Customer Reviews

To Sift Through Bitter Ashes (The Grails Covenant , No 1)

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

 

 

I was pretty darned impressed with this book, I couldn't put it down. I was a little hesitant to pick up a book that was based on an RPG, but this proved to be a great story. The characters were auprisingly well developed and the flow of the storyline was outstanding.

The story is one of a power-crazed servant of the La Sombre clan that embarks on a quest to find the Holy Grail and return it to his master, Claudius Euginio, and bring power back to his clan. The historic relic was fabled to be protected beneath a mosque in the city of Jerusalem. The story shows how easily the brotherhood of the night can manipulate mortals to do as they wish. The ending left you with a few extra questions, but overall, it did a good job of setting you up for the second novel.

Montrovant...an interesting character filled with an overly arrogant nature for his kind. I loved the characters in this book. I have played all the White Wolf RPGs, and I love being able to follow the story that follows some of the legends of the RPG books. For those of you that haven't played White Wolf, do not fret - this novel is very easy to read as long as you do have a little bit of knowledge involving the vampire.

I found this novel incredibly boring. It is a political novel set in the time of the Dark Ages for Vampire the Masquerade. There is little action. There is little character development. The plot is slow. The story is about a Lasombra Lord named Montravent who is determined to uncover the Holy Grail for the benefits of his clan. In order to do this, he sets out on a journey to manipulate the politics of the Middle East during the times of the Crusades. It was tiring for me to read about how everyone was terrified of this being before them and how they believed he was an agent of God sent to answer their prayers.

The novel was slow in pace. At the end of each chapter there was very little to keep me going as a reader. I understand that this was the first novel in a trilogy and that potentially the author has the ability to have everything 'pay off' in the end. But the first novel in a trilogy is usually supposed to be the strongest of the set. I was dissapointed with this story because I planned to read it in conjunction with the Devil's Advocate Trilogy.

Maybe I'm just not a fan of Vampire the Dark Ages. A Classic D&D story will be more entertaning and more worth your time. Vampire the Masquerade "Dark Ages" was a nice idea, but failed on the market. The World of Darkness is better left to a modern day setting.

First off, Wilson exhibits a love for the English language that one rarely sees. He does amazing things with his sentences, but sometimes he runs on, and not in an effective way. These long, labrynthine sentences slow down the reader, but otherwise Wilson pulls you along, and the novel goes by smoothly. The story is interesting, especially if you're a World of Darkness fan (though I don't think it's required to enjoy it). Kli Kodesh is a great antagonist, and most of the book's best dialouge belongs to the dark Father Santos. All in all, I think "To Sift Through Bitter Ashes" is a book that is worth a look at: it's got an engaging story and fresh, creative writing. Check it out.

After first few chapters, I was bugged by the familiarity of some of the characters. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks that the characters were actually the personage responsible for the founding of Knights Templar. Montraval of course did not exist in the creation of the Templars, but it works for the character build in the story. The fact that Kli Kadesh (nice pun with the name: vessel of Knowledge in Hebrew) is implied to be Judas was odd. The inconsistancy of course was that Kli was quoted to have said he was around for quite some time before the Christ's coming. I mentioned this to the author and he explained why he had to add that inconsistancy. Something about the Publishers not wanting Judas being Kli Kadesh. Being a Vampire Novel buff, the story was enjoyable. I would like to see the next books and see how it ends. Not quite as enthrawling as Brian Ludlums Necroscope series. But you have to like Montraval and his arrogance. Can't wait to see if he survives the series!

I'm new to V:tM but find myself swept away with a fervent intellectual passion for the material. If you're a hardcore gamer, a follower of vampire literature, interested in religious history, or simply like a well-written story - then this series will spark your interest. It takes place around the time of the Crusades and follows one possible backstory of the Knights Templars. You'll be introduced to the V:tM Vampire clan known as the Lasombra and an enigmatic duo(I will let you figure out who I'm referring to) which engage in a millenia encompassing fencing match of immortal chess. All sorts of questions come up in regards to Occult history, etc. It will entertain you and pose questions to those of us who have an open mind and an appetite for knowledge.

If you like vampires, fantasy and the crusades then this is the book for you. it is well written and has a great story line.

This book of the Dark Ages series is one of the best and it speaks clearly of the vampires and quest for it's own needs. I recommend this to anyone.