Clan Novel: Tramere

The whole series is very good in my opinion. Lots of twists. You can't put them down.

This story is basically a murder mystery which, as it unfolds, provides a detailed look inside a Tremere chantry- the relationships between residents, their magical procedures, their politics etc. It's a pretty self-contained story with a strong focus on an interesting character- besieged New York chantry regent Aisling Sturbridge. Indeed, when it attempts to advance the CLAN NOVEL series plot, it tends toward arcane incidents which only raise more questions. Knowledge of the rest of the series doesn't seem as necessary to appreciate this book as knowledge of the VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE RPG setting (Tremere antitribu, the difference between Tremere vampires and True Mages etc.).Unfortunately, Griffin's other contribution to the series, the more episodic TZIMISCE, better showed his strengths- imaginative individual scenes, telling detail. That's here, too but with all the intrigue, arcane practices, surreal visions and sudden surprise twists, I found the overall plot difficult to follow- especially toward the end where tremendous complexities were resolved very quickly. I wasn't sure at first what happened in the end and motives are still unclear. Some crucial things seemed only to receive perfunctory explanation without enough preparatory development. Adding to the confusion are distracting editorial problems like failing to identify the speakers often enough during important dialog. Despite this, Griffin presents magical practices well and mostly avoids that subject's pitfalls. He provides enough necessary technical detail without bogging down in exotic minutia. In the process, he creates atmosphere, reveals character and maintains consistent logic throughout for how his magic functions. It's also faithful to the way the Tremere and their organization are presented in VtM. People who enjoy that will find much to enjoy here. You may not be entirely satisfied with where it ends up but at least it takes you on the scenic route with an engaging guide.