An Old Friend Family [Paperback]

Fred Saberhagen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1981

The Southerland family left the old world to start anew in America, but little did they know that a blood-feud, older than history itself, would follow them through the generations to come.
Kate Southerland, the first born of the latest generation of Southerlands, has been murdered, but she is not dead. Her little brother, Johnny, has also vanished, a severed, bloody finger the only clue.
But the Southerlands have no clue what they've fallen into. Their enemy is no mortal madman, but the undying mistress of evil enchantment, Morgan Le Fay, and the Southerlands are not her true target. She seeks to do battle with their protector, their defender, the only man who is capable of saving this mortal family from a war they've never realized was waged.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Vampires with a difference! And the difference is Fred Saberhagen. His writing mesmerizes." --Brian Lumley

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

FRED SABERHAGEN is the author of the the popular Dracula Series, Berserker (tm) Series, and the bestselling Lost Swords and Book of Lost Swords. Fred Saberhagen lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ace (June 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441621619
• ISBN-13: 978-0441621613
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,367,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the series, January 26, 2000

By 

Steve Herr (Jackson, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Old Friend of the Family (Mass Market Paperback)

Dracula comes to modern-day Chicago to rescue the descendants of Mina Harker. The characters are three-dimensional and the story is gripping right up to the end. This is one of my all-time favorite books.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reprint of Mr. Saberhagen's fine first vampire tale, February 15, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Old Friend of the Family (Paperback)

In Chicago, the wealthy Southerland family struggles to persuade Police Detective Franzen that something bad has happened to their beloved Kate Southerland. He agrees with them once her corpse is found. Unbeknownst to the family though they descend from Wilhelmina Hacker she is not just dead.

At the same time, someone abducts Kate's younger brother Johnny leaving a bloody finger behind as evidence of foul play. Since CPD failed them with Kate, the family matriarch Clarissa turns to a long time family friend Dr. Emile Corday for assistance. He investigates the murder and the turning of Kate as well as the kidnapping on the assumption they are linked beyond sibling coincidence. He soon concludes that the assailants are using the Harker descendents as pawns in a deadly blood feud over a century old and a continent away with the ultimate target being Dr. Emile Corday.

This is a reprint of Fred Saberhagen's fine first vampire tale with 1980's references like the Pointer Sisters. The story line is action-packed starting off as a mystery that turns into much more especially when Dracula arrives on the scene to protect the Harker brood from an evil sorceress only to realize that there is much more on the agenda. Fans of Mr. Saberhagen's vampire thrillers will appreciate AN OLD FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, which readers know lives up to its title.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well-Balanced Treatment, September 11, 2005

By 

Daniel R. KilloranPhD (Lynn, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Old Friend of the Family (Mass Market Paperback)

The difficulty of dealing with vampires in fiction is caused by the problem of balancing their near-supernatural powers with the limited ability of humans to deal with them. Saberhagen short-circuits this by changing sides! His favorite vampire uses his abilities to help humans, frequently at his own peril. This book illustrates this without pushing it to extremes, and he allows the poor humans to intervene decisively at critical points. A very good read or re-read!