Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "science"

Bryan Romer’s vampire-werewolf novel is not intended as your typical fantasy-romance, but instead combines science with the legends, infusing it with action of a military calibre. Not being au fait with the vampire-werewolf genre, one of the main and easiest comparisons to make was with the Underworld film series, especially with the action, rivalry, and three-way battle.

There is certainly an early glimpse of something intriguing beneath the surface when the protagonists “change”, and I liked the setting and accompanying introductory ideas of a crash into a cave and discovered alien technology that is linked to alien memories. At this point, I had hoped for something like the Alien films or Prometheus. Unfortunately, these ideas were not developed and explored during this particular novel, and it seemed I was going to be led into the vampire-werewolf romp I had hoped to avoid. For example, there were times when I felt I had to be more acquainted and interested in the genre’s films or books when references were made, of which were numerous.

Vampire-Tech is intense and focuses mainly on action, military martial arts, and has a supernatural kick. In this way, it reminded me of the Underworld film series, but with an established setting and clear progression. The multiple POV worked well in this way, and though we saw through the eyes of many inconsequential characters, it did keep the pace rolling at breakneck speed.

Overall, though Vampire-Tech was not the alien/mystery read I thought I wanted it was well-written with precise technical vocabulary. Sometimes the action was so engrossing that I didn’t much care that I was reading a vampire-werewolf novel, and I even took to a winning quote: “If you believe in werewolves, why don’t you tell me what I am?”

For those unfamiliar, the book is about an astronaut (Mark Watney) stranded on Mars without communication or backup from Earth/NASA. Mark must grow his own potatoes and put his practical skills to use in a struggle for his own survival, but the odds are against him because the next Mars probe won’t arrive for a long time and he may run out of food, oxygen, or water before then. Any of a hundred different things could go wrong, from the habitation to the rovers.

The Martian used retrospective first-person tense to good effect, relating Mark’s experience in a series of diaries listed as ‘sols’. The tense captured Mark’s hilarious take on his situation, and made for engaging reading.

My main criticism is the overuse of scientific terms and mathematical calculations, which was a bit overwhelming at times because not all of the calculations made sense to me, even if it was supposedly authentic.

Still, there were enough engaging chapters, and it was a good book overall.

This book is a really 'enchanting' and absorbing story. There is religious mysticism, and it challenges stereotypical views of it. I've not read a book like this, having few references to compare with the themes and world, but some parts of TEOFAS really reached out to me.

There is a lot of anticipation and tension leading up to the ceremony and initiation into the beyond-human Wraeththu cult. It's written from the point of view of the main character Pellaz reflecting on his journey getting acquainted with the Wraeththu and his ascent through the magical caste system. Pellaz feels like the perfect character to familiarise us with the Wraeththu with his inquisitive nature and his penchant for being spoilt with luxury, which allows the reader a sense of cultural discovery.

The unusual circumstances are exactly what pull you into Pellaz's thoughts and the Wraeththu. The Wraeththu and the difference they embody, physically and psychologically, are very much the main focus of the story compared to the more violent groups of humans who are retreating from the new countries and lack the unity. Human desires appear base and almost immature next to the advanced system of the Wraeththu and I suspect this is exactly how author Storm Constantine wanted these desires to appear. The momentum is very much with the Wraeththu, who are both secretive and mysterious, and possess differentiation.

Yet despite this, there is the ever-present concern they have that they’re not much better than humans and are susceptible to the same hurtful feelings of love and vengeance that we are … it’s worth reading to see what I mean. There is a lot of thought and background put into TEOFAS and it made reading feel like a rich three-dimensional exotic adventure. There is so much depth to the world that it would be worth reading more by Storm Constantine.

*Oh, and the interior of the book layout was beautiful, with illustrations, so I recommend you at least purchase the paperback.