Customer Reviews

His Father's Son

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

 

 

"His Father's Son" is an entertaining tale and appeals to the reader of many genres. Fans of the supernatural, Arthurian tales, or mystery, will find much to enjoy here. Action, romance, history, and vengeance, are all found in ample supply in this book's pages. The reader is swept along from Arthurian Britain, to modern day Toronto and Texas, and are pulled into the hero's dillemas both past and present.

However, I do want to point out that the reviewer from Publishers Weekly is in error. This novel, and its prequel, "The Keeper of the King", have no tie-in with the TV show "Forever Knight". The only connection to that wonderful show is that one of the authors, Nigel Bennett, was also one of the stars of the show.

This is a totally original and very unique story with original and entertaining characters. The hero, Richard d'Orleans, is in the spirit of Adam Dalgliesh, Jack Ryan, and Adam Sinclair. If you enjoy P.D. James, Tom Clancey, or Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris, you'll enjoy reading "His Father's Son".

In the first book, Keeper of the King, the reader was introduced to Richard d'Orleans, who would become Lancelot of the Round table. Before that, he meets Sabra, the lady of the lake, who Takes him under her wing, so to speak, and makes him a vampire. Now It's 1990's Toronto, and he's still around. So how does the greatest Knight function as a vampire in modern times? Easy, he adapts. But when an old friend is threated, he must come to the rescue. That's what happens in this novel, His Father's son. Being the Knight in shining armor he was born, in both lives, to be. This story is handled with lots of suspense, trists and turns, and plenty of blood drinking. If you love a good vampire, who's romantic and funny at the same time, but also very vengeful, then here's the vampire for you.

This is the second novel from the Nigel Bennett / P. N. Elnod collaboration. The first being "The Keeper of the King" where the character Richard who bears a strong resemblance to Nigel Bennett is introduced. Fans of the "Forever Knight" tv series will recognize Bennett as LaCroix from the series. Although both characters are vampires, this is where the similarities end and this novel series is NOT a tie-in from the "Forever Knight" tv series as the reviewer from the Publishers Weekly incorrectly stated in his review.

"His Father's Son" appeals to the reader of many genres. It is an entertaining tale with a delightful mix of supernatural, Arthurian times, and mystery. There is plenty of romance, history, action, and vengeance to go around. The story takes the reader on an adventure from Arthurian Britain to modern day Toronto and Texas, while Richard confronts dilemmas from the past and present.

I look forward to next and so will you.

Being an enormous Forever Knight fan and Nigel Bennett fan, I eagerly bought the series when I discovered its existence. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to expectations in many ways. The first book was not without it's flaws, but it was an entertaining story and I did like several of the characters. In this book, however, I found myself all too often counting the pages until the end.

It's not to say the book was all bad. A good portion of the book takes place in Richard Dun's past and that part of the book was amazing. I normally dislike flashbacks and I'm not generally a fan of medieval fiction, but I was really captivated and drawn into that story line. The characters were beautifully written, empathetic and the story was very interesting. It was always such a shame to leave that part of the story and return to the present time in the book.

The story line that takes place in the present is where the main problems lie. I had a hard time swallowing that Richard and Bourland made so many mistakes. These are intelligent, professional characters. It really seemed odd that they'd bungle their own jobs so badly. The twist at the end was apparent since the end of act 1. And if it was so apparent to the reader, it should have been equally apparent to Richard.

But the modern-day story line wasn't completely without merit. Dr. Sam was a nice side character and I loved Jordan Keyes. He was a quirky and memorable character that I'd love to see again in a future novel.

While this was a flawed book, this is also only the second book from Nigel Bennett and he's certainly grown as an author from the first. While I did enjoy the first book better, the parts of the book that I connected with were much better than any scenes from the first. I'm excited to read the third and I hope there will be future books.

This is the second best book I have ever read. The other being Bennett's first book. Who would of ever thought of using the state of Texas as the backdrop for a vampire novel. Mr. Bennett is an excellent writer and I can't wait to get the third book in the series. I have a feeling that it is going to be as good if not better the thr first two.

He was once Lancelot the knight, she was once Sabra the priestess. Now they are vampires sworn to protect the weak, facing a romance and challenge which has lasted the ages. This different fantasy will appeal to any who appreciate a blend of intrigue, romance and fantasy.

I am a fan of P.N. Elrod so I ordered this book and "Keeper of the King". But I found I didn't enjoy reading the book - it seemed slow and sometimes dull. Maybe because I am not a fan of the TV show, having only seen a few episodes. Or maybe because I had to read the second book first as the first book has yet to get to me. It could be that I just don't have knowledge about the background, what type of vampires I am dealing with and no real information about the characters. Richard is not like ANY other vampire in any of P.N. Elrod's other vampire series, so I had no real idea when he was in danger or when he wasn't.
But even taking that away, to be honest, I found parts of the book felt slow, with flashbacks that I didn't think added to the story, and a surprise ending, a twisted ending, that I didn't really believe in. In other words, even if I was a fan of the TV show, I might found it hard to plow thru.
In the end I had to take away three points. Please remember, that I am not a fan of Forever Night, because I don't watch it daily, and fans of the show, or of Nigel Bennett, might enjoy the book more. PLUS I have yet to read "Keeper of the King". But I won't suggest it for P.N. Elrod fans UNLESS they also like the show or have some knowledge of its setting.

Richard d'Orleans became a vampire during the medieval times in Normandy. Richard knew almost from the start that he is not an evil person, but actually over the centuries loved (literally and figuratively) women.

In the present in Toronto, he goes by the name of Richard Dun. He has vowed to keep safe many a mortal including his godchildren but especially his beloved Stephanie married to CEO Luis Trujillo. When the emergency e-mail from Stephanie informs him that Alejandro found her, Richard immediately stops everything, including sleep, to fly to Texas to keep his beloved and her family safe. He is too late as everyone except maybe Michael is dead. He will track down the killer starting with Alejandro and enact vengeance, vampire style.

HIS FATHER'S SON is an entertaining vampiric who-done-it that ties back to the Forever Knight TV show. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action that is interrupted at times with flashback to Richard's past. These trips back through Richard's life provide insight into the character. Thus, the reader who wants action to the nth degree will feel a bit disoriented while those who relish deeper understanding of the hero will find the past enlightening. Nigel Bennett and P.N. Elrod have written an entertaining tale regardless of how much blood the reader desires to envision.

Harriet Klausner