A Coldness in the Blood

I was able to read _A coldness in the blood_ in one 3.5-hour sitting... it's a bit formulaic, but is more consistently written than some of Saberhagen's other Dracula books, which I feel suffer from bad editing. the story timeline is kept in the modern day without a parallel historical fiction accompanying it. I enjoyed the read immensely; the pace was consistent and the descriptions tight. I think the biggest drawback is that it so persistently refers back to all the prior books in the series that I sometimes felt I was reading a sales pitch. the backreferences are funny, in some cases better written than the books to which he referred.

Fred Saberhagen is a remarkably consistent author. And while he is certainly a prolific author, he rarely pushes a book out too soon just to feed his bank account. Two of the many reasons why an alarming amount of my shelf space is dedicated to his work. For people of my generation, he is most noted for the Berserker series, and for his string of novels about Dracula and his relations with Mina Harker and her descendents. This has been a dry season for vampire lovers, so there was much evil cackling and hand rubbing when I discovered that Saberhagen had finally written a new story.Matthew Maule (AKA Vlad Tepes AKA Dracula) currently maintains an aerie in Chicago which he uses as his principal residence. His 'nephew,' Andy Keogh is instructing the old vampire in the intricacies of websites when they are interrupted by the sudden appearance of Dickon, the world's most cowardly Nosferatu, and his friend Tamarack. Dickon is convinced that someone is out to kill him. For a change, his convictions seem justified. Dickon's residence has just been firebombed, and he, his friend, and a small white statue have come to beg Maule's protection. Shortly thereafter, Dickon is gone, Tamarck is spectacularly dead, the statue is dust, and neither Maule nor Andy has a clue what hit them.Dracula is furious that his lair could be invaded and his nephew involved. His investigations reveal that half the world seems to be in pursuit of six Egyptian statues (now down to five), one of which has the Philosopher's Stone in it. Among the pursuers is a reborn crocodile creature named Sobek, whose most irritating trait is that he refuses to take the vampire seriously. With five hidden statues, a dozen or so nefarious hunters, a very angry vampire and a host of his 'breather' friends, this is a classic chase setup, and that is exactly what Saberhagen delivers.This is not Saberhagen's best, but it is so far ahead of the rest of this year's efforts to make it a grand treat. There is no lack of action, but the characters are a bit thin. The author takes it for granted that we have read enough of the series that we won't need much character development, and so errs on the side of sparseness. Andy, who is new, certainly needs much more time, as does Dolores Flamel, daughter of a mage, who plays an extended part. Even so, Saberhagen's trademark style delivers both depth and complexity while making vampires entirely believable. By all means, take the time to enjoy 'A Coldness in the Blood.'

He has lived for over five centuries by keeping up with technology so Vlad Tepes better known as Dracula and AKA Matthew Maule asks Andy Keogh to help him design a website. Andy, descended from the bloodline of Mina Harker, agrees to help his "Uncle Matt", whom he thinks is human. While at Uncle Matt's apartment, a nosferatu named Dickon, along with a human, ask for Vlad to help in their quest for learning alchemy.Someone puts a spell over everyone in the apartment and when Dracula awakens, Dickon is gone, the human is dead, Andy is dazed and an Egyptian statue is smashed. The next day Sobeck, a being once worshipped by the Egyptians as a God, confronts Matthew Maule. He wants the Philosopher's Stone, a magical artifact hidden in one of six small statues smuggled into the country. Dracula declines to help but Andy becomes involved when Dickon asks his dead partner's granddaughter Dolly to assist him. Andy's father and Uncle Matt search for the Philosopher's Stone while trying to keep Andy and Dolly out of danger. Thy also hope to send Sobeck back where he belongs.It's been six long years since Fred Saberhagen has written a Dracula book but the wait was well worth it. His eighth installment in this series is imaginative, colorful and sometimes even quirky. Dickon is comic relief as a millennium old vampire afraid of his own shadow. The race for the Philosopher's Stone is filled with action and adventure as the protagonists keep running head long into villains coveting the same artifact.Harriet Klausner