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daezarkian's review
4.0
With so much of our modern take on vampires being in the "paranormal romance" vein, it's nice to see current authors who make it a point to present vampires in a different light. In the case of B.E. Scully's "Verland: The Transformation", "different" is back to basics, and in a good way.
This is very much a traditionalist take on the vampire saga; indeed, this is a work Bram Stoker would be proud of. There are shades of Stoker here, as well as J. Sheridan LeFanu and Anne Rice. Fans of old school vampire tales are going to enjoy what they read here.
First, the good. Scully's writing style is crisp, clear and direct, and her sense of pacing and narrative flow are top-notch. It's very easy to get sucked into "Verland" from the first page, and it can be just as difficult to put it down. Scully's characters are for the most part also very nicely developed, especially our heroine, Ellie, who is as close to a flesh and blood invididual as I've read in a work of fiction in a long time. The dialogue and first-person narrative provided in Verland's diary are also exceptionally well written.
Keeping in mind that reading and reviewing are always subjective, my only issue with "Verland" was that, after Ellie begins to actually read the diary, very little of what transpired from that point took my by surprise. I may be jaded, I may read too many books, or B.E. and I may simply have the same thought patterns, but after a point most everything that took place in the novel transpired as I guessed it would, which took a bit of the suspense out the novel for me. Luckily, the strength of the overall writing was more than enough to allow me to enjoy the rest of B.E.'s work even when I had a good idea of where everything was going.
In spite of my (largely personal) issues with the plot, "Verland: The Transformation" will satisfy fans of the horror and vampire genres, particularly those who are tired of sparkles and want to get back to the core of our favorite fanged creatures of the night. Definitely recommended.
This is very much a traditionalist take on the vampire saga; indeed, this is a work Bram Stoker would be proud of. There are shades of Stoker here, as well as J. Sheridan LeFanu and Anne Rice. Fans of old school vampire tales are going to enjoy what they read here.
First, the good. Scully's writing style is crisp, clear and direct, and her sense of pacing and narrative flow are top-notch. It's very easy to get sucked into "Verland" from the first page, and it can be just as difficult to put it down. Scully's characters are for the most part also very nicely developed, especially our heroine, Ellie, who is as close to a flesh and blood invididual as I've read in a work of fiction in a long time. The dialogue and first-person narrative provided in Verland's diary are also exceptionally well written.
Keeping in mind that reading and reviewing are always subjective, my only issue with "Verland" was that, after Ellie begins to actually read the diary, very little of what transpired from that point took my by surprise. I may be jaded, I may read too many books, or B.E. and I may simply have the same thought patterns, but after a point most everything that took place in the novel transpired as I guessed it would, which took a bit of the suspense out the novel for me. Luckily, the strength of the overall writing was more than enough to allow me to enjoy the rest of B.E.'s work even when I had a good idea of where everything was going.
In spite of my (largely personal) issues with the plot, "Verland: The Transformation" will satisfy fans of the horror and vampire genres, particularly those who are tired of sparkles and want to get back to the core of our favorite fanged creatures of the night. Definitely recommended.
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