Customer Reviews

Mortal Companion

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

 

 

Mortal Companion is not for the easily offended or those who are not comfortable with explicit sex. Subtitled as "an erotic tale of love and vengeance" like no other, Mortal Companion delivers. Patrick Califia has created a world where everything is possible and nothing is taboo. This world is opened up to the reader layer by layer - chapter by chapter - until the final climatic end which leaves us panting and waiting for the sequel.

Mortal Companion introduces us to Ulric, a very depressed vampire. Life, as he experiences it has become drudgery. Nothing gives him pleasure - even feeding leaves him wanting. One evening, in an unknown small town, Mary Beth Wolcott reveals herself. Ulric is immediately smitten and begins a sensual assault that Mary Beth is unable to resist. Ulric wins her heart and soul and makes her his mortal companion, renamed Lilith.

Lilith and Ulric begin a journey to San Francisco and to Ulric's past. Lilith learns how Ulric was the victim of the Germanic Knights of the Sepulcher. He was made a vampire by rape of the mind, body, and soul. This horrific beginning culminated in the rape and a feeding from Adulfa, Ulric's own half-sister. Adulfa swore vengeance on Ulric for his rape and forcing vampirism on her.

Adulfa is more then just a vampire. She began life as a shapeshifter. She is a reckless woman bent on seeking pleasure through domination of the body and mind. She has been planning her revenge against Ulric for hundreds of years and nothing will stop her. Lilith is her ticket to making Ulric pay for violating her.

Lilith and Ulric are aware of Adulfa's rage, but are so caught up within their insulated world they have a false sense of security. Ulric introduces Lilith to the BDSM community and a sex slave is born. Lilith gives herself over completely to Ulric. This trust is pivotal in what is to come.

Mortal Companion is an interesting and entertaining book. While the sex is explicit and violent at times, it has a purpose. Lilith and Ulric continuously switch roles. Neither is completely dominate over the other. It is clear that complete domination is not love, but sharing roles gives Lilith and Ulric a true, heart wrenching, undying love. While it can be argued this their undoing, it is beautiful to read of that kind of bonding. Each chapter switches character point of view effortlessly, giving the reader a voyeuristic journey. Each perspective - male/female - top/bottom - draws the reader further into a San Francisco most have only heard of.

My favorite characters by far are the vampire cats; Luna, Anastasia, Charley, and Hecate. These cats guard Ulric's house in San Francisco and play a very important role in the ending of the book. Califia has created the cats with individual personalities and separates voices. Luna speaks so eloquently that her words are like poems within the book.

Parts of Mortal Companion have appeared is various anthologies. Author Patrick Califia has written many different short stories and books on sexuality and Lesbian issues. He currently suffers from fibromyalgia and lives in San Francisco. When he is not reading other people's vampire stories, Patrick is spoiling his kitty cat or disciplining deserving masochists. He says, "Cats, unlike people, are innocent."

I must confess I was more of a fan of the vampire sagas that camped up the vampire myth (Buffy forever!)--that was until I read Patrick Califia's Mortal Companion.

Califia has fleshed out and sexed up all the smoldering passion that simmered (and languished at times) in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Ulric and Adulfa, the feuding vampire siblings in this first book of the series, are (omni)sexual predators. (And wonderfully so.) Califia also takes the violence, even S/M scenes and themes found in Laurell K. Hamilton, and gives them new fangs.

There are also many revisions and refinements to the age-old cosmology of vampires. Califia introduces us to The Elders, vampires who guide and protect the lives of their mortal tribes. Even amazing vampire cats. And new villians: the awesome and awesomely wronged lesbian vampire fury known as Adulfa, Sir Hilbert and his Germanic Knights, and a very frightening ubervillian known as The Adversary.

I'd reveal more, but I don't want to give the plot away. Instead, I'll say that once you finish this book, you'll be craving book two. I can't wait.

(Also fans of other Califia characters, like Patrick Kelly and Davy from No Mercy, will not be disappointed. They make a wonderful cameo appearance here.)

...but the more I read, the more I wanted to throw it across the room.

First of all, I am a fan of vampires, I'm in the BDSM lifestyle, and I love the gay community. Considering all of those things, I was VERY excited about this book. I knew it was basically erotica with a story, but I was ok with that. At first some of the dialogue was laughable and annoying, but it was entertaining. Ther farther I got, that feeling went away.

There are some VERY disturbing lesbian rape scenes that would have made me stop reading the book if I wasn't curious about the ending. I'm a masochist, and they were still hard to stomach. And the BDSM club scenes are pretty ridiculous. The going-back-in-time-memory episodes were just annoying and pointless for the most part. What really frustrated me was the ending. Basically, they nullify the entire point of the book and leave it open-ended for a sequel which is never going to be published because of Pat Califia's ailments.

I still won't say that it's entirely crap either, though. If you are looking for a steamy read with not a whole lot of substance, and if you can stomach some extremely graphic stuff, then I'd say at least give it a chance. But don't expect any literary genius in this one.

I must say that this book has been an interesting read. Somewhere along the lines though, I missed the memo about it being primarily S/M erotica so that through me for a loop for awhile. But on the whole, the book is incredibly well written to me, as far as diction and syntax are concerned. The characters are complex enough to make them interesting and you'll continuosly want to know more about them, yet human enough for almost everyone to be able to relate to some aspect of said characters. Although it's a far cry from what my general reading interests are, I wouldnt hesitate to recommend it to those who enjoy reading erotica that's on the darker side of love.

Yes, lots of S&M, death, mayhem and sex, sex, sex (straight, bi, and more). But boring? No plot? Come on!! I REALLY liked this book and am breathlessly awaiting it's sequel. (btw, where's the sequel!!?? ... the ending was an obvious set-up for a book 2.)

In reference to other reviews here, I too LOVED L.K.Hamilton's Anita Blake books, at least up through Incubus Dreams. But, after that, they devolved into no plot and no character development. Mortal Companion, on the other hand, had just as much sex and the post-Incubus LKH books, but it was sex amongst people you gave a hoot about because there was more than JUST sex going on.

I found Califia's plot to be decent, but the character development was what shined. What this book and the early Anita books have in spades is sexual tension/doubt/discovery. What makes literary sex good is the lead up -- that's where Hamilton lost it, her characters became so blaise about sex that it didn't seem to matter to them anymore, so why should it matter to the reader?

I had tried to read Anne Rice's S&M Beauty trilogy .... past the first book, it was like being hit over the head with the same sex scenes, no character development, and little plot progression. Again, another plus for Califia -- even though there were LOTS of sex scenes, they were all different, original, and HOT. And, unlike Rice's S&M, which made the submissive a powerless pawn, Califia's S&M gave both parties power and allure.

While you don't need to be "into" S&M (outside of fantasy, I'm not) or bisexuality to enjoy his book, you WILL need to not be offended or turned off by these things to enjoy the read.

Mortal Companion by Patrick Califa

Mortal Companion is the story of the vampire Ulric Jäger, born in 1339 and turned into a vampire by a Christian crusader. Immortality has come at the price of a deep and abiding loneliness. Vampires can't tolerate one another's presence. The only person who shares Ulric memories is his half sister, Adulfa Jäger. Unfortunately, Adulfa has spent all those centuries sharpening hatred for Ulric, for it was he who made her a vampire.

Ulric has finally found a soul mate--a woman who loves him despite being a killer vampire. Lilith, née Mary Beth Wolcott, not only loves Ulric, but their passion is heightened by the fact that she refuses to accept becoming a vampire. If Lilith becomes a vampire herself, she would have to abandon Ulric to find her own hunting ground. Lilith and Ulric begin a journey to San Francisco and to Ulric's past. Lilith learns how Ulric was the victim of the Germanic Knights of the Sepulcher. He was made a vampire by rape of the mind, body, and soul. This horrific beginning culminated in the rape and a feeding from Adulfa, Ulric's own half-sister.

So Adulfa not only seeks vengeance from Ulric for making her a vampire, but also for raising a piece of prey--Lilith--to the status of his peer. Adulfa is more then just a vampire. She began life as a shapeshifter. She is a reckless woman bent on seeking pleasure through domination of the body and mind. She has been planning her revenge against Ulric for hundreds of years and nothing will stop her. Lilith is her ticket to making Ulric pay for violating her.

Lilith and Ulric are aware of Adulfa's rage, but are so caught up within their insulated world they have a false sense of security. Ulric introduces Lilith to the BDSM community and a sex slave is born. Lilith gives herself over completely to Ulric. This trust is pivotal in what is to come.

The book is not for the easily offended or those who are not comfortable with explicit sex. Patrick Califia has created a world where everything is possible and nothing is taboo. The book contains homosexual scenes and lots of S/M, which is good if that is what you are looking for. But everything was written quite poorly. The book is bad porn trying to masquerade itself as a vampire book. The writing and dialogue are very plain--like a mix between a soap opera and a porn script. The plot is almost nob existent and the sex scenes are silly. I was unable to finish the book.

This is one of the most intelligent,erotic,and compelling vampire story I have read in a long time. The hatred between Ulric and his half-sister Adulfa is palpable on the page. He was forced to make her a vampire and she has conspired for centuries for vengence.
She thinks she has found the perfect revenge when she finds out the Ulric is in love with his mortal companion, Lillith.
Califia sweeps the reader into sinister magic, painful pleasure and sadistic lust and revenge.
rich characters,volatile,complelling drama, erotic,gripping terro
excellent story

This novel is definitaly well written although I would not recommend it for the close minded or easily offended. Calfia did a wonderful job and I can't wait for the next book.

I only bought this book, because others compared it to Laurell K Hamilton's books, calling it good and steamy vampire fiction. Being a huge fan of all her books including the ones most people started calling softporn, I bought this book, and I was so tricked, thumbs up to their deceiving marketing.

First off, the writing and dialogue is very cardboard, it is like a mix between a soap opera and a porn script. In addition there is no plot to the story, had to skip the pages because it was boring and senseless.
The characters have no personalities, they just walk around talking about how aroused they are and how they want to touch themselves and then touch other people, and then touch themselves some more. The book was filled with sexual cliches, and bad ones at that.

For example, there was constantly stuff like this- she unleashed her hair from her tight tight librarian bun , letting the air caress her hair, without the bun holding her back, she did not feel like a librarian anymore, now she felt naughty and bad, like a big fuzzy cat-.

The sexual encounters were awfully written, at times I would just start laughing because the descriptions were so bad and silly. Also everything in here was graphic and not sexy, some parts were just plain gross. It's not that this book isn't for everyone, it is just not for people who want good steamy vampire fiction.

Also there was a lot of a homosexual themes and scenes and lots of S/M, which is good if that is what you are looking for. But everything was written so poorly. If a bad porn book trying and failing to masquerade itself as a vampire book your thing, then by all means dig in. But if that is not your idea of a good book beware and stay away. Or at least just borrow it before you spend your money.