I first encountered George R. R. Martin as a fan of the original Beauty and the Beast, which he created. I found out he'd written a couple of novels and went in search of them. I really liked
Armageddon Rag, but I REALLY liked
Fevre Dream, his vampire novel. It's an obscure one that ended up on the B&N Reads list of
"the Ten Best Vampire Novels No One Has Read" (I've read one other book on the list, Suzy McKee C Charnas' Vampire Taspestry but haven't read the other eight which means I have the chance to discover eight (EIGHT!!!!) great new books.
Fevre Dream is a gothic novel with a capital G. Wikipedia, which has an
entry on the book (of course they do--it's not a "thing" unless it's got a Wikipedia article) that likens the book's style to a mashup of Bram Stoker and Mark Twain. Martin worked out a complex backdrop for his vampires (the "red thirst" they experience, the Pale King who leads them) and it mostly takes place on an elegant and elaborate steam boat (the
Fevre Dream of the title.)
This is a lush and decadent and nuanced novel and (in my opinion) leaves Anne Rice in the dust.
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