Blood And Chrysanthemums: A Vampire Novel

A fair sequel to the excellent "The Night Inside". Baker's writing is clear yet poetic and her books very distant from the usual rehashed vampire tales (bad vampire/good vampire/unhappy vampire). Her vampires are fresh and interesting and their unlives and experiences draw you deep into their stories. The relationship between Ardeth and Rozokov is highly erotic, interesting, and never laughable. As characters they have a reality because they feel the losses, fears and hurts that we all feel and they ultimately make the vampire creations of other authors appear stale. This is a must-have for readers who want something fresh and distinctive with lots of chilling moments but also want to like their vampires.

This book is the sequel to the author's previous novel "the night inside". This book is not as 'dramatic' as the first novel. Instead it explores the 'practical' aspects of Ardeth's and Dimitri's adaption as vampires in the modern world.In this book we are also introduced to a very old Japanese Vampire, who took centries to work out that he was not only a 'deamon' as there are no vampires in Japanese mythology to guide him.The Japanese section of this book gives it a lyrical quality, while the Canadian sections with Ardith and Dimitri bring it into the modern world.This book is easy to read, and enjoyable. It's more an exploration into relationships than a 'horror' novel - but then who would want their life to be a horror story all the time?, even if you were a vampire.

I'm not a big fan of horror fiction in general, but this novel seduced me into the vampire genre. I would really like to see more of her books. Her vampires maybe immortal, but they are also very human in their emotions and their reactions to each other.