As many of us have done before.. I know George RR Martin especially from the 'A Song of Fire And Ice' anthology.. commonly known as Game of Thrones.
Since Martin is the king of the waiting game.. meaning he's postponing his next installment of A Song of Fire and Ice so many times, I'm getting a Half-Life 3 vibe.
So.. time to divert my attention elsewhere and when I saw that my library carried another novel by him I was mystified. (They don't have the greatest selection for a veteran like me ^^).
It's about vampires, but with a unique twist to it. It's set in the South, more specifically on the river The Mississippi. And it's before the civil war when the slaves were freed, although in the end he does quickly pass over this event.
The core of the story is pretty simple and this novel doesn't have the fine lacing of story telling that he exhibits in the more known Game of Thrones. His characters miss depth and apart from the main protagonists they lack credibility. But every great writer has to begin somewhere and where Martin earns points is with he vivid description of river steamboats and the life as a captain of one of these boats cruising along the Mississippi. The characters may seem like props, but the setting is very realistic and he works it in a way that makes you almost taste the sand in your glass of water.
It was a fun read. Vampires are a hidden indulgence and I was curious to see what Martin would do with it.
