Rating: 
Summary: Too much, too soon
Review: First, I try to use a realistic rating system. Three stars is not bad it is average. If every book gets five stars, then there is no constructive rating.I gave this book three stars because the writing is adequate and the story is engaging ... to a point. The author may have been given too momentous of a task. To handle all of Gehenna in one novel is ridiculous. Each clan deserves its own novel. Many of the characters that we have read about over the years are not even mentioned in this book. And some of the big ones who are mentioned are little more than foot notes (see Jan Pieterzoon and Victoria Ash). Even if we accept the premise that this is the end of the world and that all of these vampires are propably dead, it would be nice to read about their final deaths and more importantly how each character reacted to their fate. Did they accept their fate with grace, disdain, despair etc. ? Finally, though the book tries to give a glimpse as to how the end of the world begins and more importantly the final truth about being a vampire, the length of the novel prohibits the writer from ever generating enough momentum to draw the reader into caring about the characters. Even the final revelation seems to be a little lackluster and succinct. I would have preferred to have waited another year or so and had more material to digest with an in depth look at those characters who have captured the imagination in former WOD books.
Rating:
Summary: Too much, too soon
Review: First, I try to use a realistic rating system. Three stars is not bad it is average. If every book gets five stars, then there is no constructive rating. I gave this book three stars because the writing is adequate and the story is engaging ... to a point. The author may have been given too momentous of a task. To handle all of Gehenna in one novel is ridiculous. Each clan deserves its own novel. Many of the characters that we have read about over the years are not even mentioned in this book. And some of the big ones who are mentioned are little more than foot notes (see Jan Pieterzoon and Victoria Ash). Even if we accept the premise that this is the end of the world and that all of these vampires are propably dead, it would be nice to read about their final deaths and more importantly how each character reacted to their fate. Did they accept their fate with grace, disdain, despair etc. ? Finally, though the book tries to give a glimpse as to how the end of the world begins and more importantly the final truth about being a vampire, the length of the novel prohibits the writer from ever generating enough momentum to draw the reader into caring about the characters. Even the final revelation seems to be a little lackluster and succinct. I would have preferred to have waited another year or so and had more material to digest with an in depth look at those characters who have captured the imagination in former WOD books.
Rating:
Summary: Craving for something more
Review: I bought this book because I wanted to know how this great series ended. Was I disappointed? A tab bit. There were several prominent figures from pervious novels that weren't even mention like Aisling Sturbridge, Isabel Giovanni, or Khalil. There's no written note, e-mail, or confession. Guess we have to make them up ourselves.
If you want, buy the book for some easy reading but don't expect much. This book was suppose to coincide w/ the storyline on the recently release game Bloodlines, especially concerning the Anarch Smiling Jack.
Rating: 
Summary: now I'm waiting for the sequal to Gehenna.. wait a sec...
Review: I have been a long time fan of the V:TM plotline, mainly game focused material but books as well. I was hoping this "finale" would answer my questions, provide details, uncover secrets, maybe even show a man-behind-the-curtain and basically wrap-up the world of darkness vampire plotline as I knew it. Although the writer does a very good job of outlining the cause and effects within the game itself, he dodges all the major storyline meat I wanted to chew. I wanted to read a book with some answers, and at the end of the book I felt very much like the main character did, which is that the answers aren't going to come. I feel I wasted my time reading this book; it is written well, I will give it that much credit. BUT. If you are looking for the climax of Gehenna, battles between elders, devastating mystery powers, mythic figures, ancient secrets revealed, basic kerblaam stuff, and the rest of that epic carp, look further. I can say that near the end of the book, I kept checking how many pages I had yet to read as there were too many questions and plotlines left unanswered and untouched. Now, I guess its time to start waiting for Gehenna: The Next Final Night. Or maybe Gehenna: Final Night #XVI: Caine Vs. Himself...
Rating:
Summary: Wow her first WW novel and I glad it was only one
Review: I have read every WW novel since '96 and this one is right up there with the Masuerade of the Red Death trilogy, boring. Come on it is Gehenna I want to know what is going on not follow a rather static plotline around visiting big babbies in the world of darkness. *sigh* and if you actually liked that trilogy then you will probably enjoy this, but if you expecting somthing exciting like I was you will be sorely disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Poignant, hopeful, mysterious, enlightening...
Review: I have read most (if not all) of the narrative fiction produced for the Vampire line and this is another well-written addition to my collection. Cainite society begins to unravel as elders grow weak and begin to feed on neonates, while thin-bloods rise to power in cities once held by the Sabbat and Camarilla. Ancient powers awaken and stalk the night, leaving behind piles of dust and stories of a scourging desert wind and a roaming darkness from the Abyss. Certain signature characters from previous stories are brought back to face the coming Apocalypse together. Beckett, Theo Bell, Lucita, and even Anatole figure prominently throughout the book. Other notable characters are given cameos, which help to further the plot and add a bit of flavour. The rise of the Thin-bloods is interesting, in that they provide hope that there could possibly be a remnant that survives Gehenna to rebuild from the ashes of the old. This is something spoken of by Beckett, to Jenna Cross, the Last Daughter - leader of the Thinbloods. There is one character that is introduced early in the story, who is unfamiliar, but ultimately someone very important. The process of this discovery is executed well, so it isn't until you're close to the end that the realization hits you between the eyes! I have to agree with some of the other reviewers, in that I too, wish the story could've been expanded on and potentially stretched out into a trilogy or series (like the Eastcoast Camarilla/Sabbat War). I recently finished reading the Brujah Trilogy, which appeared to be a prelude to this book - so I half expected to see some of the plotline and characters from the end of that story to carry over to this one - but that did not happen. It left at least ONE question left unanswered for me. That isn't necessarily bad. Certain characters from other Gehenna-Prophecy novels were noticeably absent here too. The Nosferatu, Kli Kodesh would've been an interesting character to have at end. The Cappadocian Archmage, Lameth would've been another enjoyable tie-in as well. Anyhow, like I've often said before about these novels - the well-written stories can easily be taken out of the "vampire" context and dropped in the middle of a mundane, blunted world of normalcy and still pack just as much relevancy and interest. This is one of those stories. In truth, it's a collection of numerous short stories, all bound within the larger story about a mythical individual who travels in the company of one of his own descendants and learns that there are still redeemable qualities within his line and there is still more to learn and live through.
Rating:
Summary: A bit disappointed
Review: I just finished reading Gehenna. This is the first Vampire novel I've actually read. Having read as much as I can about the metaplot from the roleplaying books, I was a bit disappointed in the ending.
Like a previous reviewer, I wanted more questions answered. I wanted concrete answers to all of the "myths" about kindred society.
That doesn't take away from the fact the author, in my opinion, did a great job with writing the novel. The descriptions he used, especially describing the beast and how it reacted to stressful situations, was great.
Rating: 
Summary: My first love affair with the signature characters and more!
Review: I love this book, mostly because I love the slick, clever characteristics Marmell applies to the characters. In truth, this is the first V:tM novel I've read, being a fan of the game. Anyhow, the story and its end were satisfying and the plot shifts were less-than-subtle which also helped in alot of the action scenes. The one thing that itched at the back of my mind was how much Marmell alludes to the fact that they're vampires, comparing them more than once in a chapter to the mortals. I'm not going to make examples and it was the VERY least of problems I found in the book. Great book, plot, characters, and action sequences. A must-read for those who love the Dark Fantasy genre or players of V:tM or ToJ!
Rating:
Summary: An intensely satisfying conclusion to Vampire's run
Review: I loved this book. The action is exciting, the characterizations are engaging and plausible, and the air of tragedy and of struggle for some final meaning is palpable. The story here fully captures Vampires' great themes of individuals caught in schemes altogether beyond their control, attempting to justify an existence anchored in ancient evil and requiring fresh harm to the world every time they feed, and no longer tolerated by the God whose anger made them in the first place. I finished the last section profoundly moved, just as I'd hoped for. The overall story of Gehenna is beyond the scope of any novel. That's what the game book is for. What fiction can do, and what this book does particularly well, is show what the big picture means to selected individuals. The vignettes give us a good compact sense of Gehenna's meaning to a wide range of Vampire characters, and then the main story targets in with the depth necessary to do justice to an individual's terminal struggle. This is an altogether elegant and suitable last act, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging read...
Review: I think this book will satisfy the curious who are fans of White Wolf's novel series. Who survives, who doesn't, what's left? I really enjoyed the directions that Ari Marmell took familiar characters, though it left me asking about other individual who were sadly, not mentioned. Though it was somewhat predictable, "Gehenna, The Final Night" was a very entertaining read and fun to curl up with on a cold winter night.
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