The Living Blood

Rating:
Summary: Then came the sequel or perhaps 2nd in a trilogy?
Review: Thsi book nicely picks up where My Soul to Keep left off, Jessica the first female immortal and mother to a child, Fana who has remarkable abilities due to her parents "Living Blood". This book kind of falls short because it goes form the personal story that it was before to a world story, the thought of how would the world react to this blood, how a billionaire would hunt the immortals down and the revelation of Khaldun and the Life Brothers.
The nice touch is the doctor and his dying son, I felt that though this story took up a lot of space, it intergrated nicely with the main "family" of characters.
The whole Fana bad seed/super powers storyline is difficult at best to hold onto because the books are no longer grounded as they were before in one simple remarkable thing happening and everyone's reaction to that. Suddenly each new remarkable thing is topped by yet another and then another and another, until we get a place where it's a "remarkable" sci/fi/fantasy-action book.
That choice detracts from teh original heart of My Soul to Keep which was a love story interrupted by immortality, in the Living Blood this is a fantasy/adventure tale that involves a family of remarkable people.
What remaind slightly hidden are the Life Brothers which if Ms. Due goes further with this is where the story is. There are less than 50 and the interesting thing would be what they are in form and thought, having lived so long. The hunt for them, now that would be interesting because we would start from a remarkable perspective and then get to see where that develops. It would be nice to see what these men think of teh world, how they've interacted and perhaps influenced it. What are their thoughts on religion, gender, sexuality (come on, they do all live together a mighty long time walking around naked---I don't mean that crudely but if you are outside of the perview of judgment as your manhood being your acocomplishments because you can literally acocomplish anything what is manhood to you?), the concept of Jesus as their blood originator, what does that make them think of teh vision of Christ throughout the world?
There are a lot of questions to be plundered here and the book does leave it open that as David and Jessica reveal and share their blood with the world, the Life Brothers must come out of hiding. It would be nice to see a confrontation in say 10, 20, 30 years between these camps. And it would also be nice to see how much smarter someone like Jessica would become. Think about if you could spend an indefinite amount of time studying everything?
Fana is a problem because she reaches a natural end as a story device. She isn't teh one put directly in danger by teh billionaire seekign the lifeblood but her own lifeblood is too much and manifests all of these strange abilities. I felt that the deus sex machina ending was a little contrived and I wanted this mysterious Bee Woman (possibly Fana in the future?)needs to come to the forefront.
I think that ultimately Khaldun is right, the blood is too much for the world and it would be nice to see a three pronged assault of these questions. Humans to immortals and then immortals to uber-immortals like Fana. As the stage is being set in this book, a very good book, more questions than serious answers are being presented.

Rating:
Summary: For the Serious Horror Aficianado
Review: King, Straub, Koontz, Barker, Rice...trust me, I've read them all. While others' work seemingly becomes stale & strained, Tananarive Due serves it up fresh. "The Living Blood" is an enthralling story intertwined with the spooky & sublime; a tale that leads the reader through a whirlwind of emotions, suspense, international travel and supernatural encounters. From cover to cover this is a brilliant piece of work, which will surely be an asset to every well-rounded literary collection.

Rating:
Summary: I Thought It Couldn't Be Done!
Review: When I read the first book, "My Soul to Keep," I just thought Ms. Due had already outdone herself and had secured her place with such writers as Stephen King. When I found out a sequel had been written I raced to purchase it and found it to be every bit as mesmerizing, enchanting, awe-inspiring, as My Soul to Keep, if not more so. The Living Blood answers all questions you may have had after reading My Soul to Keep; and brings back all the old characters -- it's a perfect sequel. The characters are more developed, the details clear; let's your imagination run absolutely wild! I loved it, thoroughly enjoyed it and would warn those who fear thoughts of "immortals," to select another book.

Rating:
Summary: I really like the way this book works.
Review: I really like this way this book works, and I really like the way this young lady writes. The fact that I found this book on the New Release shelf so soon after its release can only mean that we are not paying nearly enough attention to this excellent author. (You know any new Stephen King or 'Alphabet Murder' book is chronically on hold for months. Ask my wife.)

Get this book, read this book, and you will agree that Stephen King has nothing on Tananarive Due, even when he's practicing his craft instead of churning out a new best seller.

Now that I found the prequel to this book, My Soul to Keep, in the Mystery (huh? don't argue with the librarian please) section of the Ames Public Library, I am learning to appreciate this book all the more.

Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've Read So Far This Year!
Review: There is not much that I can say about THE LIVING BLOOD that hasn't already been said. As is the case many times, I bought this book at my local bookstore while searching for another. I was not disappointed. I had never read anything by Ms. Due before and there was nothing on the jacket cover to clue me in that this was a sequal to another. Of course by the time I figured that out, I was too deep into this wonderful novel to put it down. But the talented Ms. Due was able to do what few writers are able to accomplish--she wrote a sequal that clearly satisfied the appetites of those who read the first book, MY SOUL TO KEEP, but she also formulated her storyline in such a way that a first time reader of this Epic story of Jessica Jacobs-Wolde and her husband David could follow and find an equal amount of satisfaction.

This book touches every emotion that a person could feel and then it turns around and touches a few that the person didn't know he or she even had. Many times science fiction seems in direct contradiction to reality as we know it, but at no time did this story ever veer so far to the left or right that it left the reader questioning its plausibility. Jessica's story of mother-love is one that any mother, mortal or in this case, immortal, could relate to. So too is the story of Lucas Shepard and his love for his son, and his desperate need to believe that there was a blood that could save his child. The history behind the blood might cause some readers a little momentary discomfort, but they will soon see that it is a necessary piece to the puzzle of this story. My only complaint is that I didn't want the story to end. I can't imagine that there is more to tell of this wonderful story of the immortals, but if Ms. Due decides to write it, I will be one of the first to buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Ms. Due deserves her just dues
Review: The "Living Blood" is an awesome sequel to "My Soul To Keep". This book was chosen for our bookclub and there wasn't a soul there who didn't love the book. Tananarive is a wonderful supense/supernatural writer. It was very hard to put the book down, every page kept you wanting more and Tananarive delivered. I have recommended this book to everyone from co-workers to complete strangers who are fascinated by the cover and then ask to read the jacket. It's funny when the question was posed how many would be willing to receive the"living blood" if existed, the answer was yes.
Tananarive takes time to develop her characters and create such an interesting storyline that all things come full circle. If you haven't read "My Soul to Keep" yet please due. I love all of Tananarive works. She is definately right there with Dean Koontz and Stephen King, really a step above because she's our female suspense writer of the millinium.

Rating:
Summary: The Breathtaking Living Blood
Review: Tananarive Due left me gulping for air after My Soul To Keep and The Living Blood, the sequel, met all my expectations and then some. As with My Soul To Keep, she leads the reader in slowly and gets the story to a point where you can't put the book down. There were parts of The Living Blood that I personally found a little gruesome for my taste, but I was still totally engrossed to the end. Jessica and Dawit are a couple I want to be together in spite of all they have had to put up with (especially all Jessica has had to put up with.) Aside from the story line gripping the attention, the descriptions of Ethiopia make you want to run to the travel agent and see the land, the people and the churches in person. The concept of immortals being "made" by man is fascinating and made believable with Ms. Due's writing. I recommend reading My Soul to Keep first, in spite of the fact that there's a synopsis at the beginning of The Living Blood. However, the book can be enjoyed either way.

Rating:
Summary: Read it!
Review: Tananarive Due's The Living Blood is the best novel I have read in a long time. As a fan of speculative fiction, I found this book to be completely engrossing. Through her character development, Due explores the themes of good, evil and religious faith in honest, respectful, and unique ways. This is the first book that I have read of hers... though it is the sequel to My Soul to Keep... which I intend to read soon!
Do your self a favor and Read it!

Rating:
Summary: A Satisfying Conclusion
Review: The Living Blood was a very satisfying conclusion to the story that began in My Soul To Keep. All of the characters that I learned to love the first time around were all back in this book and the author even had some new characters for you to fall in love with. The book starts off where My Soul To Keep ended and that's with the birth of Bee-Bee (Fana). Tananarive Due is just an amazingly gifted writer who can easily draw you into the world that she's created. One of the many things I love so much about her writing is that, not only does she write books that make the pages turn quickly, but she makes you think about her books long after you've put them down. I STILL think about The Living Blood and My Soul To Keep and I still find myself wondering "what if" this kind of thing happened to me. I still find myself wondering, "What would I have done in Lucas' situation"? If you are looking for a book with some very deep subject matter and some substance, you have to first read My Soul To Keep and then follow it up with The Living Blood.

Rating:
Summary: The best Sci-Fi book I have ever read, bar none!
Review: This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire 500+ pages. I will not get into the details of the story so that I do not ruin it for anyone reading this review. However, this book is especially good, if you read Due's earlier offering My Soul To Keep. The Living Blood is the part two to My Soul To Keep. There are several story lines that take place in this book, and it is particularly fascinating the way Due brings all of them to one brilliant climax. If you enjoy a book with plenty of twists and turns, this book is a must have. Due is simply the best, period.