Revenant [Paperback]

Olivia Lorenz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2007

Would you sell your soul for the find of a lifetime? Could you give up your life for love? On Santorini, vampires are more than folklore - and the workers on Jack Hunter's archaeological dig know the body he's found is meant to stay buried. But Jack isn't one for superstition. Despite the warnings, he takes the skeleton to his house for safekeeping. There, he finds a mysterious letter from a man named Belas, offering directions to a site of great importance in return for a small favour: his blood. Belas is a vrykolakas, the most feared and dangerous of all Greek vampires. Millennia ago, the island's high priest sacrificed his family to calm the rage of the volcano. Belas committed suicide to ensure that his spirit would remain restless, thereby cursing the high priest to suffer a similar fate. But the priest escaped to Crete, and as a vampire cannot cross salt water, Belas has been waiting four thousand years to exact his vengeance. Now he intends Jack to be the agent of his revenge. Warning, this title contains the following: m/m sex.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Samhain Publishing (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599984199
• ISBN-13: 978-1599984193
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,301,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revenant, January 29, 2008

By 

M. Nix - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Revenant (Paperback)

Jack Hunter is an archeologist supervising a dig in Santorini, with little hope of finding anything of note. However, one day his crew finds a grave which is a mass of contradictions. The workers warn Jack that he should leave this skeleton untouched, but Jack's curiosity and sense of discovery won't let him leave well enough alone. When strange things begin happening Jack must confront the reality of the myth of the "vrykolakas" and the consequences of Jack's involvement with him.

Belas is a "vrykolakas" or revenant. In Greece few things are feared more than a revenant, because their whole reason for existence is revenge. Belas approaches Jack with a deal Jack couldn't refuse: a little blood, sweat and semen in exchange for the archeological find of a lifetime. The object of Belas' revenge is not within his reach, so he diverts himself avenging himself for lesser wrongs, but in the meantime his relationship with Jack evolves and becomes something neither one of them recognizes. How will they bridge the chasm of death between them?

Revenant is a tale of horror and suspense, which is rich in detail and intrigue. The characters are really well drawn, the plot is well developed and it touches on the themes of revenge, jealousy, ambition, love and friendship. However, I found the characters unappealing and unsympathetic. While reading the book I at times felt that I was watching a gruesome car accident but unable to look away. The most difficult thing for me about reading this book was that I couldn't see things working out to a happy ending for Jack or Belas and I'm still unsure how I feel about the actual ending. Revenant is not a light or short read, and I would only encourage you to get it if you really enjoy dark and anguished circumstances where the characters' endings are ambiguous.

Sabella
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rich in details but lack in romance., December 12, 2007

By 

R.Parklane (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Revenant (Paperback)

Months after reading this as an e-book, I am still frustrated with this one. The setting in the Greek island of Santorini with its varied characters is charming. Jack Hunter, the brilliant archaelogist doomed from the day he discovered the skeletons of an ancient vampire, is very likable and well developed. Belas, the revenant vampire cursed to wander restlessly until he finds revenge, is an intriguing and haunted character. Unfortunately the writer does not make the effort to delve more into Belas. Jack meeting Belas and their mutual attraction take off well. But as the story progresses, the romance soon makes way for an education in archealogical histories and Greece geography. While I appreciate the knowledge, I am expecting hot romance and sex between the 2 guys, which is sadly lacking. The introduction of one sexy professor wishing to possess Jack does enliven the romance angle but again is not well explored. As for the ending I find it weak, abrupt and rather cold.
This is one story which leaves me irritated. The idea and the setting are refreshing, the characters interesting, the writing of good quality but the writer seems hesitant about the idea of M/M love.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars M/M. Seriously? Really? Where?, August 12, 2010

By 

Royal Radeschty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revenant (Paperback)

The writing is overly bland. It appears intentional. Perhaps to suggest a dream-like state for the main character? That's the problem. You just don't know. The ending is a total cop-out and anti-climactic. Worse, the ending is in contradiction to the rules of the mythology created within the book. Take note 1)Others have tagged this as a vampire story. There is almost nothing in the book to justify that tag. This is really a story about a vengeful ghost. 2) Others have tagged this as gay romance. There is almost no romance. There is almost nothing gay. It most certainly does not explore the emotions or dynamics. There is almost no exploration of emotional conflict for the main character who has never experienced this type of attraction before. There is no explanaton of why the revenant is gay. According to the backstory he wasn't gay during life. There is no explanation of whether he is now actually gay, or if he is only attracted to the main character as a person, with gender not even being a factor. 3) The back cover of the book says "Warning, this title contains the following: m/m sex." However when I finished reading, I turned the back cover to close the book, saw the warning, the only thing that went through my head was "really? where?" I had to go back to see what I'd missed. There's only one scene I can find that could be technically considered sex. There are only three kisses that I could find. There is absolutely -nothing- that could even be considered descriptive in those instances, let alone anything that could be considered explicit. All-in-all I am disappointed that I had purchased this book and spent time reading it rather than a book that would have been entertaining and enjoyable.