From Publishers Weekly
The endangered fangsters of New York--who prefer to be called nosferatu rather than vampires--have found a new home in Los Angeles in this sequel to The Time of Feasting. Victor Renquist, their debonair Master, senses something amiss in the world of Dark Power, but he's so angst-ridden over the loss of his partner, Cynara, that he can barely consider the danger. The problem lies with the Council of Nine, which controls a religious cult. The council's leader, Marcus De Reske, has decided that his route to immortality lies in summoning Cthulhu to wreak havoc and chaos on Earth. Although De Reske's former ally and sidekick, Orton Ghast, points out, "Cthulhu? The great squid-headed demon who's supposed to be confined to the undersea city of R'lyeh? That's pure H.P. Lovecraft, Marcus," this does not deter De Reske and his new super-bimbo Tara Swerling from their evil path. But Philipa, Marcus's ex-partner--a classy dame and a true psychic power--lets Renquist in on the council's plot, so the Elder Gods don't have such an easy time achieving their nefarious goal, after all. Meanwhile, Elaine Dance, a "darklost" who was only halfway turned into a nosferatu by Cynara, has come to L.A. seeking Renquist and the rest of the tribe so they can either put her out of her misery or make her fully one of them, while the other nosferatu deal with their own problems in a maze of overlapping subplots. Farren successfully conjures up a vision of nocturnal Los Angeles as sexy and dangerous, but his extraneously detailed writing drags down the story line and his stilted dialogue makes it difficult to believe in his fantastical characters. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This is a sequel to Farren's The Time of Feasting. After a deadly encounter with a vampire hinter, Nosferatu leader Victor Renquest decides to move the remaining members of his small colony from New York to Los Angeles. Victor's immediate goal is to re-energize the colony; however, before he can do that, he must overcome the lethargy that has engulfed him since the destruction of his consort, Cynara. To compound his problems, he soon becomes aware of a monstrous evil in the city that is gaining strength and that threatens vampires and humans alike. The entity known by the Lovecraftian name of Cthulhu is being raised by members of a religious cult. Through nightmarish dreams, Victor discovers that the monster plated an important part in the development of the vampire race. This intriguing tale of horror could have done with some judicious editing, but readers of the genre will enjoy is, especially those who read the first book. For all public libraries.
Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Bowie MDCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
