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commander_morgan's review against another edition
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
This was moving in a way I haven't quite figured out how to put to words yet.
billymac1962's review against another edition
2.0
Agyar had been on my list forever until I had stumbled upon it at a used book store.
This is a very subtle tale of a young man and his relationship with three women: his loves and nemesis'. I don't know if I can recommend it or not. I did like the writing style, as if the reader has discovered a diary, but the reason for subtleness in this context escapes me.
I mean this is a first-hand account, or confession, so why be so subtle and ambiguous about it? I want to like Steven Brust since he has such a fervent following, but I don't think he's for me. Oh well, life goes on.
This is a very subtle tale of a young man and his relationship with three women: his loves and nemesis'. I don't know if I can recommend it or not. I did like the writing style, as if the reader has discovered a diary, but the reason for subtleness in this context escapes me.
I mean this is a first-hand account, or confession, so why be so subtle and ambiguous about it? I want to like Steven Brust since he has such a fervent following, but I don't think he's for me. Oh well, life goes on.
vairse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Violence
mehitabels's review
3.0
"Nightmares fall like poetry, carefully contrived.
The leaves blow 'round in circles where before the sun was hot,
Add a pinch of desperation to what's boiling in the pot."
The leaves blow 'round in circles where before the sun was hot,
Add a pinch of desperation to what's boiling in the pot."
pjwhyman's review
5.0
I love this book. Third time I've read it in the last 15 years. A brilliant crime /romance/supernatural tale that somehow gets all the details right without ever using the V word.
ravyncrow's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
crayonlions's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
mariocomputer's review against another edition
5.0
This was really, really interesting and well-done. It's also hard to write a review about this without getting spoilery, so spoilers follow.
This book is a pretty good antidote for all the vampire-romance lovers out there (yours truly included). Brust does the Hemingway thing where he refers to a lot of things obliquely and insinuates, and you have to piece it all together yourself. For instance, never once does he say the word vampire, nor does the narrator actually talk about drinking blood.
So when you take away some of the vampireness of the vampire, you start to really see how much the "seduction" of the vampire is like rape, and what sociopaths vampires really are. The romance disappears.
I also really love the theme in the book of the experience and process of writing, and how when you're reading it you feel like you're there with the narrator typing. You're present in the meta-narrative. And I love, love that when you go back to read the first passage of the book, it has a completely different significance and meaning than it did when you first read it.
Excellent plotting, excellent writing. I'm definitely going to read more Brust in the future.
This book is a pretty good antidote for all the vampire-romance lovers out there (yours truly included). Brust does the Hemingway thing where he refers to a lot of things obliquely and insinuates, and you have to piece it all together yourself. For instance, never once does he say the word vampire, nor does the narrator actually talk about drinking blood.
So when you take away some of the vampireness of the vampire, you start to really see how much the "seduction" of the vampire is like rape, and what sociopaths vampires really are. The romance disappears.
I also really love the theme in the book of the experience and process of writing, and how when you're reading it you feel like you're there with the narrator typing. You're present in the meta-narrative. And I love, love that when you go back to read the first passage of the book, it has a completely different significance and meaning than it did when you first read it.
Excellent plotting, excellent writing. I'm definitely going to read more Brust in the future.
duffypratt's review against another edition
3.0
I really like Brust. This one played down some of the more common Brust elements. It's hard to go on and on about food and cooking when your narrator has a purely liquid diet, and a single liquid at that. And there wasn't much on drumming, or the Grateful Dead, and the Hungarian allusions were at a minimum. It still had more than its share of cleverness, and the main character was quite likable, for a vampire.
The story kind of sneaks up on you. For a while, I felt as though nothing was happening, and yet it was. And it built to an ending that I thought was completely satisfying. I didn't like this one as well as many of Brust's other books, and it was not the best vampire book I've ever read. But I'm glad I read it, and I think its worth it for anyone who likes Brust's way of doing things.
The story kind of sneaks up on you. For a while, I felt as though nothing was happening, and yet it was. And it built to an ending that I thought was completely satisfying. I didn't like this one as well as many of Brust's other books, and it was not the best vampire book I've ever read. But I'm glad I read it, and I think its worth it for anyone who likes Brust's way of doing things.
ethan416's review against another edition
4.0
Agyar is such an interesting character, I found my feelings changing about him from chapter to chapter. Brust does a great job in this novel with snappy dialogue, but I did feel as though the parts with less dialogue maybe drug a bit. I also really enjoyed how there are small bits of vampire lore in the novel that can be easily overlooked if you don’t know much about the “rules” vampires must follow. All in all a very interesting read.