During the icy winter of 1857, riverboat man Abner Marsh is made captain of his own grand Mississippi steamboat by Joshua York, a vampire intent upon saving his maligned race from extinction.
In 1982 when I was in 9th grade, I remember picking up a vampire novel entitled Fevre Dream. I remember they were describing this book as “Bram Stoker meets Mark Twain”. It basically was a story about a vampire on a river steamboat and that concept intrigued me. It would be nominated for a Locus Award as well as a World Fantasy Award. I paid little attention to the author at the time but he was none other than George R.R. Martin, now famous for the Game of Thrones series. The novel would eventually be made into a graphic novel which our library owns also.
The novel begins in 1851 with an Abner Marsh, a steamboat captain, who due to financial uncertainty takes on a mysterious new partner by the name of Joshua York. As they begin their journey via steamboat, Joshua and the comrades that he brings aboard stay to themselves. They are later discovered to be vampires. Joshua is hunting others of his own kind to give them a mysterious potion that will control their blood lust. Another vampire by the name of Damon Julian learns what Joshua is doing and he arrives with some of his followers and deposes Joshua banishing him. Joshua then begins a decades long journey to find his steamboat and the creatures that vanquished him. It isn’t till years later that the vampire tracks the ship down and with the aid of his retired friend Abner he confronts his nemesis for a grand final battle.
The author Martin makes this a mood piece and he captures the antebellum period with accurate dialogue and a fine eye for historical detail. The characters are written well and you really feel for the vampire Joshua who just wants to find a cure for his race’s blood lust. The villain Damon Julian is also finely written and is a worthy protagonist. The battle scenes are brutal and bloody. This is also a wonderful novel to read to see how the author Martin handles a “horror novel” as opposed to a fantasy series. This is one of his earliest books and he displayed his prowess for writing an excellent story even then. If you enjoy a fine vampire tale and a great period piece this is the novel for you.
Availability: Book
Rating: **** Stars (I really liked it) Reviewer: Van, Reference Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH?
DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS!
GENRE: Historical Horror
THEME: Vampire Menace (Garlic-challenged bloodsuckers feature prominently in these horror stories.) TONE: Atmospheric; Creepy; Dramatic; Suspenseful
STORYLINE: Character-Driven
WRITING STYLE: Compelling TIME PERIOD: 1850s; 19th Century
LOCATION: Mississippi River
SUBJECT: River Boats; Ship Captains; Steam Boats; Vampires
IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK, YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY THESE TITLES: