Rating: 
Summary: I liked it
Review: I thought it was great, with fiction intermingled with non-fiction. Hobhouse's character was great, and why didn't Rebecca leave earlier (i would have). I also enjoy Anne Rice, and thought this to be along the same lines. Overall, a good read!
Rating: 
Summary: What if Byron really were a vampire....
Review: I throroughly enjoyed this book. Holland blends the idea (widely held in the 19th century) that the "Vampyre" of Poliodori's story was in fact Byron with interesting facts of Byron's life, and adds a helping of fanstasy and conjecture. Well-written and a cut above the average vampire fare.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing, with a little let down at the end
Review: I was absolutely sucked in (no pun intended) by this book. The fact that it's all in narration seemed to make it so much more real to me. I couldn't wait until evenings when I could jump back into the story.The ending was a let down, but made me reach for me Slave of My Thirst book, which I actually read first, but is the "sequel", too see if I was missing anything. Came here looking for my next horror fix...
Rating: 
Summary: Ultimately disappointing
Review: I was so disappointed with this book. I felt it to be a conglomeration of Stoker's Dracula and Rice's Interview With The Vampire, with little new or original material. The only redeeming feature of the book is the strange history of Byron.
Rating:
Summary: The downward spiral into sadness
Review: I would like to distance myself from all of the negative criticisms of this novel; as valid as they may truly be. I am not a 'reader' in the sense of actually liking to pick up a book and read it as a source of leisure and entertainment and even when it does happen, I am rarely if at all convinced that what I was reading was indeed a good use of my time. But, one day I bought a lot of vampire novels to read to pass the time at work. All of which were terribly written, full of cliches, gory descriptions and dull charactors. All except this one. The book starts off with Ms. Rebecca Carville, a strong willed young woman who conives her way into aquiring the keys to the Chapel of St. Jude, which has been locked and forbidden to be entered by anyone for many years. She hopes to uncover the truth of what happened to her Mother, who disappeared when Rebecca was only 4 years old. Despite frantic warnings not to enter the chapel, Rebecca desends into the shadowy depths only to find herself in the prescence of powerful and radiantly beautiful vampire,Lord Byron.
From that point on, the point of view is shifted from 3rd person to 1st, as Lord Byron tells Rebecca the story of how he came to be who he is today. Living the life of a monk whose greatest pleasure is the sin of eating pork, The 21 year old Lord Byron becomes bored with his life and sets out traveling the east with his friend, Hobhouse.
While in Greece, they accidentally are led to off course to Aheron, which is known as "The gateway to Hell". Entranced by a mysterious stranger, Byron decides to continue to Aheron while Hobhouse returns to Greece. He falls in love with a beautiful slave named Haidee who has been enslaved by The power Pasha, the dread-lord of the Aheron. The Pasha is quite taken by Byron from the start and wants Lord Byron to be his heir. While staying at the Pasha's palace, Byron is visited in his dreams by the Pasha, who tempts him with hidden truths and ideals and immortality. It isn't long before Byron finds himself being treated like a slave; his mind clouded by vivid dreams, and strange marks and bruises appearing daily all over his body.
But in their love stems hope and Byron and Haidee plot their escape. Will they make it safely out of Aheron? Sadly the end is only the beginning. As a vardoulacha( vampire ), Byron drowns himself in the dark side of life { ie: Booze, sex, and more sex, and not to mention a little murder through draining of blood but ONLY for necessity. } He relishes in the pleasures and powers that he now posesses, but soon realizes that the benefits will never outway the downfalls of his state. He has to drink blood or he will shrivel up and feel agonizing pain but never die, in order to maintain his youth he must drink the blood of someone who shares his blood, and the greatest curse of all; that he will forever damn everyone he loves. I think what it is that I like so much about this book as opposed to other books of the genre is how You first get to relate to Byron as the flawed, but heroic and good-hearted human being. Instead of just having him swoop down from the darkness as this vile, evil-spirited heartless creature. Byron has a very strong sense of conscience, even when he begins to distance himself from the life he once lived and accepts a life of terror, murder, and the curses he will always posess, through it all he always maintains a very mortal conscience that is always evident by everything he does. It's very sad to watch the events unfold, the regret he feels for what he can no longer control. This will please many with it's blending of Horror, Science Fiction,and Adventure with an interesting mix of romance and melancholy. Very well done. Worth more than just one read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read!
Review: I'm only 13 years old but this book really...got to me. I've read all sorts of books, but this one really tops my list. From beginning to end it was; scary, thrilling, suspenseful, and altogether excellent. I recommend to anyone willing to to definatley read this book if your into Vampires or the work of Lord Byron himself. I loved it and I think many others will too.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: Lord of the Dead is an interesting, fictional view of vampires and temptation which focuses on the imaginary life of the famous poet, Lord Byron. As soon as you delve into the book, you are taken into fairly present-day London with a girl named Rebecca. She speaks to a man, interested in the keys that he holds to a tomb. Mainly after some manuscripts that might be found in the tomb, which may hold information about her mother, Rebecca finally is given the keys by the man, and off she goes to the tomb. What she finds in the tomb is more than she expected, though: Lord Byron himself. After asking if perhaps he knows something as to what happened to her mother, Rebecca is then told the story of his life. He retells his life from top to bottom, speaking of how he and his cohort, Hobhouse, roam the lands of Europe, running into unusual people and trying to find the answers to Byron's many questions. What he doesn't realize is that what he has become destroys those that he is closest to.
Wonderfully written, Lord of the Dead makes for a good read, chock-full of unexpected twists and turns in the plot line as well as highly-detailed scenes which makes the story come to life. Truly an interesting page-turner with unusual scenarios and characters, the book is mainly recommended for those who enjoy adventure and action, as well as tales of vampires and fans of Lord Byron himself.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, seemingly real, great movie material as written
Review: Many times I lost touch with the real world and thought, "Hey, I need to look that up in the history books!". That is entertainment, when a writer can make you think his reality is unquestionalbly the truth, even when you know it is fiction. I love Anne Rice and this book is on the same caliber, maybe even above it. I only wish there were a sequel
Rating:
Summary: The Rakes Regress
Review: More likely L.B. became an accomplished pedaphile after meeting the Pasha than a Vampire- As usual he is the victim of silliness rather than madness.But I do love all things Byronic so. . .
Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Dead: Distorted Gore, with a hint of Class
Review: My first vampire book. Definately not my last. Solid writing, excellent prose, and plenty of ghastly horror. The first few pages a slow, but then it history of a vampire in fast forward.
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