Customer Reviews

The Wounded King (Vampire: Victorian Age, Book 3)

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

 

 

Anything done by white-wolf publishing is an amazing foray into the darkest parts of the human mind. They tell stories, not just write books. (there is a difference) and it is a unique spin on the traditional tales of Vampires. If you think you know Vampires...think again. Foget evreything you know.

The third volume in this series resumes the story of vampires Regina Blake and Victoria Ash as the scene shifts from Paris to Vienna. In that city is the secret master chantry of the Tremere, the blood wizards of the Masquerade. It is into Vienna that Anton Wellig has brought Regina's mother, Emma, to enlist the support of his peers in an ornate plot aimed at ending the unlife of Mithras, the demon prince of London. Welligs initial attempts on Mithras failed, but damaged the master vampire in such a way that the turmoil in his mind is reflected in the city's streets.

Lord Blake, Emma's husband before her own change, also comes to Vienna to try to release his wife. But he is not as cautious as he should have been in choosing his friends, and the attempted rescue triggers another round of disastrous consequences. Beckett manages to rescue Emma from immediate danger, but there are countless other bumps in the road as the various players are drawn back to England for the final phases of this long drama.

Phillipe Boulle again manages to avoid the trap many Masquerade authors fall into - that of getting so mired in the details and politics of Vampire life that their tales read more like museum exhibits than they do vampire fiction. While this volume bogs down a bit as Boulle fleshes it out with some collateral stories, it never drags to the point that the reader's attention wanders. And for the most part, his sub-stories flesh out his characters or expand on current events.

The primary focus of the story is the people who move through it. In particular Regina Blake, who comes to age as a vampire. She presents the aspect of a woman who is made with now warning or willingness, goes through the crises of the changing experience and, eventually makes her peace with her new 'life.' For all the glamour that vampires have, Boulle effectively cuts through the pretty picture and opens many of the interior moments of a vampire's life. Even while presenting an absorbing tale of the battle for power among some of the darkest segments of the world of night.

When I finish a good book I sigh, think about it, and look forward to the next one by that author. However, when I finish a trilogy, knowing that I have reached the end of a journey never to be taken for the first time again, I miss the book that will never be. So, about halfway through I start reading slower, even when I am entranced -- to make the journey last as long as possible.

The Wounded King by Philippe Boulle is the final in The Victorian Age of Vampires. I don't want the series to end. I know the people, for they are not just characters to me. I want to continue to peek in on their lives, or half-life of a vampire. I want the sensational trip to continue.

Philippe Boulle is not just the writer, but he is an editor and publisher at White Wolf Publishing. The books he publishes have never compromised his ethics. Each is a unique trip. He is, however, my favorite writer for White Wolf. I want more novels about these amazing people: some I love, some I understand while some I do not, and some I dislike. Each emotion tells me that my life has changed in knowing them.

I followed Lady Regina Blake, the heroine, beginning with The Morbid Initiation, through The Madness of Priests and into the conclusion and wrap up in The Wounded King. My reviews of his first two novels are also available here.

This series is a "coming of age" of a young Victoria Lady whose mother just happens to be the vessel for the return of ancient power. Regina loves, years for more, suffers the loss of her family and lovers, and disappears into London's night society. She journeys through a daylight into darkness world with Victoria Ash, her protector.

The power of Boulle's writing is this: believability is interwoven in the plot, characters, actions, and consistency of the series. I cannot recommend this book without the first two -- and I found this is a trip worth taking. Those who love vampire fiction will be satiated, history buffs will see the details of each scene and set the time and place by them. This is a good time for all.

I give it five stars.

Victoria Tarrani

This book was a great ending to the trilogy that was Victorian Age Vampire. I could not put these books down, least of all this one, and I was so sad to see it all end.