Slave of My Thirst (Paperback)

by Tom Holland (Author) "I come now to perhaps the most extraordinary episode of my whole long career in India..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lord Byron, Sir George, Mary Kelly (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
These days, what can a writer do to make his vampire novel stand out from the pack? In Lord of the Dead (LJ 1/96), Holland made Lord Byron one, and he brings his vampire Byron back in this new novel, narrated in part by Bram Stoker. Like Stoker's masterpiece, this book is arranged as a series of letters, journal, and diary entries. Stoker here plays Doctor Watson to a Doctor John Eliot's Sherlock Holmes. The book's opening section, though, comes right out of the movie Gunga Din, complete with a deadly battle atop a tower against the forces of Kali. But in this novel, those forces are not thugs but zombies, and Kali is not just a statue but a supernatural power who summons Jack the Ripper into the book. Holland mixes all of these associations together and serves up an entertaining concoction all his own. Literary junk food, perhaps, but you won't stop after just one bite. Highly recommended.?Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
In his previous book, Lord of the Dead (1995), Holland turned Lord Byron into a vampire; in this one, he uses the vampire myth to explore reason versus passion in Victorian England. An introductory note by "Abraham Stoker" (the book is full of literary jokes) sets the mood by warning the reader of the danger in this "body of papers," which includes chapters from a book about India and excerpts from letters and diaries. The section in India is told by a charmingly pompous British officer sent to Kalikshutra on India's border, where Russians are infiltrating. There, he meets an English doctor studying a local "disease" that seems to turn people into vampires. The action moves quickly in this section, but after 75 pages, the scene and teller shift to London and the English doctor John Eliot. He is a less humorous storyteller, but the tale builds new momentum when an old friend asks him to investigate the disappearance of her husband, who just happens to be presenting a bill in Parliament about Kalikshutra. His search leads him through the real Victorian London (meeting Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, and some surprises) and the spiritual world behind it. Holland does a good job of pacing the discoveries in this page-turner. Fans of vampire stories, mysteries, spiritual musings, and Victorian London will clamor for this one. Kevin Grandfield --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067154053X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671540531
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,224,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanting more..., July 5, 2003

By	Lauren (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

Having recently read Holland's first Byron novel, _Lord of the Dead_, i couldn't wait to read this one, and I was not disappointed at all. I've read all of the reviews saying how contrived the historial characters are, and i strongly disagree. Bram Stoker is exactly how i imagined him, a sweet yet doddering man with a simple life with a simple inspired idea for a novel. Jack is even more interesting in the novel, drawing the reader into his carnal lust for death and resentment towards the filth of the world. Polidori is great and annoying at the same time as usual, and of course, Byron is terrific and beautifully portrayed as well.

The book had no slow parts whatsoever, every page was filled with mystery and deceit and wonderful descriptions of its characters. The climax was tremendous and it made my heart beat faster as i turned the pages, afraid and expectant.

I don't want to give away too much, but as a suggestion to readers, pay close attention to the beggining of the story with Moorefield and the army guys, you won't regret it even though it is a little bit tedious compared to the meat of the book itself.

I seriously want more Byron, especially after the end comment from Jack (if anyone knows what i am saying!).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventure--and transformation, September 25, 2000

By	Minsma (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

*Slave of My Thirst* is an engaging trip through a number of narrative styles, from an hilariously oafish British colonial officer, to Bram Stoker's journal, to the diary of the Sherlock Holmes-like hero, Jack Eliot, and beyond. Each voice is distinctive, advancing the plot from its own point of view, making for an interesting journey from the remote mountain passes of India to the slums of London, from the vampiric worshippers of the goddess Kali, to the prostitutes and opium addicts of Whitechapel. Although overall I would say this is a "ripping good yarn," it transforms itself over the course of its varied narratives from a 19th century adventure story into something else, quite rich and strange. Jack Eliot, accompanied by Bram Stoker, tries to rescue one of Jack's old friends, and also to protect a young actress of Stoker's acquaintance from a web of intrigue which boggles the rational, Victorian minds of the two men. Holland has written passages of almost hypnotic sensuality (which were also interesting in his other vampire novel, *Lord of the Dead*), interspersed with a claustrophobic sense of being trapped in a life not of one's choosing, and with deliciously amorale characters. *Slave of My Thirst* seduces with a plot which masquerades as a linear adventure story, then broadens out into nearly hallucinogenic fantasy, and ultimately returns to being a thriller. Dr. Jack Eliot and friends may start off as fearless vampire killers, but they end up being transformed by their experiences--sometimes quite literally.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A step above the rest, please read!, June 26, 1999

By A Customer

This was a novel which touched many points of the adventurous spectrum, traveling from India to England. But, underneath all of the main plot, there is a sub plot which is superb. The fact that Holland was able to work in Lillith as a character is astounding. Lillith has a house which all are subject to a metamophasis. You had to have read the Lord Of The Dead to understand the Lord Ruthven lines and Holland's "rules" on vamparism. The part in India is pretty boring and simple, but necessary. The instance where Stoker and Elliot go into the Opium den was cool, not many other vampire writers touch on that. The ending is so completely great. I loved it...I've never read a book with a more complex and intrical ending. I give this book two thumbs up anyone's rear who says that the ending was bad. This book is definetely for the Elizebethan reader. READ IT TODAY!!!