38. Vampyrrhic Rites
by Simon Clark
About the Book:
"Vampyrrhic Rites is the long-awaited sequel to Vampyrrhic by Simon Clark — this time, we've got more vampires, more blood, and more sheer terror!
Lazarus Deep is a lake that sits like a blot of darkness in the valley.
Eighteen-year-old Dylan Adams is on the verge of leaving his hometown for a life in the city, but his plans are dramatically changed when his old school friend Luke Spencer goes missing. A search finds nothing. All anyone knows is that he was last seen at Lazarus Deep. Then, in the dead of the night, Dylan's old friend comes calling. But he's not the same boy that everyone once knew.
Once more David Leppington, Bernice Mochardi and Electra Charnwood are drawn together to face the vampiric creatures that are Nosferatu: the undead. The desolate North Yorkshire Moors have held their secret for more than a thousand years. Now it is the turn of Lazarus Deep.
This is no beauty spot, and bathing is strictly prohibited."
My Thoughts:
Terrific cover art by Alan M. Clark. He seems to be one of Cemetery Dance's featured go-to artists and I can see why.
Simon Clark does a very nice job submerging us into this tale of Vampires (pun intended). I had some moments I stopped to question some things, but seeing as this is a second entry in a series following
Vampyrrhic, I'm thinking many of my questions would have been sufficiently answered had I been able to read that first book. Even though I jumped in with this second tale in the series, the questions weren't serious enough to take me out of the story and this book nicely stood alone.
Interesting story and premise. First time I've read about Norse Gods and Vampires together in the same place, so that was fun. The only thing that did do a devilish dance in my head had to do with Grandfather Clocks.
In the story in an old house called
Lazarus Wake, a man is found in a coma by a group of people days after going into said coma, and that was the result of a couple weeks worth of Vampires working on controlling his mind.
A Grandfather Clock in the house became an important thing -- we are directed to focus on it many times. It's chiming, it's tick-tocking, the actual time it shows -- who the hell wound the clock? I have a grandfather clock and it needs wound at least every week. So, who maintained this clock so beautifully?
Rowan: Am I going insane? They are trying to control me, make me do things I don't want to do.
Vampires: Roooooowan, lissssssten. Come to us. Lead us in our God war. Invite us into your home. Oh, and by the way, wind the clock.
Rowan: nooooooooo. Not that! no clock maintenance!!!! *thunk, thud, coma*
I know, petty of me right? I'm sorry. With everything going on, we were time and time again forced to pay attention to that clock.
And with so many serious things to worry about like, oh, I don't know, starving, dehydrating, mind control and being bled dry by pale rotting creatures, I applaud his dedication to making sure that Grandfather Clock kept time. Those beastly timepieces are demanding taskmasters.
Mostly good characters, interesting plot, writing mechanics top notch. I liked it.