From Publishers Weekly
Picking up where The Book of Common Dread (1993) left off, Monahan continues his tale of what Princeton University librarian Simon Penn describes as "evil from before the dawn of history... being fought with technology invented yesterday." Vampires are still in pursuit of the Scrolls of Ahriman, which hold the key to their power and are now in the hands of Penn and his beautiful colleague Frederika Vanderveen. But Vanderveen, having acquired an addiction to the Devil's powder fed to her by a master vampire in the previous book, has developed an unholy thirst for blood. Pursued by several vampires, the pair have encounters with the Princeton police, find themselves in numerous perilous situations and are aided by Father Dante Ferro, an emissary of the Vatican. There is enough action in this fast-paced yarn to keep most horror fans interested, but Monahan's characters achieve little growth, and his penchant for melodrama sometimes skirts caricature ("'So, I'm a hideous dwarf, am I?' the Vampire said. 'An ugly little bastard, eh?'"). He's merely retreading ground he's staked out and explored before; hopefully, the likely next volume in what looks to be an ongoing series will brace all the bloodletting with a bit more originality.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Ancient scrolls that describe the very nature of evil and warn of imminent disaster for mankind have been stolen from Princeton University by librarians Simon and Frederika. Our heroes are aided by a Roman Catholic Priest (with the knowledge and support of the Pope) and a Princeton police detective. All must outrun and outwit an especially vicious monster known only as the Vampire. The Vampire is more than 2000 years old and revels in the evil deeds his satanic masters command. This book is a sequel to The Book of Common Dread (St. Martin's, 1993), which first introduced Simon and Frederika as well as an interesting, complex vampire named DeVilbiss. The adventure and intrigue here are well done and fast paced, although the supernatural elements at time strain credulity. For larger fiction collections.
Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Bowie, Md.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
