The Guardian

Rating:
Summary: A Study In Darkness...and Light...
Review: Beecher Smith has done the impossible in THE GUARDIAN -- he has written a truly unique vampire novel. Journey with him from 14th Century Vienna to 20th Century Memphis where we meet Ladislas Dracula di Sinesti, the most elegantly erotic vampire since Frank Langella first stepped through those casement windows in the memorable 1979 film.

The uniqueness of this novel lies in Beecher Smith's wry sense of humor and plotting. He poses this question on the book's cover: "What if you had to kill your best friend to save your worst enemy?"

And which might be which...?

Weave your way through a sultry Memphis, from the elegant dining rooms of its elite to the sordid tenements of its poorest citizens. Beecher brings us characters to care about in every strata of society. There are no "good guys" and "bad guys" in this novel -- there are only people like us.

If you're a fan of vampire fiction, you must own THE GUARDIAN. If you've sworn off vampire fiction forever in despair of ever finding something different, THE GUARDIAN will change your mind. And as a final incentive, Beecher Smith plays a game with his readers -- through taut plotting and stylistic writing, I never caught on until he "told" me near the end of the novel! Get THE GUARDIAN, and see where the spellbinding storytelling that is a hallmark of Beecher Smith's work takes you.

We can only hope he gives us a sequel!

Rating:
Summary: A real page turner!
Review: In the plethora of vampire fiction available today, THE GUARDIAN stands out for its originality and ability to make the reader question the accepted image of the vampire in today's writings.

THE GUARDIAN gives us a cogent, intelligent reason for vampires to exist at all. Beecher's usage of historical information in an innovative way makes more sense than even Stoker's explanation.

And the conflict he works through the plot stretches not just across a few months or years but centuries, lifetimes; a true immortal struggle.

THE GUARDIAN satisfies those of us who feel Anne Rice's vampires are too dandyish to be actual threats, too much human to be immortal. Beecher's vampire may still be internally conflicted, but he is truly evil.

If you're tired of vampires with more interest in clothes and fine foods than blood, if you want actual conflict and terror, THE GUARDIAN is your book.

Rating:
Summary: The View from my eyes....
Review: The storyline of this book is very good, as well as the writing style. (You'll find a discussion about the storyline in the other reviews, I believe.) The 3 stars comes from the fact that I could barely finish reading it.

I am not usually a picky reader, but when I read this book, I could barely overlook the glaring editing errors: the poorly designed paragraphs, in which two people would talk without any note, even, of which one said what; the frequently missing quotes; etc. Three-fourths of the way into the book, I had to consciously keep myself from snatching up a red pen and just going through it all like some crazed school teacher...

As a first book, the book was extremely good, though. The characters were well-defined and sympathetic, the plot good, the ending somewhat open-ended--I'm assuming for a sequel, perhaps.

The story itself, ignoring the errors, would be at least 4 stars, so if you're not someone like me, who gets irritated by glaring editing problems, then I urge you to pick it up and read it.

Rating:
Summary: Good plot, atrocious editing
Review: The storyline of this book is very good, as well as the writing style. (You'll find a discussion about the storyline in the other reviews, I believe.) The 3 stars comes from the fact that I could barely finish reading it.

I am not usually a picky reader, but when I read this book, I could barely overlook the glaring editing errors: the poorly designed paragraphs, in which two people would talk without any note, even, of which one said what; the frequently missing quotes; etc. Three-fourths of the way into the book, I had to consciously keep myself from snatching up a red pen and just going through it all like some crazed school teacher...

As a first book, the book was extremely good, though. The characters were well-defined and sympathetic, the plot good, the ending somewhat open-ended--I'm assuming for a sequel, perhaps.

The story itself, ignoring the errors, would be at least 4 stars, so if you're not someone like me, who gets irritated by glaring editing problems, then I urge you to pick it up and read it.

Rating:
Summary: Do you believe in Vampires?
Review: This is a must read for the Vampire fan. This macabre of blood sucking savagness will lead you through the past to a believeable origin of Dracula!

Rating:
Summary: The View from my eyes....
Review: When I bought the book, I was bored and needed something to do. I am glad that I read it. A previous person who reviewed the book said that there were a lot of typing errors and that is correct but the storyline is exciting. It is your typical storyline, bad guy meets good girl, tries to make good girl turn bad but has trouble getting what he wants when the good guy enters the picture. The only thing that I really did not like was the introductions to a whole lot of characters. It was kind of hard to follow at first but when I start something, I always finish it and I am glad that I did.

I would recommend this book.