Malkavian

... not with a bang, but a great sucking sound. This is the last volume in the 13 clan series set in the World of Darkness, home to the Vampire the Masquerade role playing system. Stewart Wieck is a great author who is intimately involved with the VTM system. This last novel answers many questions, but raises many more, tying together many storylines, and leaving plenty of room for creative/malevolent storytellers to draw their own conclusions on the fate of the bloodsuckers. If you are just beginning this series, don't read this one first, but it is possible to read it out of order.

Some would say that the book was hard to follow, hard to understand, page after page o nothing but jibberish. The takes of a Malk in the eyes of a Malk is not something that most people can follow. It is a bit hard to understand the point of an entire series, each clan book was seperated so greatly by the first persons ideals and prioroties, and while it is widely known to any one who has taken any research into this series of clans that the Malkavian clan is the most misunderstood. Why would the author protray them as anything else. I personally found the ideas and stream of consiousness intriguing and sometimes find myself with the same thoughts and ideation. The character telling the story never really seems to be the main character, just someone who understands the main character and the greatness of Anatole. If the story were told by Anatole it would be a waste of time completely, though i like the author using someone else, who is never really an active participant, just someone who is there to experience the events and can translate them into somewhat more thought out terms, than perhaps someone at Anatoles point of veiw could express. This content of this book is very metaphorical, so just try to think in terms of symbolism if you don't already know the whole background. This is a book that you either think about or ignore. But if you really have no understanding of the clan Malkavian it would probably just be a waste of time to read this book so don't even bother to buy the book. But if you want to hear a delusional person's explanation of a schizophrenic, go ahead and keep reading.

You absolutely HAVE to have an open-minded approach to this book if you are going to enjoy it. The author chose to write the book frequently using a stream-of-consciousness to portray the hero, something I would have expected to result in an incredibly bad novel given that the hero is a Malkavian. I will concede what everyone else who has reviewed this book to date has stated--that it is not at all an easy read.Having played "Vampire: the Masquerade" in both tabletop and live action versions, I have found few players who were able to capture what Malkavians are supposed to be all about--that the radical divorce from sanity yields insights into reality that the sane mind cannot comprehend. Different novels in this series have had varied levels of success in capturing what the essence of the clan portrayed is all about; Stuart Wieck exceeds every book to date, a crowning achievement given the enormous difficulty that the sane mind has in comprehending the insane mind. I would very very strongly urge that this NOT be the first book in the series you read; much of the stream of consciousness is symbolic, and you will not understand what you are reading if you cannot identify that the symbolism stands for things that have happened in past books, things that are currently happening, and things that will happen. Overall, one of the best books I've ever read (and I read a lot). Wieck captures the essence of the clan completely, keeps characters created by other authors consistent and true, and keeps the story moving. I wish that Wieck had written more of the books in this series, and regretted coming to the end of this book. It requires more out of the reader than almost any book you'll ever pick up for enjoyment, but the effort is well rewarded by this unusual and provocative tale's telling.

ok kids. this is not your everyday, run of the mill book. this is about malkavians. it is mostly from the point of view of 'em too. get that set in your mind and prepare for the ride. if you don't like Malkavians, skip this book. you won't understand it. if you understand it, you're probably certifiable. the book is fun. (that's what life is all about, ya know) and in being fun, it is very informative as to how the Malks see the world. perception is key. don't forget.

Malkavian is easily the best clan novel so far. The technique, concept, characterization, and seductive imagery are enough to set a Toreador artiste's heart to remember how to flutter with delight. Will this be the key to the entire saga? (Hint: read the other eight first.) Or just a prank? This ninth chapter in the clan novels is an alluring must-read.