In a desolate orphanage in what remains of post-Communist Romania, a desperately ill infant is given the wrong blood transfusion - and flourishes when he's supposed to die. The discovery of his unique immune system may hold the key to the long-awaited cure for cancer and AIDS. For a dedicated American doctor, he promises the medical breakthrough of a lifetime, as well as a very special love she's never been able to find. But he also conceals a shockingly intimate link to a clan of vampires and their legendary leader - the fiend the world calls Vlad Dracula, who, for centuries, has triumphed over countless rival tyrants, including death itself...
Children of the Night
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From Publishers Weekly
Count Dracula kicks off the coffin lid again in this updated vampire tale, ready to stalk through the rubble of post-Communist Europe. This time, however, the count's sanguinary tippling habits may hold the cure for both AIDS and cancer. The key lies with a Romanian orphan adopted by American hematologist Kate Neuman; the infant, Joshua, has a series of rare diseases, and can survive only because his body extracts and processes genetic material from blood transfusions. If the virus in his system responsible for this ability can be isolated, his diseases could be remedied and medical marvels would be within Kate's grasp. The drawback is that Joshua has inherited his talents from the decrepit but murderous Vlad Dracula, and this patriarch of an accursed clan of blood-drinkers is more interested in perpetuating his power than in providing miracle cures for the masses. Simmons ( Song of Kali ) makes Children 's fantastical scientific claims easy to swallow, although the medical jargon in some of the American scenes is thicker than Bela Lugosi's accent (try out "hypogammaglobulinemia"). Still, the book offers a mesmerizing tour through the ghostly, gray tatters of Romania.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
While studying diseases of the blood in present-day Romania, hematologist Kate Neuman adopts an orphaned infant with an unusual immune system. Upon her return to the States, the baby is kidnapped and returned to its homeland. Aided by an American priest and a Romanian medical student, each with his own interest in the child, Kate traces it to a mysterious group linked to the legendary Dracula. Her attempts to discover the motive behind the kidnapping and to reclaim the baby form the heart of this thrilling and wonderfully diverting novel. Simmons ( Summer of the Night , LJ 1/91) gives a chilling description of post-Ceausescu Romania and neatly ties the vampire legend into political history to create a new and clever twist to the idea of the vampire's craving for blood. The ending seems a bit too Indiana Jones-like, but the overall result is satisfying. An excellent choice for popular fiction collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/92.
- Eric W. Johnson, Teikyo Post Univ. Lib., Waterbury, Ct.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Eric W. Johnson, Teikyo Post Univ. Lib., Waterbury, Ct.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Shampoo Love
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I have to say that Dan Simmons is probably my second favorite horror and sci-fi writer. His hypnotic and down-to-earth narration hooks you into turning page after page until you get to the end of the book. I've always loved stong child characters in literature, and D. Simmons doesn't disappoint.
By Shampoo Love
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I have to say that Dan Simmons is probably my second favorite horror and sci-fi writer. His hypnotic and down-to-earth narration hooks you into turning page after page until you get to the end of the book. I've always loved stong child characters in literature, and D. Simmons doesn't disappoint. Try reading Children of the Night and the Hyperion Saga as well.
5.0 out of 5 stars
LISTEN TO THEM...CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT...WHAT BEAUTIFUL MUSIC THEY MAKE...
Oct 7 2009
By Lawyeraau
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Dan Simmons is simply a wonderful writer. In this unusual horror/thriller, the author combines the miracle of modern medical technology with the legend of Count Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler. Well-written and well-researched, the book provides a page turning, interesting twist to traditional vampire lore.
Amidst the desolation of post Ceausescu Romania, orphans are left to rot in state run institutions that are little more than places for them to die a slow, lingering death. An eminent American doctor, research hematologist Kate Neuman, becomes enamored of one little baby boy with an unusual medical condition that she feels can only be addressed in the United States. So, she impulsively adopts him, names him Joshua, and leaves the country with the assistance of a Franciscan priest, Michael O'Rourke.
Once ensconced back in the United States, Kate discovers something about Joshua's condition that provides a medical explanation for the Vampire legends of old. He has a rare genetic mutation that requires periodic blood transfusions for him to live. This condition, however, may also provide the key to cure a host of immunological diseases. Someone or something, however, wants the baby back in Romania and will stop at nothing to get him. For Joshua is a very special little baby, indeed.
The author is brilliant in his description of post communist Romania, A desolate, dreary apparatchik of Soviet demagoguery, one feels the oppression that permeates this Eastern European country. There is a miasma over it that reeks of something evil and powerful. The descriptive language used by the author is quite evocative, making the book highly atmospheric. Although the action at the end of the book may strain credulity at times, it does not diminish the enjoyment the reader will derive from reading this book. On the contrary, it will keep the reader riveted to its pages.
Amidst the desolation of post Ceausescu Romania, orphans are left to rot in state run institutions that are little more than places for them to die a slow, lingering death. An eminent American doctor, research hematologist Kate Neuman, becomes enamored of one little baby boy with an unusual medical condition that she feels can only be addressed in the United States. So, she impulsively adopts him, names him Joshua, and leaves the country with the assistance of a Franciscan priest, Michael O'Rourke.
Once ensconced back in the United States, Kate discovers something about Joshua's condition that provides a medical explanation for the Vampire legends of old. He has a rare genetic mutation that requires periodic blood transfusions for him to live. This condition, however, may also provide the key to cure a host of immunological diseases. Someone or something, however, wants the baby back in Romania and will stop at nothing to get him. For Joshua is a very special little baby, indeed.
The author is brilliant in his description of post communist Romania, A desolate, dreary apparatchik of Soviet demagoguery, one feels the oppression that permeates this Eastern European country. There is a miasma over it that reeks of something evil and powerful. The descriptive language used by the author is quite evocative, making the book highly atmospheric. Although the action at the end of the book may strain credulity at times, it does not diminish the enjoyment the reader will derive from reading this book. On the contrary, it will keep the reader riveted to its pages.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A thrilling time with or without your medical dictionary!
Dan Simmons writes a modern twist on the old vampire story here. A hematologist working for the CDCs and a young orphan at the center of her focus take this story across two... Read more
Published on Feb 14 2004 by .
3.0 out of 5 stars
if Hyperion is bliss, this is competent.
let me preface this reviewlet with general praise: Dan Simmons is a contemporary storyteller i very-much adore. Read more
Published on Oct 1 2002 by Daniel Soler
3.0 out of 5 stars
Silver medal winner
This is Simmons' latest entry into the vampire Olympics (his previous one the mega-volt Carrion Comfort), and it weighs in with a Silver medal, at least with this judge. Read more
Published on Sep 28 2002 by Glen Engel Cox
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the finest vampire novels I've ever read. Period.
I didn't really know what to expect when I bought this book on a whim. What I found when I read it was no less than the best rendition of the Dracula legend I've ever encountered. Read more
Published on July 24 2002 by Jeff, an avid vampire reader and a library book-shelver
2.0 out of 5 stars
A misfire from the master.
Perhaps I was spoiled by reading Dan Simmons' excellent horror novels A Song of Kali and Carrion Confort (both of which I highly reccomend) but Children of the Night somehow falls... Read more
Published on April 21 2002 by LUIS
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new and improved (?) Vampire story....
After reading Summer of Night, retroactively by the publication date, I could not wait to jump into another Dan Simmons novel, Children of the Night... Read more
Published on Mar 21 2002 by B. Morse
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not too impressed...
What I enjoy most about Simmon's Song of Kali and Carrion Comfort is that they are very different from a lot of horror fiction. Read more
Published on May 11 2001 by Matt C. Stedman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spellbinding
Reading "Children of the Night" by Dan Simmons was spellbinding for me. I tire easily with the same, simplistic vampire biting storylines, and was unsure as to whether... Read more
Published on April 20 2001 by Hallie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun with science, fun with vampires
A while ago I wrote a review of "Summer of Night" and without realizing what I was doing, called this book a sequel to that book . . . Read more
Published on April 11 2001 by Michael Battaglia
4.0 out of 5 stars
great suspense book!
This pseudo-sequel to SUMMER OF NIGHT (Father O'Roarke and several minor characters loosely tie into the other book) is a fine example of what a suspense-slash-horror writer can be... Read more
Published on Jan 18 2001 by Benjamin K. Potter
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