Vampire #1 A Hunger Like Fire (Vampire the Requiem)

Rating:
Summary: An EXCELLENT intro to the new World of Darkness
Review: First and foremost, A Hunger Like Fire is a fantastic novel! The writing portrays each character very well and provides just enough information so that the reader can inhabit the world without drowning in rpg-speak.

Every main character is very well drawn out, as are most of the peripheral characters. Stolze is quite adept at storytelling and his use of first person and change of POV seems neither contrived nor forced. I got a very good sense of each individual character.

The story is pure World of Darkness. Mood is everything and this book is dark and creepy. You get a very good sense of the pain Bruise feels after he drains a human and is left with the aftermath. Persephone is a hoot, but you also get the feeling at novel's end that she may have bitten off more than she can chew, so to speak. Solomon is a monster, pure and simple, yet truly does care for his best friend, Prince Maxwell, even as he plots the man's downfall. Religious zealotry must be fun to write! The rest of the characters, from Loki, to Bella to Scratch, are all well plotted. Most have little to do with advancing the story, but their inclusion adds to the world we are just now begining to explore through fiction...and does so gracefully and thoughtfully.

Five stars to Greg Stolze for this wonderful novel. The typeface was somewaht difficult to deal with at first, but became inconsequential once the story drew me in (almost immediately). The cover art is awesome. I'm glad to have the chance to be with this new World of Darkness from the beginning and Greg Stolze has certainly set the bar high for future writers.