Blood Maidens

November 29, 2010
Fans of historical vampire fiction will not be disappointed by Hambley's long-awaited third James Asher tale (after 1995's Traveling with the Dead), which features a lush and gorgeous whirlwind tour through wintry 1911 Russia. Vampire Don Simon Ysidro comes in dreams to Asher, a former member of the British Secret Service, to recruit him and his brilliant scientist wife, Lydia, to help solve the mystery of the sudden disappearance of fellow vampire Lady Eaton, Asher's old flame. Their investigation sends them into the high society world of the Theosophists to halt experiments on vampire blood that could lead to the kaiser using vampires as an unstoppable weapon of war. The spying and intrigue wrap neatly around the beautifully unfolding mystery. Hambly's political, passionate vampires are deliciously inhuman while still suffering from human flaws and aspirations, producing plenty of emotional drama.

October 15, 2010

An intense relationship has developed between Don Simon Ysidro, a powerful vampire of London; James Asher, a former secret service agent for Queen Victoria; and Asher's young wife, Lydia, a physician with a penchant for medical research. In their third foray (after Those Who Hunt the Night and Traveling with the Dead), Ysidro demands that James accompany him to the Russian capital of St. Petersburg, where he has learned that agents for German Kaiser Wilhelm plot to bring members of the Undead into the German web. Ysidro insists that the existence of vampires must remain secret to the living world and convinces Asher once again to help the cause of the undead. Inevitably, Lydia's special talents are needed, and the three are once again caught in a nail-biting adventure. VERDICT This is an interesting story but not as compelling as its predecessors. In addition, some of the fascinating interaction of the main characters, so well described in the previous books, is lost here. However, fans of this popular fantasy author will demand it.--Patricia Altner, Columbia, MD

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