Customer Reviews

Nocturne (Austra Family)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

...and a pretty good read once I got into it. It isn't the instant, total, no-holds-barred seduction that I found in Daughter of the Night, which I still like best of all the Austra novels I've read. I started Nocturne a couple of times and put it down before finally settling into it for the duration.

Nocturne has the abduction motif that runs so strongly through all the Austra novels that I have read except Daughter of the Night, which I found so powerful because its major energy is focused on the surhuman, really alien qualities of the Austras - they are people who have different minds, not just different nutritional needs - rather than abductions, physical altercations, and chases.

If I'd edited Nocturne, I'd have encouraged more development of Irena Sava's hidden Austra qualities before she ever makes contact with the family. The life of a Romanian under Ceaucescu, then as an emigree in America, should provide ample pressures to bring out dark glints and suggestions of Austra nature. This kind of character development, applied to Elizabeth Bathory in Daughter of the Night, made for a scrupulous psychological accuracy and ferocious narrative drive. Elizabeth's vampyr heredity works itself out like swallowed shrapnel, in painfully believable ways.

The abduction/chase/physical combat business in Nocturne actually numbed down the narrative drive for me - an "Oh, no, more of this!" Perhaps, having been spoiled by such exemplary character development, I'm not content with mere battery and bloodshed.

In conclusion, Nocturne brings the Austra scions back to the Austra keep and Francis, the Old One, for me the most fascinating of the Austras. We discover that Francis has been gathering women who have some Austra ancestry there and siring more Firstborn children, which should lead to some interesting plot opportunities down the road.

Nocturne

I all ways believed the next book in the Austra series would be about Patrick and how his ordeal as a toddler had affected his life.
It isn't.
Nor was I the least bit disappointed with story I read in Nocturne.
This book is not to be skimmed every page is a treasure to the story it is and to the continuation of the Austra family.
Nocturne is about Richard (Dickie), Patrick's brother, the woman he falls in love with Irena and their struggle to stay together. Along with a wonderful story line Ms. Bergstrom has captured the attitudes and suspicions of the fifties and sixties. She has presented us with the story of a unique young man and woman's and their coming of age. Richard and Irena deal not only with in comparisons modern Cleveland, Ohio but also with the splendor and despair that was Romania of the time and its archaic views of human (and woman's) rights and freedoms. Richard and Irena uncover a little known branch of the Austra family that is doing whatever needed to survive, even if their survival means the destruction of the core Austra family. This threat brings us to Francis Austra. We are given a taste once again of the enigmatic patriarch of the Austra family, Francis, whom I suspect if we mere mortals ever given more would choke on his vastness.
In the closing of her book Ms. Bergstrom states, "This book begs a sequel." I disagree, Nocturne DEMANS a sequel.

The Austras are a family of vampires who live among mortals yet stay true to their own heritage. They only number thirty because it is rare to find a mortal woman who can be turned and give birth to children that are vampires. Such women are cherished and when it comes to the family's attention that Irene is one such woman, the vampires keep a watch on her so that when conditions are favorable, a meeting can be arranged.

Richard Austra attends the same college as Irene and since they are both studying music they eventually meet. They fall in love and Irene soon learns what she could mean to the Austra family. Uncertain of whether she wants to be turned, she puts some distance between herself and Richard by traveling on tour in Romania. Once there an enemy of the Austras' kidnaps her. Richard comes to rescue her, but he finds himself in danger as well.

It has been a long time since an Austra novel has been published but it was well worth the very long wait. Elaine Bergstrom's vampires compare favorably to the ones in the Anne Rice universe. Readers will find themselves spellbound by these beings that are not evil, only different. NOCTURNE is such a compelling novel that the audience roots for the young lovers to triumph in the face of staggering adversity.

Harriet Klausner

I stayed up all night to finish "Nocturne." The first sentence of Chapter One hooked me and the rest of the book delivered. The story is romantic, suspenseful, and quickly immerses the reader into a seductive and fascinating world. Besides giving us vampires that we like and want to root for, Bergstrom has a wonderful way of blending old world feel into modern day times. Can't wait for the sequel.

I must say, this book is exciting, sexy & at times, funny. Bravo to Ms. Bergstrom on this masterpiece. I will not go into too much detail because I do not want to ruin for you but the story centers around Richard Austra, vampyr. He falls in love with Irena Sava, opera singer. Will their combined love be enough to overcome the many hardships that they are faced with? Buy the book & find out. You will not regret this one. Ms. Bergstrom left a note for her readers in the end & part of that note states that "This book begs for a sequel. Muse willing, there will be one." Ms. Berstrom if you read this, your book not only begs for a sequel, but your fans as well.

I have read all of the books in the series, Blood Rites as well as all of Elaine's books. I have been waiting breathlessly for this sequel, and I was not disappointed.
Elaine's words grab you in the first chapter and carry you through to the end of the last chapter.
I could barely put the book down, and read it on my breaks and lunch hour at work. That is always my least favorite part, finishing the book. Because I know I have to wait impatiently for Elaine to release another.
This is a book worth reading, enjoy.

I almost missed this book by a favorite author. All of her other books have been out of print for a long time, and this one was published and went out of print before I knew it existed.

This book continues the Austra family series with the newest generation. In earlier books the family discovered a single woman who had enough of their blood in her that she could both be turned to become one of them, and also could bear children without them killing her. In this book one of those children finds another woman like his mother and begins a relationship with her.

There is, of course, plenty of plot outside of that romantic relationship, involving still others who are almost, but not quite, Austra family members. If you have read the other books in the series you will want to read this one too.

Is it just me, or is there a real dearth of humanoid vampires (as opposed to real bats, insects, etcetera) with a respect for other species and a sense of compassion? That ingredient is the main draw for me as regards Nocturne. The fact that the Austras do not NEED to kill to live sweetens the pot. If I have any major objections, they are to 1: how manipulative F'rncs is, and 2: the Austras, we learn, used to own humans as slaves. I'm curious to know if they stopped that practice (and the one of taking humans as blood sacrifices) on moral grounds, or if they just became too out of fashion among mortals? Hmmm......sequel time!
To continue with the positive points, I'd like to elaborate a bit.
In many works, vampires defend their actions by saying that they treat humans no different than humans treat other food animals. I wonder...were these vampires in the real world, how could they have been so blind to humanity's history of worshipping what we eat? Corn Mothers, Horned Gods, Osiris, Tammuz, Jesus...oh, how the list goes on. The current human disragard and distance from animals (and plants) we eat is a shameful aberration, not our intrinsic nature.

I seriously read the reviews that was put up in here about the book and I was just sitting on it and said "WOW that must be one great book"

BUT...After reading through it, I was BORED to death with it. Am I the only one that seems to think that Irene is annoying?

I highly dislike this book and would not think about reading it or recommending it to anyone.

Im pretty sure the author might have other books that I might want to read in the future, but this book was a total flop and HUGE dissappointment

alright, i got this book on impulse. and it was the biggest waste of $6.50 ever. the beggining really did catch my attention. but that was only for about 20 pages. the next 28 pages are just pointless. there are even about 12 pages of this kid just walking round the woods, and then going into a house. if you can make it through the beginning (alright, the begining was pretty good, but only for like 20 pages) of this book, then maybe the rest sould be more interesting. but for me, just with how slow and boring the beginning was, it made the rest just as bad. yeah, i'll admit that there probably are more interesting parts than i give credit for, but i was so over this book by page 50. the cover quotes the milwaukee jounal sentinel by saying "Bergstrom's vampire is of the breed Anne Rice fans will love-graceful, sexy, sophisticated". if you're a fan of Anne Rice, then just go buy one of her books. because this one will disapoint you. now i'm not to sure on this, but i think this book is part of a series. there are mentions of other Austra family books. so i may have come into this in the middle of the series. but i will give this book some credit though. the very begining was pretty good. had me a little confused too. made me want to read more. but, sadly, it didn't stay that exciting for long.