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Error loading page. Try refreshing the page. Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading. Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help. Pikes Peak Library District. Search Search Search Browse menu. Sign in. Learn Something New This Year! See all. Children of the Night. Description Details Reviews "Simmons writes like a hot-rodding angel.
Languages English. Details Publisher: St. Dan Simmons - Author. Why is availability limited? I really enjoyed this one, and it was dangerously close to 4. Overall this was a fresh and interesting take on the sometimes tired and stale world of the vampire, with tons of interesting twists and turns.
Just no. I give Dan Simmons 1 Star for his take on vampires. Good for you for something new. View 2 comments. Be forewarned that Children of the Night starts out with a brutally realistic description of post Communist Romania and the inhumane treatment of thousands of babies that is quite disturbing.
Once beyond that, beware of the sections interspersed throughout the book written with the voice of "Vlad the Impaler" the original Dracula as they are gruesome, gory and scary as hell. A few parts of the book, including the ending, was a bit James Bondish , but overall, a fast-moving and entertaining read Be forewarned that Children of the Night starts out with a brutally realistic description of post Communist Romania and the inhumane treatment of thousands of babies that is quite disturbing.
A few parts of the book, including the ending, was a bit James Bondish , but overall, a fast-moving and entertaining read with an important scientific twist.
Nov 05, Jon Recluse rated it really liked it Shelves: horror. When I read the introduction to this book, I was really excited. And when I read the first handful of chapters, I was horrified and intrigued.
But from there, it went downhill pretty quickly. The characterization in this book is awful. Just bad. I didn't care at all about any of the characters. Kate was written so badly I was cringing almost the whole time. Mike wasn't much better. It was also too long. So much of the middle was dull. And it's a shame, because the premise of this book is great. A When I read the introduction to this book, I was really excited.
And the setting was incredibly interesting. But I just couldn't get myself to enjoy reading it. Jan 16, Gary rated it it was amazing Shelves: modern-horror , favorites. Simmons did a masterful job with the vampire legend.
This novel has a hard sci-fi approach to horror. For the averag, non-lab, chemistry,blood analysis person some of the science can be tough as he establishes verisimilitude. I understood some of it, but I was able to get the idea. Either you enjoy the technical aspect, and the authenticity therein, or you don't. If you don't, it is not a painfully long process to read through and is done early in the story. If you do, it makes this book work on Simmons did a masterful job with the vampire legend.
If you do, it makes this book work on many levels. After establishing the plausibility, he creates several tense scenes and likable characters before beginning a journey with them that had me reading this book non-stop.
The pace and intensity pick up as the book nears the climax, proving that this author does indeed know how to finish a book well. Certain authors write with the end game in mind from page one and this reads like it. This title made me a Dan Simmons fan. I liked his sci-fi novels, but I like hard sci-fi in general if it is well written, so for me this was a good fit.
View all 10 comments. Well I started out reading this with a group, and the medical jargon was just too heavy to follow.
I was going to leave it at that, but the "completist" in me decided to stay up until 3 am to finish it. The story itself--that is, the part I wished the entire book were about--was an interesting take on the Dracula legend. Unfortunately, it was so "heavy" in terms of the scientific descriptions, labs, etc. It was like a sudden jolt to find the actual Well I started out reading this with a group, and the medical jargon was just too heavy to follow. It was like a sudden jolt to find the actual "story that I cared about" interspersed within it.
I'm giving it two stars for the "main story", but it could have been so much higher without all of the distracting details of scientific results, etc, to sloth through. View all 5 comments. Jan 13, Phil rated it liked it Shelves: thriller , horror.
When I first read this 20 years ago or so, I loved it. It felt so cutting edge, briefly exploring the break down of the USSR most specifically Romania , references to the US invasion of Iraq, you know, the major news events around the early s and this was first published in , all wrapped up in a 'scientific' explanation of Dracula. I was on a major Simmons kick, having read his excellent Hyperion series, Song of Kali , and other works; the guy is an amazing writer!
After rereading this n When I first read this 20 years ago or so, I loved it. After rereading this novel, however, I felt disappointed. For some reasons, this one just does not stand the test of time like his science fiction or other horror stories. We visit horrible factory towns 'cheap labor', no environmental controls, etc. Then we find out that the US business tycoon on the tour is actually Vald, or Dracula!
Simmons then takes us on a journey primarily through the eyes of Kate, a blood researcher from the States who was helping out in Romanian hospitals for a few months in She adopted a small child there, a sickly child, and after some trials and so forth, brought him back to the states.
This kid has some very strange illness, or genetic issues rather, that she and others isolate, and find an even stranger mutation. I will not go into the details here-- my god Simmons gives us enough-- but this mutation and the related retrovirus just might be a cure for HIV and cancer! But the strangest thing was that the mutation needed human blood to work; other people's blood.
Simmons here tries to give us basically a scientific explanation of vampires! Interspersed with the main narrative we are treated to some rather long flashbacks of Vald's memories and his current status.
Yes, he is still alive, but finally on the wane. Further, it seems his chosen child, the one that will be the next 'prince' or such, was the one Kate adopted! Even though this novel focuses upon Vald, it is more of a thriller than a straight up horror novel. These vampires need blood to live, but there is nothing supernatural about them. The main story concerns Kate and her research, and then her quest to get the little guy back after he was kidnapped. My issues with this upon the reread are several.
First, while it seemed very cutting edge at the time, it now feels rather dated. I find this dated feel over and over with thrillers-- they just do not tend to age well. Secondly, the scientific details regarding the mutation and the implications are spelled out in great detail; almost mind-numbing detail. I can excuse this as it directly concerns HIV and that was the massive pandemic of the era then, but who does Simmons think his audience is here?
I think most horror readers would find this aspect terribly boring, and most 'scientific types' would probably not be reading a book on vampires. Third, view spoiler [ the entire last half of the book was rather beyond belief. So Kate hooks up with a priest who was on the tour the book starts with , flies to Austria, and then heads to Romania with the plan to get her adopted child back. No real plan, just determination. There follows an incredibly unbelievable race to get the kid back.
I know, against the odds and so forth, but please. You can only strain a reader's imagination so far. Kate, after being held in a dungeon for half a day, with no food or water, manages to scale the walls of the castle. It was just too much! For me, that was the novel's biggest strength. The scientific explanation of vampires was interesting, but I felt like I was reading a textbook at times.
Some good drama, but the main protagonist Kate was a little over the top. Downgrading my star rating from 5 to 3.
Jan 31, Evan rated it it was ok. Simmons can write. No doubt. And the early chapters of this book are understated, chilling, well-paced, and rich in atmosphere. His riffs on the Dracula myth aren't easy to anticipate, and neither is the plot. Then halfway through it turns into a Robert Ludlum novel and sort of careens into this huge sloppy ending. Still better than Kostova's The Historian, though.
But Simmons retains my loyalty, because he's so good when he wants to be. And even when he isn't at his best he's still more literate Simmons can write. And even when he isn't at his best he's still more literate than almost all other pop fiction writers.
Not Dan's best work, it was a bit too 'thriller-y' for me. I liked that he tried to do something different with vamps and give us a medical explanation, but I'm actually pretty happy with vamps just being bad-arsed blood suckers. Originally my intention was simply to find out what happened to one of the characters from the equally terrific Summer of Night.
Nice to see that Mike O'Rourke grows up and has a very interesting and adventurous life. Dangerous too. But that's just one of the great things about this book and there are so many more, it's just an all around awesome read. It's uncertain which was more intense, because there is no horror quite like a country fallen, torn apart, damaged beyond repair and forced to live in inhuman and inhumane conditions that those privileged enough to live in a civilized world can scarcely imagine. The author's take on vampirism is one of the most original and clever ones that I have ever read, although he gets insanely technical about it in what could be perceived as one of the book's minor faults.
Another one of those might possibly be the fact that its main characters seem to develop nearly superhuman powers as they draw toward the absolutely cinematic summertime blockbuster ending. But it works, it all works and so well, even if all the strings are tied so nicely in the end. Absolutely great read. Few words about the introduction. As with Summer of Night I would highly recommend reading it after the book, it is very informative, but serves better as an afterword. Very impressive that the author dared a trip to Romania at that time.
Also shows off his quite considerable talent as a sketch artist. The introduction tends to extensively and quite unnecessarily quote the novel itself. And also, mentions the movie script for the book This book would make a terrific movie. Does anyone know? Great edition, excellent cover art, a must for any collector. Highly recommended. May 09, Tressa rated it it was amazing Shelves: vampires. What is up with some of the low ratings for this book?
I'm not necessarily an avid vampire fan, but this book is a doozy of a page turner. Romania, AIDS, and an adopted baby update the vampire legend in a very satisfying way. I read this book years ago--half of it lying in a hammock on a warm summer day--so sorry I can't remember the specifics.
Read the other reviews for those. I just remember that I really dug this book! View all 8 comments. Dec 13, Addy rated it liked it. The aspects i enjoyed from this book were the characters, hands down. For me, if the characters weren't so likeable, it would have taken me longer to finish. I enjoyed the beginning of the story most and learning about the old vampire.
I didn't care much for the medical jargon or for the long, dragged out chase scenes. With that said, the story was enjoyable and entertaining. May 03, Dan Corey rated it really liked it. A completely fresh and contemporary take on Dracula? Sign me up!
Children of the Night is a book that defies expectations and genre boundaries. It all combines to make a really interesting stew, giving us a unique spin on the vampire genre. At its heart, this is a story about an A A completely fresh and contemporary take on Dracula? At its heart, this is a story about an American doctor doing overseas work with orphaned children in Romania. She falls head over heels for a baby in her care, decides to adopt him, bring him back to the US, and discovers that he has an ultra rare condition that has some very interesting reactions to blood transfusions.
This leads to a really cool concept: trying to explain vampires and their need for human blood scientifically.
Hope you have your PhD.
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