Hambly, Barbara. Those Who Hunt the Night. Ballantine Books, 1988.
Reason read: Bram Stoker, the ultimate vampire storyteller was born in November. Read in his honor. Hambly mentions Bram Stoker and his novel.
Hambly has come up with an interesting concept for Those Who Hunt the Night. Someone is killing vampires while they sleep in their coffins. It is as simple as lifting the lid to expose the sleepers to broad daylight. Each vampire is helpless to escape the bright sun’s devastation, and if that doesn’t work, a quick wooden stake to the heart should finish them off. When in doubt, maybe a little exposure to something silver would work. With four of his fellow vampires dead, Don Simon Xavier Christien Morado de la Cadena-Ysidro has no choice but solicit the help of mere mortal Professor James Asher with an offer he can’t afford to refuse. Solve the mystery of the murders and Asher’s wife will stay alive. It’s blackmail, but what can the professor do? What Asher discovers is a variety of vampires who can grow tolerant of silver and daylight, at least partially. This means the serial killer of vampires could be one of their own. In addition to a thrilling murder mystery, Hambly manages to add a little romance to Those Who Hunt the Night.
Trivia: Don Asher rides a brand of motorcycle that was manufactured just down the road from me. I drive by the now defunct factory every single day.
As an aside, if I ever had the chance to meet a vampire and could ask him questions my very first question would be do you have a high tolerance for pain? Maybe I would ask about the incineration process when exposed to light (but that might be too sensitive a topic?).
As another aside, does Hambly contradict vampire lore? In another book vampires avoided drinking the blood of people who were ill, drug addicts, or on certain medications. They did not want to taint their own bloodstreams. In Hambly’s version, the vampires drank the blood of those affected by the Plague. In fact, the Black Plague threatened to live on through the activities of vampires.
Line I could relate to the most, “…he had long grown used to her habit of sleeping with books” (p 216). When Kisa leaves for a business trip I too cover his side of the bed with stacks and stacks of books.
Author fact: Hambly sounds like someone who was never satisfied with staying in one place. She described herself as a high school teacher, model, waitress, technical editor, clerk at a liquor store, karate instructor, and author. I am also reading A Free Man of Color for the Challenge.
Book trivia: I have to admit, the vampire on the cover of Those Who Hunt the Night is somewhat of a joke. He looks like he is wearing an odd-fitting wig and his canine teeth are much too long. In every vampire movie I have ever seen the vampire’s teeth are not visible with the mouth closed. The fangs are only revealed when he or she opens their mouth.
Music: “Till We Meet Again,” Salieri, and Tchaikovsky.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror” (p 213).
~*LunaSea*~ 