Customer Reviews

Vampire Hunter D Volume 11: Pale Fallen Angel Parts One and Two

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Hideyuki Kikuchi's vampiric Nobility tend to be monstrous, evil, or both at once. But he introduces a very different kind of vampire in the eleventh volume of his Vampire Hunter D series, "Pale Fallen Angel Parts One and Two." Kikuchi sticks to his futuristic fantasy horrors and action, but also introduces a sympathetic vampire and some eerie vampire technology.

D has an unusual assignment -- accompany young Noble Baron Byron Balazs to the town of Krauhausen, so he can kill his old daddy Vlad Balazs. D agrees, as long as Byron keeps his fangs out of human necks.

At first it seems like a straightforward assignment, but their little caravan starts picking up some strays -- a haughty, snooty Noblewoman who keeps buzzing around Byron, and a pair of teenage tumblers. Though the boy Hugh strikes up an odd quasi-friendship with Byron, the girl May violently hates all Nobility for a simple reason -- they turned her parents into vampires.

And it turns out that old Lord Vlad has sent some assassins to kill D and his son, with their own range of horrific magical powers. And when D and Co. encounter an old vampire stronghold, D is faced with an ancient weapon so terrible that even the Nobility sealed it away -- as well as what appears to be the mysterious Sacred Ancestor.

It's entirely possible that "Pale Fallen Angel" is the best of the Vampire Hunter D novels to date, with its perfect balance of character development and grotesque slam-bang action. Sure, it has the usual flaws of Kikuchi's work -- namely that D's heartstopping hotness is mentioned every couple pages, and everybody keeps asking him who he is. It's obvious who he is, but for some reason people need verification.

But Kikuchi's vivid writing (including a mass tentacle attack) keeps the book going -- it moves by at a breathless pace, with lightning-fast action and a creepy bunch of villains (including an evil magician, a puppetmaster, "Vince" and the Dark Water assassins). And courtesy of the Baron, there's a certain amount of grim comedy here as well, including a friendly chitchat from inside his coffin ("Even now, I'd like nothing better than to put it to the torch!" "That would be rather inconvenient").

Kikuchi further expands this dark, vaguely medieval sci-fi world -- not only do we get a guided tour of a vampire citadel with a lovesick computer, but he explains a long-ago war between extraterrestrials and the Nobility, and the remnants left behind. And at one point, the horrible results of a vampire not drinking blood is revealed.

In fact, the biggest problem with "Pale Fallen Angel Parts One and Two" is that it ends on an obvious cliffhanger -- we're left wondering what D will do next, and about the Baron's secrets.

And Kikuchi takes plenty of time to flesh out his characters -- the Baron is a rather unique vampire among Kikuchi's Nobility -- he's actually rather pleasant, charming and kind of quirky, although there are hints of a nasty past that has made him different. The snooty Miska is his complete opposite, and the cast is rounded out by a few human children who manage to seem relatively naive despite their pasts.

The eleventh Vampire Hunter D adventure, "Pale Fallen Angel Parts One and Two," is a spectacular sci-fi adventure tempered by solid character development. And the ride isn't over yet.

This is Volume 11 in the Vampire Hunter D series. This is also the first two parts of this four part epic story called "Pale Fallen Angel"; parts three and four are in Volume 12. This was a very good Vampire Hunter D book!

In this book D is hired by Baron Byron Balarge to serve as his guard. D doesn't usually work for Nobles but given that the Baron is on his way to kill his Noble father; D consents to join him. As with most of D's adventures; they are beset on by natural disasters and assassins at every turn.

This book was right up there as one of my favorite Vampire Hunter D stories. The action is non-stop; in fact the characters rarely get to catch their breath between things attacking them and "natural" disasters running into them. The assassins are all very interesting and have interesting powers. The characters that end up accompanying D and the Baron are also fascinating. D's interactions, especially with the acrobatic brother and sister, give additional incite into his character.

This book was exceptional in that you get to learn a lot more about how the Nobility were wiped out, more about D's history, and more about the history of the world in general. The Baron himself has a complicated history and character and harbors many secrets that I am eager to find out. Kikuchi really excels at coming up with creative dangers in his world and with creative characters.

This book could be read as a stand alone (assuming you read the next volume, parts 3 and 4 after this one) you don't need to read all of the books before this one to enjoy the story. This book does end with a lot of things unresolved; but it doesn't leave you totally hanging like his last 2-book story did. You could read this book and then read parts 3 and 4 later; but I would recommend getting both volumes 11 and 12 so that you can finish up the story.

Kikuchi's writing style comes across as a bit choppy at times. Occasionally I also have trouble telling who is saying what; and the constant descriptions of D's beauty get to be a little much sometimes. But, those who like this series are used to all those drawbacks.

Overall, this was one of the best Vampire Hunter D books yet and I look forward to finishing the story in Volume 12.

While it may seem premature to say so after only reading half of the story, I still consider PALE FALLEN ANGEL to be the best book in the VAMPIRE HUNTER D series since DEMON DEATHCHASE, which was the third volume. The most immediate point of interest here is that D gets hired by a Noble this time, a vampire who wishes to be protected from the wrath of another vampire. That puts D into a very interesting position full of conflict and it really adds a much needed breath of fresh air (or maybe some new blood) to the proceedings. I also enjoyed that the multitude of villains and enemies allows Kikuchi to dispatch of a number of them rather quickly and often in spectacular and surprisingly viscious ways. This book is not entirely free of the somewhat tiring formula of villains meeting D, facing off, escaping with a few wounds while vowing to come back and finally getting sliced and diced on the second or third encounter, but at least it adds some variety. What I enjoyed most about the book was how fast-paced and action-packed it is. A number of the wilder action scenes were so cinematic I couldn't help but wonder what a genius like Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who obviously excells at action and who directed the VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST feature film, could do with them. As a result, this is now by far the book I'd most like to see animated if there ever is to be another D anime.

E. A Solinas' review gives the best detail on the book, so I won't go into that. However, I do want to express how much I loved Kikuchi's imagery and ability to discuss material without trying to go into the sort of detail that will destroy his setting - he gives you enough of the background of this far-off future to help you suspend disbelief, but he doesn't kick in the detail too high so as to shatter that suspension if he mucks up an area of, say, science that you may have knowledge in. Overall his stories tend to be wonderful romps through imagination.

This book was exceptionally great because we get glimpses into D's thinking that other books rarely brush upon, mostly due to his interaction with the enigmatic Baron Balazs, who is such an amazing "sympathetic" vampire character that I did not feel that he is too sappy or overpowered. How he handles the words of May's hate, how he deals with Miska's disgust of traveling with D and humans, and how he seems delighted at Hugh's kindness to him just brings out a 'humanity' in nobility we only saw vaguely in the "Demon Deathchase" novel (which inspired the "Bloodlust" movie).

Further, we see more earnest reactions in D - as if Kikuchi is finally comfortable to include D as a secondary (or even primary) character instead of just a catalyst. Previously, D seemed somewhat detached from the plot - that was fine, the books were really about the other characters, human/Noble interactions, life on the Frontier, or other situations. D was merely a plot device to move it along properly. Understandably, it was best for D to play that role else he would seem too perfect, too powerful, and possibly too "Mary Sue". D's lack of connection and the constant reminder of how he was not of the world (and the sad/frightened reactions of others) helped to keep him from becoming too unbelievable for the plot. In past stories we saw glimpses of his personality - kindness to human children, his encouragement of the young man in "Pilgrimage of the Sacred and the Profane" who fell in love with Tae, his generosity even after forcing merchants not to try and cheat him. And yet, they were only minor glances into someone who is so separate from all other living things.

This book however gives you the impression that D is an actual character. Instead of the amazing force that pulls it off, he interacts, he seems to show a bit of attitude with Byron early on (in his own sort of way), he even seems to show some pain. Perhaps it is because of his slowly growing kinship with the baron and how two children eventually accompany the expedition (given D's soft-spot for children). In the end, you start to feel like D is a part of the tale after all.

Stunning visuals and well done characters makes this a very excellent book!

This is part One and Two of Pale Fallen Angel a four novel book. One of the reasons I enjoy the Vampire Hunter D series is the feel of the setting. Swords and lasers, robot warriors, six-shooters, cyberhorses, Frontier life, aircraft, magic and advanced technology. It kind of reminds me of DUNE and Battletech, a mixture of the past and the future.

Yet the story seems to be less interesting in this book. Maybe the whole theme of a vampire hunter in the future is losing steam. Maybe I'm just getting bored. Maybe the mystery has gone. I had to drop a point.

I have yet to finish it but I've enjoyed what I've read so far and look forward to volume 12 with baited breath.

I have enjoyed every novel in the series but I must say that this one is one of my favs. now. I love the introduction of a Vampire noble client who has an affinity with D not seen since Link (sp) and Charlotte. I felt a bond of brotherhood between those two back then and definitely feel it here now.

I can't wait for the continuation of this story, why is this Vampire seeking the death of his parent and just what experiments were performed on him in the womb under the instructions of "The Ancestor".

First off, Amazon got this book to me in two days. Thanks. And the book is like every single Vampire Hunter D novel, which is to say fascinating. Some may think it's a bit like all the rest, but that's what I love about this translated series. It's just a world I love to crawl up inside and live within. I'm a huge vampire fan and this is by far my favorite series of books of all time.

This novel seemed to give a little more insight on the authors take on the personal life of a noble and the humans who oppose them. D's presence brings humility to both races . A must have for any VHD fan!

D's latest adventure has him traveling with two Vampires and it just doesn't get any better, this volume contains two books.