better developed but I'm sure this is something the author will work on.

I suggest readers sit back and read slowly. The reward is great.

I have read and re-read Graveyard Dust and found it as entralling the second time as it was on the first reading. I was especially happy to see that Barbara Hambly has included all the characters that have become important in Benjamin Janvier's life and that they do not "disappear" with the completion of the previous novel. With each book, Barbara Hambly enriches the fabric of the life of Benjamin Janvier. She maintains the family relationships and a circle of friends that make you want to know more about this fascinating man of her creation.

I was happy to see the relationship between Benjamin and Hannibal grow with the ease of witty remarks passed back and forth and to see the inclusion of Herr and Madame Mayerling, Rose Vitrac and Abishag Shaw. What makes Barbara Hambly's books so much better is her attention to details of the real world. One may look at a map of New Orleans and identify the streets named in the book. One may study history and see the names of real people woven into her story with consummate skill. You may scent the air, hear the clip-clop of horses hooves in the street, feel the humidity and see the afternoon light. You are immersed in the setting and have a sense that you could walk the streets where they once walked.

Here, in Graveyard Dust, Barbara Hambly gives us a detailed view of the practice of voodoo with Hollywood glamourizing. It was, (and still is), much a part of the daily lives of the people of New Orleans. While Benjamin Janvier may not agree with his sister Olympe`'s praticing of voodoo, he will still risk all to clear the charges of conspiracy to murder and to bring his somewhat fragmented family back to a whole. He will look beyond the surface of what things appear to be and fight the contraints of "custom".

While it may not be the focus of the book, I enjoyed the under underlying theme of bringing a family closer together, of getting to know each other again and of honor and loyalty to the diverse group of friends she has stitched together. Benjamin's patient, budding relationship with Rose makes a reader hopeful for them.

Barbara Hambly's goal may be to entertain, but with this series of stories about Benjamin Janvier, I have found my self returned to a slower pace and educated about a landmark time in American history, a place where good manners and grammar were observed in public and the world didn't move at the speed of a telephone cable. Time to move over and retire Anne Rice, Barbara Hambly is the new reigning Queen of New Orleans.

I happened to pick up this third book about Ben January without having read the first two books or knowing the author. Ms. Hambley has a new fan in me! Her charachterizations drew me to the New Orleans of 1834 and kept me there through the last line of the book.

I've been taking a break from the Benjamin January series after reading Fever Season a few years ago. It wasn't necessarily intentional, but I just never got around to picking up the next books.

I finally rectified that by taking the next three out of the library recently. Graveyard Dust, the first of those, is another great book in the series. The plot is very intriguing, taking many twists and turns before coming to a resolution that is logical, even if you didn't see it coming.

The writing is very dense. Hambly is not one for those light novels that you can breeze through, skipping whole passages because they don't have anything to do with anything. To get full value out of this book, you have to read everything. There were times I had to re-read passages to figure out where January came to one of his conclusions. It was there, I had just missed it.

Hambly also handles atmosphere beautifully. So many passages of description set the mood of New Orleans. Some say that she does too much of it, but I love atmosphere in a novel. It can be overdone when written badly, but Hambly does it well here, never making it boring. She really sets the tone of the city, making it beautiful and horrible all at the same time. She doesn't shy away from anything. The society is so well-drawn, with all the relationships between various factions within the society.

I haven't really talked about the mystery much. It is very intriguing, taking off in a couple directions that I didn't predict. The front cover is definitely true when it says "a novel of suspense." Who is trying to prevent Ben from finding out what really happened and clearing his sister from murder charges? Who really did it? And, ever-present in a novel about the south before the Civil War, will Ben be able to find anything out in a society where blacks are treated like chattel?

I'm glad I decided to come back to this series. I love Hambly's fantasy stories, and I'm glad that she's got another two ready for publication next year, but I also treasure this series as well.

Being a fan of both mystery and history (as well as the science fiction genre), I have been reading the Benjamin January series from the very beginning - and enjoyed the historical atmosphere (and research...) as well as the charactors, personal dilema and odd mysteries that January has had to deal with. It has also been a pleasure to see the charactors develop more personality over last two books, as the author becomes more comfortable with the era and city she is bringing us into. January and his friends, family, and colleages (as well as his antagonists, historical and otherwise) seem to become more a part of New Orleans in the 1830's, and sometimes (especially in this latest)I can almost feel that if I were to go there and check the records of that time, I would find references to the Levesque house and the Corbier upholstry business alongside the records of Judge Canonge, Bras-Croupe (Cut-Arm), Marie Laveau and the other actual historical figures Ms. Hambly uses. Besides that, she always spins a good yarn, a little rough occasionally, but always human and enjoyable. And at least in this story, as we watch him recovering from the events in Fever Season, we see that poor Ben finally gets a *little* time to himself and his friends between dodging assassins and yellow fever while he helps to do the footwork the police can't due to "the custom of the country" and social restrictions. A pleasure to see, and makes him (and them) far more real.

The third novel in Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January (Janvier)series, "Graveyard Dust" shows further development of her central character.

A young "colored" sculptor, Isaak Jumon, has apparently died of poisoning, procured by his wife from January's voodoo sister, Olympe. Yet his body has not been found. Also, there is an issue with his father having left him an inheritance and his mother trying to claim him as a slave. Throw in an opium addict brother, a shadowy uncle and a demon of a grandmother and you have the makings of another southern gothic mystery set in old New Orleans. It's up to Benjamin January to find out what really happened to Jumon if he is to free his sister before she is hanged or taken with fever from the filthy jail, the notorious Cabildo.

It's another steamy summer and Ben is still recovering from injuries he suffered in "Fever Season." Money is hard to come by, with the music season slow and Ben being unable to earn a living as a doctor. Yellow Fever, and perhaps even Cholera, are taking their toll on the population, and Ben must confront his deepest spiritual beliefs in a conflict of voodoo and Christianity.

I liked the further development of January and found him to be an excellent observer of his surroundings. Although a man of deep moral conviction, he is full of conflict with his societal role, mourning for his dead wife, and challenged by the voodoo signs haunting his every turn. His main ally continues to be Oxford educated, opium-addicted, Irishman Hannibal, slowly descending with consumption. Rose Vitrac returns and their friendship continues to grow.

The complex web of families continues to be fascinating. I would love a peek at Hambly's notebook detailing the genealogy of whites, blacks and colored, creoles and Americans, wealthy and poor, that she so aptly illustrates in her writing.

Her writing is very descriptive and one really gets a full range of senses, from the smell of the gutters to the detail of a house in the swamp.

At times, the detail can become overwhelming and drag parts of the story. Also, I still would like a "cast list" to keep all of these people straight, as there are so many names, both American and French, that I sometimes forget who is who. The sheer number of characters makes it difficult to keep them all straight.

Still, I am enjoying watching the growth taking place with Ben January, and look forward to the next book, "Sold Down the River."

Graveyard Dust is the third of a series which this accomplished author has written about New Orleans in the 1830's. She is a fine writer who deserves much wider recognition and publicity. Her research is obviously thorough and her ability to capture character, place, time and story are outstanding. I have been reading her science and historical fiction since the eighties and I must say that I have never been disappointed.

Even though this book is the third in the series, the way Ms. Hambly develops the characters and the exposition is complete, fresh and never boring. You could certainly start with this book and then go back to read the others.

If I had to find one flaw (the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5), I would say that the pace of the book is slower than my NY tastes. However, it is a perfect mirror of the South as far as I can tell -- and it held my interest the entire way.

Since I am white, I would like to add that I was encouraged to read reviews here by African Americans who liked this book. I felt it was sensitive and accurate and their endorsement confirmed that for me.

The best thing I can say is that I am always looking out for new work by Barbara Hambly -- she is a reader's delight.

Graveyard Dust by Barbara Hambly is the third in a series about Benjamin January a freeman of 19th century New Orleans who is both a physician and a musician. At the start of the book we find that January's sister Olympe, a voodooienne has been accused of murder of Isaak Jumon. January will have to unravel the mystery of Isaak's death to free his sister.

Hambly's New Orleans is a dangerous fog shrouded place. It is fever season again and various voodoo factions are involved in the plot. Some are leaving graveyard dust at January's doorway. Tennessee trappers are trying to murder him as he desperately seeks clues to exonerate his sister.

This book does not move as quickly as others in this series. It sometimes bogs down at various twists and turns. It does however add depth and interest in the characters involved. The authors insights and research about the history of New Orleans brings the time and place to life.

It's the summer of 1834 and New Orleaneans are basking in the festivities of the season. All seems well for Benjamin January this summer. He has steady employment as a musician and as a music teacher for some of the city's wealthiest residents. Although racially oppressed January has begun to resettle into the traditions and culture of New Orleans since returning from France.

Yet things do not remain calm for January for long this steamy summer. Olympe, January's rebellious sister, is arrested for the murder of a prominent citizen. Not only is Olympe's life in jeopardy because in 1834 there is absolutely no justice for a Black woman in a court of law, but Olympe is also a known voodoo practitioner. Association with voodoo automatically makes her guilty in the eyes of New Orleans' residents, especially to the all white jury of men who will be presiding over her trial.

Confident of his sister's innocence and fearful for her life, January sets out to expose the truth. As he delves deeper into the mystery, his own life becomes endangered. He becomes the target of a voodoo curse. Armed with wit, along with the help of a few friends and the famed voodoo queen Madame Marie Laveau, January sets out to save his sister and catch a killer.

GRAVEYARD DUST has all the chills and thrills of Barbara Hambly's first two novels involving Benjamin January. Hambly tackles the controversial topic of voodoo in New Orleans with intelligence. She leaves behind all the stereotypes and misconceptions regarding the religion. Once again, Hambly has crafted another stand-alone mystery for the Benjamin January series. Her descriptions of New Orleans, its people and places will leave you breathless, and the night scenes in graveyards and at voodoo rituals will cause you to look over your shoulder as you stroll along with January.

Reviewed by L. Raven James
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I avoid hardbacks - no more space for them. Having read all three of the published Ben January novels, I would buy them any way I could get them. The characters are convincing as real people whose feelings we have all experienced ourselves at some time. The background creates a New Orleans of the past rich enough in detail to satisfy a seasoned time traveler. The plots are intricate. Although the author provides many clues, the reader, along with Ben January, doubts their reality until the moment both are confronted with incontrovertible evidence. Finally, there is a message about bigotry and the black experience. Hambly avoids the pitfalls of polemic and "preachiness." She reports her characters' feelings, which would be likely for anyone of any race in the circumstances. When the next volume in the series is published, I expect to reread all three.