Those Who Hunt the Night (Mass Market Paperback)

Hambly dealt with vampirism very intelligently. Few authors actually try to explain that state, and I think Hambly offers the best explaination, a combination of science and fantasy. Her vampires are believable, something I require when dealing with fantasy and science fiction.

Don Simon Ysidro has made his way into my personal hall of fame. He refreshingly offers no apologies for what he is, and doesn't go around biting at every other neck he sees. Forget Dracula...compared to Don Simon, he's a dead corpse. While the rest of the main characters--James and Lydia Asher-- perhapse pale against the magnetism of Don Simon, they are nevertheless well-drawn. James and Lydia both have their own voice and personalities, as do all the minor characters that populate this book.

I enjoyed Those Who Hunt the Night better than its sequel, Travelling With the Dead, but I'd abvise anyone who loves vampires and well-crafted tales to read both. I can only hope that Hambly will eventually return to the characters she created in late eighteenth century London.

Dark and elegantly horrific, radiating the scent of old blood and the dust of time, _Those Who Hunt the Night_ is similar in many ways to Anita Blake's _Guilty Pleasures_, but is suited less to those who favor humor and urban fantasy than to those who are interested in darkness with feeling and depth. Hambly brings her vampires to life for you--you may not understand them, you may not empathize with them, but they will seem real. Ysidro in particular has the power to fascinate, drawing forth the interest of the reader without ever slipping into anything much like humanity.

James Asher is also an interesting character in his own right, even if he may end up playing second-fiddle to Ysidro by the story's end. Lydia Asher could be reckoned as a heroine strong in her own right--for whatever reason, though, she was one character who left me cold.

This book is well-worth reading, as is its sequel, _Traveling With the Dead_. _Those Who Hunt the Night_ is probably the better of the two; its dark and occasionally chilling atmosphere will linger with one for a long time after the final page has been turned.

What's not to like?

The characterization is well done,especially in the case of Ysidro--who is complex and layered. As far as the mystery goes nothing seems formulaic--it is compelling and engrosing.

If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. It's that good.