Those Who Hunt the Night

Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said? I absolutely loved this book from the first few pages, and I absoluely deplore its current inavailability. Hambly crafted a thrilling tale, using stunning writing, great logic, and memorable characters. When I rave to my friends, I always stress Hambly's genuis at writing this fine peice of literature. She weaves a beautiful tapestry of words. She strings her sentences like fantastic jewels on a priceless necklace. The setting was so realistic, the people so intriguing, the story itself so engrossing, that I'll be rereading this book till the day I die.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.

Before I read this novel, I didn't care at all for vampire stories. Barbara Hambly managed to change that.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.

I am a compusive reader. I'll read anything in front of me at least--once. I've read this book 13-times! (Is that a bad omen?) This is one of the best gas-light mysteries that I've ever read or that has been written using vampires & their culture as a the back drop of a Sherlock Holmes-like mystery. Don Simon Ysidro is not only the oldest vampire in London, but he is also cold, manipulative, intense, powerful & deadly (You'll warm up to him eventually). Ysidro compells a mild mannered, poly-lingustic, world-weary retired spy, Dr. James Asher, to hunt for the person who has been methodically hunting & killing the vampires of London in exchange for his wife's life-- and his own. The plot is tight & the characters are believable. Give this book out to friends & family as gifts year around. No one-should miss out on this book.

I usually don't read vampire stories (except for the Count St. Germain series)--the classic creepy, cold-hearted and cold-fleshed hunters of the night are too "alien" to relate to...but Don Simon Ysidro grows on you...He comes to James Asher (ostensibly a mild-mannered Oxford lecturer on folk tales and language) to investigate the "murders" of a series of fellow London vampires. Asher, a bitterly disillusioned former secret agent for British Intelligence, has his own past "ghosts" to deal with--murders, betrayals and lies done in the name of "King and Country." Despite being forced into the investigation by Ysidro's threat to his wife's life, James Asher slowly comes to understand, respect and even value Ysidro's "life" and its realities. It is this delicate development of friendship and understanding that elevate this book from merely a gripping horror novel to a memorable "keeper" book to be shared with friends. The other vampires of London, the details of their "lives" and history, and the final horrifying battle with the "murderer" will keep you reading into the night, but Don Simon Ysidro is who will linger in your mind.

Simply put, this is the BEST vampire book I've ever read. The characters are well developed and "real", the plot is entertaining. I've read Rice's vampire chronicles and enjoyed them greatly. I've read (part of) Stoker's Dracula and found it much too dry. "Golden", "The Hunger" and countless outher novels and short stories are all well and good (for the most part), but in this book, Hambly has captured my heart. I found myself concerned about Simon and his "family", fearful for Asher and truly engrossed in the story. I can't wait to find the time to read the sequel and whatever else I can find my Ms. Hambly.