Nocturne

Austra Family #5

by Elaine Bergstrom

In the first new novel about the Austra family of vampires in over ten years, two modern-day young lovers find that they must face a deadly enemy, in a dangerous land that both thought they had left behind...

Genres: Vampires, Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Paranormal Romance

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 30, 2003

About the author

Elaine Bergstrom is a Milwaukee-based novelist whose writing melds vampire, romance, mystery and, always, suspense.

Her first published piece of fiction was her first novel, Shattered Glass (1989). It introduced the character of the immortal Stephen Austra and artist Helen Wells, a victim of polio, along with Stephen's family of vampires who are “born not created and have an abhorrance for coffins, particulary their own.” The novel was a critical success, a consistent favorite with readers of adult-oriented vampire fiction. Bergstrom has written six novels in the Austra series, including Daughter of the Night, which featured Elizabeth Bathory as a half-breed Austra vampire. Beyond Sundown, the newest book in the Austra series, released early in 2011. The Violin, a novella, in 2012. Most are in print. All are available on Amazon kindle or through the author's website www.elainebergstrom.com

Using her grandmother's name, Marie Kiraly, Bergstrom wrote a sequel to Dracula called Mina ... The Dracula Story Continues, and its sequel, Blood to Blood ... The Dracula Story Continues, which both look at Mina Harker as a woman changed by her experience in Transylvania, struggling to find her way in the repressive Victorian society. Both were featured in the Science Fiction Book Club and Doubleday Book Club.

For the novel Madeline ... After the Fall of Usher, she adopted Poe’s journalistic style to tell a story in which the details of the last few months of Poe’s life are correct, with her own fictional story overlaid on them.


J. Gordon Melton (The Vampire Encyclopedia) notes that Shattered Glass contains "one of the most horrific scenes in vampire literature." (less)

Reviews

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this series but found I didn’t enjoy this book as much as some of the others. It was probably a 3.5 for me. Oddly enough this was the first book I bought and then had to go back and find all the others so I could read them in order.

In this book Richard Austra falls for a soprano who strongly has ties to his family. I find the Austra family really interesting. I am surprised the books don’t have a bigger following.

There is one more in this series.

[Vickiek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME!! I had bought it when I was sixteen and shelved it due to my immaturity at the time. Recently when I was at my parents going through some old things I came across it and couldn't put it down! It has such an amazing atmosphere and attention to detail without being too Anne Ricey. The characters are multi-layered and vampires super original with an amazing new twist on the traditional vampire. It is a must read!!

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I have enjoyed this series. This book was not as good as the others. It was a bit slow in places

[Starling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elaine Bergstrom's vampires, if that is what they are, are born into their vampire family. In an earlier book in this series we discover that sometimes the vampires can interbreed with humans, and some of the time the children of those relationships can be turned into full scale vampires themselves.

This book is about the children of a match between a full blood vampire and the turned vampire. They discover that there are other part vampires out there, in Chicago, and that some of them are very close to turning themselves.

The plots of all of Elaine Bergstrom books are complex, filled with both quiet times and periods that are anything but quiet. Most of the time her vampires are peaceful, but push them into a dangerous situation and there is all the violence that you would expect from a race that is born both powerful and who need to survive by drinking the blood of the humans around them.

In a world where paranormal and urban fantasy books have become common I find it odd that Elaine Bergstrom is so little known. I do not believe that any of her books are currently in print. This book, her newest, came and went without me knowing it existed. When I discovered it, I had to buy it used. She truly is one of my favorite paranormal authors.

[Judithe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came back to this series after an interval of many years because I couldn't get ahold of the books. It has a different flavor than many recent paranormals, but is very well written. Bergstrom has a very original vampire, variations on which we see in many other "current" series. This story is written mostly in first person POV, of one of the two "youngest" members of the Austra family, a continuation (after a few years) of Blood Rites. It has a lot of foreshadowing in the story, which I don't like so much, but it was still a very good read. I flew through the last 150+ pages just dying to know what was going to happen, and enjoyed some surprises along the way. The story/series ends here, but is open enough for more stories.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elaine Bergstrom is up there with Anne Rice. great book.

[jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!!! brilliant! i didnt noe it waz part of a series wen i cheked it out kuz there waznt anything else by this author anywhere in the library and i have yet to find her other books

[Damali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find it hard to believe that I would ever start a series at book 5, unless I was on something. They must've added the book numbers recently.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME! The author is amazing at setting the atmosphere. LOVE it!

[Siiri Cressey · Rating 3 out of 5]

AWESOME! It was such a joy to find a book about humanistic vampires who respect life and don't (mostly) consider themselves to be better than us.

[Mercedes]

crazy