Publisher: Vintage (2010)
Format: Paperback | 495 pages
Format: Paperback | 495 pages
Genre(s): Historical Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mystery
Description: "After months of seclusion following a tragic accident, contemporary journalist Michael Wilde could use a distraction – not to mention some work. And when his editor offers to send him to Antarctica on assignment, he jumps at the chance.
So it is that Michael finds himself at the end of the earth, living amid scientists and explorers at a research station at the South Pole. But when two frozen bodies are found at the bottom of the ocean, he enters a whole new realm of discovery. Astoundingly, these two young outcasts – one of Florence Nightingale’s nurses and a member of the infamous Light Brigade – carry a deadly curse in their blood: one that enables them to rise from their frozen tomb and live again.
Combining the adventure of Clive Cussler with the bone-chilling suspense of Bram Stoker, BLOOD AND ICE stunningly takes the thriller to new territory."
Nice concept, but I didn't much like what the author has done with it.
I'm not really a fan of thrillers in general, but as this was a supernatural thriller, I gave it a try. I was expecting something a little different. I don't think Masello explored the vampire theme well enough, in part because he decided to tell two stories. The fact that the stories were related, doesn't change the fact that it broke the flow of the narrative... that's something that really annoys me (I didn't like it in The Eight and I certainly didn't like it here).
I understand the story of Sinclair and Eleanor was important, but I don't think it was important enough to the central story to deserve so many pages and chapters. It could have been summed up in a few flashbacks. As I read the book I actually thought all this time spent in flashback land stumped the progression and proper development of the main action.
Anyway, on with the review. The author had vampires... in Antarctica. And well, let's just say the characters weren't appropriately horrified. The vampires weren't appropriately scary or mean and no-one cared enough to properly research them. The entire "action" was very tame, very laid back, very relaxed... almost no action at all. It just wasn't... realistic. I mean, someone comes up to you and says... "you know, I think those guys are vampires" and you say "damn, I'll have to fill sooo much paperwork"?
The ending... was bad. I wasn't convinced by the solution they came up with at the end. It was... well, for the lack of a better word, lame.
Overall this was nothing special. I have to say I liked the author's writing style and his protagonist wasn't a annoying bastard like some characters from famous thrillers I could mention (*cough* Robert Langdon *cough*). Still, it had so much potencial.
Comentários