The Gathering
Ratings21
Average rating3.7
"Age might bring wisdom, but it also brought indigestion and elasticated pants.”
So, C.J.Tudor’s 6th novel is set in the small Alaskan town of Deadhart (pop. 673 alive). They share an uneasy peace with a colony of vampires who live in a disused, rundown mining settlement not far away. When a teenage boy is found murdered with vampire bite marks on his neck, it’s up detective and vampire expert Barbara to find out the facts and decide if a cull of the colony is needed.
OK so lots going on here, lots of characters, lots of small-town thinking, pretty much everyone has something to gain or lose by a cull being authorised, lots of secrets, plenty of surprises.. The whole setting and sense of place is really great. Some of the back stories are excellent, two that really stand out are the girl in the basement and the bone house, both utterly grim.
I suppose making the vampires everyday things, ala True Blood, takes some of the horror and threat away from the story, the vampires here have reason and even if they have desires for blood they don't generally act on them. Most the horror comes from the moments of cruelty some of the characters are subjected to and some of it is horrific.
Overall, this was great fun. All over the place with the rating. Probably if I was being mean it would I would give it a 3 but I went up to 4 just for the sheer enjoyment I had when reading. Not her best but her bar is very high. Might have been a 5 had it been set in Mansfield.
"Age might bring wisdom, but it also brought indigestion and elasticated pants.”
So, C.J.Tudor’s 6th novel is set in the small Alaskan town of Deadhart (pop. 673 alive). They share an uneasy peace with a colony of vampires who live in a disused, rundown mining settlement not far away. When a teenage boy is found murdered with vampire bite marks on his neck, it’s up detective and vampire expert Barbara to find out the facts and decide if a cull of the colony is needed.
OK so lots going on here, lots of characters, lots of small-town thinking, pretty much everyone has something to gain or lose by a cull being authorised, lots of secrets, plenty of surprises.. The whole setting and sense of place is really great. Some of the back stories are excellent, two that really stand out are the girl in the basement and the bone house, both utterly grim.
I suppose making the vampires everyday things, ala True Blood, takes some of the horror and threat away from the story, the vampires here have reason and even if they have desires for blood they don't generally act on them. Most the horror comes from the moments of cruelty some of the characters are subjected to and some of it is horrific.
Overall, this was great fun. All over the place with the rating. Probably if I was being mean it would I would give it a 3 but I went up to 4 just for the sheer enjoyment I had when reading. Not her best but her bar is very high. Might have been a 5 had it been set in Mansfield.
Loved this! Perfect winter read. I love when an author is not afraid to steer away from the standard vampire tale and it pays off. This is my second book by Tudor that I have really enjoyed (loved The Drift as well)
Loved this! Perfect winter read. I love when an author is not afraid to steer away from the standard vampire tale and it pays off. This is my second book by Tudor that I have really enjoyed (loved The Drift as well)
