Customer Reviews

Shattered Glass

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read this book a number of years ago (almost 10 years!) it still sticks in my mind as one of the greatest books I've ever read. I don't know why, but her characters touched me in a special way. In a genre that usually ends up being stereotypical and gorey, Bergstrom weaves a really sensual and artistic web. She creates a new vampire that is not a demon, but another creature altogether. She truly reinvented the myth.

I am a vampire fan from long ago. I have read almost everything in print about vampire...fiction and non-fiction alike. This was by far the best book i have ever read. Ms. Bergstrom's characters are the most believable i have ever met. I wish to thank her for this book.

The series sure starts off with a bang. A vampire is killing women in Cleveland and soon Stephen Austra, a glassworker, comes to town. He doesn't open his mouth when he smiles and has unusually long legs. He's also an immortal vampire, and the summery on the back of the book is terrible. Helen Wells is related to him through his brother Charles, making her a potential member of the family. What happens when Charles comes to call, looking for death, is the plot of this exceedingly wonderful book.

The only vampire stories I had ever read before was the "St. Germain" series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and bought this book looking for another ethical "good" vampire to love...Stephen Austra is that...and watching his tender relationship with Helen grow is compelling...but this book collapses under the dark malevolent, violently oppressive scenes and themes in the last half. I'm sticking with St. Germain Ragosczy.

I was lucky enough to find this book before an 8-hour flight, and I was unable to take the nap I had planned. Ms. Bergstrom creates amazing characters and an engrossing plot. As an aspiring writer, I can only thank her for this inspiration.

Amazing.
The tale of the magnificent and powerful Austras continues in Shattered Glass. You will love each moment of Helen and Stephen's tender courtship, and follow each step in Helen's physical and emotional transformation. The only bad part of the book is when you realize you are out of pages to read.

TITLE:Shattered Glass AUTHOR:Elaine Bergstrom CUSTOMER-ID:2747308 SOURCE:pontmarie EMAIL:pontmarie@yahoo.com DISPLAY-EMAIL:source USER-LOCATION:Mtn. View, California TIME:881343466 RATING:5 PRIORITY:25 SUMMARY:Elaine Bergstrom spins pure gossamer with her vampire tales. REVIEW: Amazing.
The tale of the magnificent and powerful Austras continues in Shattered Glass. You will love each moment of Helen and Stephen's tender courtship, and follow each step in Helen's physical and emotional transformation. The only bad part of the book is when you realize you are out of pages to read.

I bought "Shattered Glass" several years ago expecting it to be a great vampire book. After all, the review on the front cover said it was "The Most Terrifying Novel of Sensuous Evil Since Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire". (I hadn't finished Interview yet, but I figured if they could compare the two books, it must be worth reading.) Unfortunately, this is one of the worst vampire books I've ever read.

It begins in 1955 with a prostitute being murdered by Charles Austra, brother to Stephen Austra. Both are vampires, but neither is very much alike. While Charles enjoys the darker, seedier aspects of life, Stephen is an artist and all-around good guy. He's also in love with his handicapped neighbor, Helen Wells. Her uncle, Dick, is the police officer investigating Charles's murders, and because the two brothers look so much alike, Dick thinks Stephen is the killer.

The book was confusing at times, but that may have been my own fault. I was already losing interest a few chapters into it. Even though it's not long (approximately 372 pages), it seemed to drag on forever.

I would only recommend this book to die-hard vampire fans who will read anything with blood and fangs in it. Otherwise, don't waste your time. Try Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire instead.

If you've already read this book and enjoyed it, you might like the other two books in the trilogy: Blood Alone and Blood Rites.

I loved it. Ms. Bergstrom certtainly knows how to weave a tale. And her approach to vampires is unique. I can highly recommend this book. If you like the vampires to be the "good (ish) guys" then this is a book for you.

Shattered Glass is a great read, non-traditional, dark, epic, and sensual. Not your average vampire fluff, this book is worth your money and your time!

This has to be my favorite vampire book ever, partly because it takes place in an area of Ohio I'm familiar with and relate. Elaine Bergstrom is an amazing writer and I highly recommend the whole series. If you are a fan of the vampire genre, this is a must read.