Children of the Night

Rating:
Summary: Fun with science, fun with vampires
Review: A while ago I wrote a review of "Summer of Night" and without realizing what I was doing, called this book a sequel to that book . . . I wasn't completely wrong, this is a spiritual successor to that book, one of the characters from "Summer" plays a big role in events and some of the other characters get at least one mention. The theme couldn't be any more different though. Simmons makes the book work on two levels here, trying to tell a thrilling suspense story while at the same time turning the vampire myth completely inside out. That's right, what he does here is propose a scientific mechanism (based on a recessive mutation) why they have to drink blood and what that means. This all comes about when the original Vlad Dracula decides that it's time to die and decrees that a new heir must be invested. Unfortunately the heir gets adopted by an American doctor, who tries to figure out why the baby can go from almost dead to perfectly healthy just be a blood transfusion. The science part of all of this is fascinating, some of it might be a little more science than people will want to read and if you're not well versed in biology or genetics a good part of it you're just going to have to take on faith and assume he did his research well. As far as I can tell, everything checks out so hats off to Simmons for taking the time. So all goes well until the vampires figure out where the kid went and go to get him back. At this point all the science takes a backseat for a cloak and dagger "let's sneak into a hostile foreign country where anyone could be a spy for the enemy and get the kid out before we're discovered and killed" at which point things become a little more generic but at the same time what sets this apart is Simmons' masterful gift for crafting the perfect sentence to set a mood, he's not as detailed in his descriptions as he has been in the past but he pulls out a good one when he needs to. The action is burtal and intense, the quieter moments are touching, you can't trust anyone, and it all comes to a rousing conclusion that you may or may not see coming (it didn't strike me until just before the end). Not "horror" per se, more of a dark adventure but ranks at the very least as one of his most entertaining and inventive books.

Rating:
Summary: So, so disappointing.....
Review: After reading 3/4 of the way through this book, I was impressed by the magnitude of research Dan Simmons had to do in the field of hematology, Romanian politics, and historical data on Vlad Tepes. However, towards the 3/4 mark, I felt that the characters were not behaving "in" character nor like real people. I found myself suffering to get through the final pages due to a decent plot that turned into an "Indiana Jones" movie. In a nutshell: I was very disappointed in this book.

Rating:
Summary: A new and improved (?) Vampire story....
Review: After reading Summer of Night, retroactively by the publication date, I could not wait to jump into another Dan Simmons novel, Children of the Night...

Much more a page-turning thriller than Summer was (although that by no means denotes 'better,' just different) this book catapults readers into the world of Romanian refugee children, who as we find, are 'farmed' at the local orphanages, which are bursting at the seams, as the private blood-bank for local vampires...now THERE'S a drive up teller you might want to avoid....

But Kate Neuman, a skilled hematologist and Father Mike O' Rourke (the adult incarnation of a Summer of Night character) change the face of Romania drastically when Kate adopts one of the children, 'Joshua,' whom Count Vlad Dracula has determined as successor to the blood soaked legacy he leaves behind, weary of it all, having been alive for centuries.

Kate and Mike are pursued to the States, where Kate brings her recently adopted son home to try and study his remarkable immune system, which requires blood transfusions every two weeks...and perhaps find a cure for cancer and aids in the process of saving his life. When Joshua is taken back to Romania by the Count's minions, Kate and Mike race frantically back to save him from the dark destiny the Count has prescribed for the boy.

A wonderful, tighty woven, thunderbolt of a story, Dan Simmons proved himself a major powerhouse of a new writer with this story. Highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of the Vampire genre....

Rating:
Summary: Classic Horror Modernized
Review: Dan Simmons has bridged Stoker to our modern conundrum of the AIDS virus brilliantly, yet stayed somewhat aloof to the current social implications. It is one of the most adaptive and inventive modernizations of Vampirism literature that I've ever read, and I've read quite a lot. I may be prejudiced, but I've read and purchased nearly everything Mr. Simmons has published and I consider him one of the top ten writers in the world.

Rating:
Summary: fascinating evil story bound to modern hematology
Review: Dan Simmons is a fantastic story teller. He describes "modern" Romania in such a black way, that one can believe that out of the depths of such modern evil could lurk the ancient evil of vampires. His use of modern hematology and immunology to describe the vampire legend is pure creative genius. Does he know something the rest of us don't. It's almost as if he's describing from first hand knowledge. There were elements in the action which required a suspension of belief. Even vampire legends should be consistent. All in all it's one of the best books of its genre and an excellent read

Rating:
Summary: Not your average cheesy vampire novel
Review: Dan Simmons is a wonderful, talented writer who doesn't write on a 12 year old level. This book is more than just a quick thrill, but a wonderfully researched and realized novel with wonderful development, plot, suspense and characters. If you're looking for a cheap thrill, don't read this novel - if you're looking for a mature, realized vision of a vampirism, this is the book for you! A wonderful read even if you're not into vampires and 'horror' stories.

Rating:
Summary: One of Simmons best books!!!
Review: Dan Simmons is one the best authors out there, although his fame is lesser than that of many much poorer writers. Children of the Night is one of his best books. This dark tale takes place in majority throughout Romania and Simmons describes it superbly. Count Dracula is ready to die and has chosen an heir to take his place, in the form of an infant. This infant gets adopted by an American doctor, who takes him back. She also discovers that the child holds the key to curing AIDS and cancer, but at what price. The child gets kidnapped by Dracula's fiends and is brought back to Romania for a special ceremony, where the child will become initiated into the vampire life. The doctor with a help from a priest and a Romanian student tries to save her adopted child. The characters are riveting, the writing dark and superb (there is not one boring chapter here). An absolute winner of a book - certainly one of the best vampire novels ever written (especially the history of Dracula).

Rating:
Summary: Great characters, terrific horror, better story. enjoy!
Review: Dan Simmons is the best author most people have not read. What a shame. This book is probably not popular with the Romanian tourist agencies but it is scary and very unforgetable. The reviews above are right on with the superb way DS interlocks Characterization, story and suspense. Publishers take note, push this guy, reprint with some support, he is better then any other horror/suspense author out there.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling time with or without your medical dictionary!
Review: Dan Simmons writes a modern twist on the old vampire story here. A hematologist working for the CDCs and a young orphan at the center of her focus take this story across two continents. A brilliant immersion into contemporary (to the tale) politics. Some of the medical terminology might be a little heady, but no more so than the average science fiction read concerning fictitious/not-yet-developed science.

The end of this tale is not particularly surprising, but then again this tale is centuries old so no complaints. Simmons is dealing with Vlad Ţepeş as subject matter, and spins an exciting yarn as grandiose as the characters at hand. Readers annoyed with the ending of this book were probably also annoyed that their 11th grade English teacher and his 'silly' reading requirements spoiled "Oh Brother Where Art Thou".

When I read this book for the first time, I didn't put it down until well after my bedtime each night. If you are looking for the classic vampire tale couched in / affected by 20th Century medicine and politics â€" this book is a serious page-turner!

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling time with or without your medical dictionary!
Review: Dan Simmons writes a modern twist on the old vampire story here. A hematologist working for the CDCs and a young orphan at the center of her focus take this story across two continents. A brilliant immersion into contemporary (to the tale) politics. Some of the medical terminology might be a little heady, but no more so than the average science fiction read concerning fictitious/not-yet-developed science.

The end of this tale is not particularly surprising, but then again this tale is centuries old so no complaints. Simmons is dealing with Vlad Ţepeş as subject matter, and spins an exciting yarn as grandiose as the characters at hand. Readers annoyed with the ending of this book were probably also annoyed that their 11th grade English teacher and his 'silly' reading requirements spoiled "Oh Brother Where Art Thou".

When I read this book for the first time, I didn't put it down until well after my bedtime each night. If you are looking for the classic vampire tale couched in / affected by 20th Century medicine and politics â€" this book is a serious page-turner!