Vampire Blood in Blood Out (2)

BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT is the second of three novels in a series on the Chicago setting of Vampire: the Requiem. It is game fiction, so the author has to work in game aspects into the novel in addition to telling a good story. While the first and third novels were written by Greg Stolze, BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT was written by a different author, Lucien Soulban, which has led many to conclude that this second novel is merely an interruption in the narrative flow. My observation is that this is simply not the case. To begin with, BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT is a compelling read. It's certainly well-written (and well-edited, which isn't the case for all White Wolf products...), well-paced, with interesting characters and a dynamic plot. I felt that the strength of A HUNGER LIKE FIRE was Stolze's ability to tie multiple narratives together, while BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT took one narrative and spun everything else around it. The layers of political intrige were complex but believable. I thought it particularly effective of Soulban to develop a mostly unexplored part of the Chicago setting - the Carthians. It avoids becoming a rehash of the first novel while allowing a lot of latitude in character development (characters that Greg Stolze had already introduced, Like Prince Maxwell, Solomon Birch, and Persephone Moore, played important roles but were treated carefully to maintain contintuity). When I first approached BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT, I was warned that it was irrelevant to the overall setting development and that I needn't read it. By the time I finished it, I would recommend it to anyone interested in the World of Darkness setting.

First of all, it's not as good as the first Requiem novel, "A Hunger Like Fire." I simply didn't find myself enjoying it quite as much. Maybe being a white suburbanite I had difficulty relating to the "blackness" of the main character. It's odd how it can be easier to identify with a monster (the vampire) than someone of another color or creed. Anyway, I just didn't feel like the pacing or the flow was as smooth or enjoyable. That all being said, it was an excellent Requiem novel. It was great to see the Carthians something like the Congress or Parliment; sometimes unified in purpose, sometimes squabling like deadly children over who's sandbox is bigger. The love/sex scenes were fantastic; they weren't terribly erotic but they really bring home the absence of real love for those suffering the vampiric condition. It also does an excellent job of showing the necessity of politics and contacts. Perhaps most importantly, I just want to turn the next page to see what happened next. A good book always leaves you wishing there was more to read; this does it.

Blood In, Blood Out is an excellent follow-up to A Hunger Like Fire. Though the two were written by two different authors, there was no continuity problem that I could discern. Watching the development of characters such as Persephone and Duce as well as Solomon Birch and other characters more in the background made this book an enthralling read. The only issue I had was that I wish there was more about the Nosferatu Bruce (Bruise), the protagonist from the first book. He was an interesting character, and I hope he is mentioned more in upcoming novels. There is quite a lot of colloquialistic dialect from Duce and his side of things, but never once did I feel it becoming cliched as one other reviewer felt. To me, it helped me visualize the characters better, visualize who they were and where they came from before they were Embraced. In one way this was a better read than A Hunger Like Fire, but only because Blood In, Blood Out lacked all the grammatical and typographical errors from its predecessor. All in all, this was a fun read. If you enjoyed A Hunger Like Fire, then I suggest you pick this one up.

Blood In, Blood Out is one of those novels that really strikes a chord. Its dark, unapologetic look at urban vampires trapped between the politically cutthroat world of the Kindred and social dynamism is profoundly and accuratly compared with the struggle for equal rights that has plagued America since the first slaves were shipped over from Africa. Lucien Soulban immerses his readers in a world where loyalties ride the same fine line that keeps a vampire's Hunger at bay. Stark prose and unflinching dialog steeped in an honest urban portrayal make this novel a MUST READ, not only amongst Vampire and World of Darkness fans, but also as a powerful literary interest. The charactesr are very well thought out and detailed. Motivations are made clear and political backstabbing is met with a deep philosophical outlook as the main character struggles with who he was before The Kiss and who he is now. For those who want to compare this with Greg Stolze's fantastic first novel...don't. They are two completely different animals (aside from the technical variants). While Stolze took one into the very minds of his characters from their own unique perspectives, Soulban gives us an outsider's glimpse into the underpinnings of Kindred politics and social avenues. He allows us to see The Invictus and The Sanctified as the Carthians may see them. This, in an of itself, is a great reason to read this novel. That it also masterfully captures the essence of the World of Darkness in a beautiful, literary fashion, seals the deal.