Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 14: Dark Road, Parts 1 & 2

Vampire Hunter D #14

by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Yoshitaka Amano (Artist)

D has crossed over the southern border, into the domain of the cruelest and most evil of the royalty, General Gaskell. On the way, he picks up a "victim" - one of the few survivors in the villages - and makes way with her and the Deliverers. Along the way, he is attacked by the Drowned, and fights many more unspeakably horrible enemies. All of this suggests that Gaskell - who was supposed to have been put to death under the light of the sun - is still very much alive. But why?

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Manga, Supernatural, Vampires, Fiction, Science Fiction

480 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 1999

Reviews

[Vakaris the Nosferatu · Rating 4 out of 5]

all reviews in one place: night mode reading ; skaitom nakties rezimu

Did you miss me? Hope you did, because I’m back with Dark Road parts one and two by Hideyuki Kikuchi, 14th book in Vampire Hunter D series. Oh, how I wish there’d be more movies made. There’re sure stories enough for many.

My Opinion: A lot happens in this book, almost unusually so. Other than searching for a record of a battle that has happened in the area D’s entering, as is often the case: there’s little rhyme or reason why the hunter is there. But as he is there: all hell breaks loose. Various dead vampires rise to life yet again, alongside all kinds of other troubles that await. As always, there’s a girl to save, and a boy to impress, and a vampire to surprise, once they recognize his lineage. Definitely a curious read, if nothing mind blowing.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5
It's not the best D adventure but it does shake up the normal template of the series and sidelines D for large portions of the story.

[aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

ah yes, another wonderful vampire hunter d book by kikuchi. really, need i say any more about this series? i have read all of them that have been translated so far and am looking forward to whatever else he has in store for us. these are always good and quick reads that have a new take on the vampire hunter. remember, he started this series decades ago, and it is still going. now that vampire novels are popular i sure hope that he gets his due. this one focuses on d having to take down a resurrected vampire and his minions...pretty standard fare...always entertaining!

[Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was hard to read Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D: Dark Road Part 1 and 2 without scrambled images from the hero’s 1980s anime popping up in my head.

It set classic monster movie villains (vampires and werewolves) in post Apocalyptic sci-fi universe. According to Wikipedia, the movie is set in the year 12,090 AD but instead of flying cars, people travel in covered wagons drawn by robot horses. The people in D’s world also live in crude houses with stone walls and thatched roofs. Dark Road’s main antagonist, General Gaskell lives in a 15th century castle. To its credit, the book addresses the Nobility’s obsession with 15th-century styles and customs. However, it never fully answers the question. As the name implies, the Nobility are the highest order of vampire. They are the oldest, the most savage, and the hardest to kill.

Vampires are said to possess a glamour, the ability to “charm.” Wikipedia credits the show True Blood with this definition but I would swear the same power was described in Bram Stoker’s original Dracula. If it is a vampiric power, then D is dripping with it. And for D it works equally as well on vampires. He “charms” Lady Ann to go against her father, the Duke, another member of the Nobility. Lady Ann is sent to attack the party D is traveling with. However, when she sees him she forgets her mission. Throughout the pages of Dark Road, Kikuchi is quick to remind us that D is gorgeous – so much so that his hero dhampir might have been called “Gorgeous D” instead of “Vampire Hunter D.”

I admit that I am not being fair to Dark Road. Though the book could stand on its own (meaning you would not have to read the preceding books to understand the events in the current book), its similarity to the anime are overly distracting. In the anime there was a larger-than-life-seemingly-unbeatable villain and a damsel in distress whose importance to the villain and D seems to be nothing more than a whim. At the end of Dark Road Part 1 and 2, it is the General admits that he is unsure why Rosaria (this book’s Doris) is important to him.

A longer version of this review is available on my blog: www.cranialgunk.net

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the first few books that I've read in this series, the story in this suffers from an awkward translation. While it is completely possible that it is also a result of the style of the original material in Japanese, the wording of things sometimes seems clumsy and wordy, with descriptions given to things that are unnecessary or redundant. It also makes the explanations of some of the otherworldly events, things and weaponry difficult to understand.

However, the basic storyline is compelling, and being a fan of the anime (and a lover of the artwork) it is still enjoyable to read and try to imagine the way this could be rendered visually.

[Mae Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me to read the books about D, I have to be in a certain mindset. When I started this book, I wasn't there, so I set it aside after 30 pages and waited. I'm glad I did because when I'm ready to read about him, he is the perfect character.

I do wish they would compile all the parts of one story into one book, but at least I had Vol. 15 ready for when the story ends in the middle. I don't like waiting 8-12 months for the cliff hanger solution.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it wasn't my intention to start off this series at book 14, I like it all the same. I don't know if the "dark road" trilogy is one of the better or worse books in this series, but some parts were a little difficult to follow. Overall, not bad.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was not as easy to read as previous books. It seemed like more was lost in translation and the story didn't flow as smoothly. There were continuity errors that I don't believe I've ever noticed before in a Kikuchi novel. For example, D's cyborg horse was killed, a few chapters later he is riding it. He saves a girl from a tower, slinging her over his shoulder as he fights his way back to camp. Then she just kind of disappears from the story, never mentioned again until almost 100 pages later, where she is in a wagon sleeping. A priest turns up then completely disappears from a scene. Just, poof, gone.
It just didn't read well and again, not sure if part of this was because of translation or not. One thing many don't understand is that some things just don't translate well, no matter who is doing the translating.
The story itself was your typical D story, except we saw more vulnerability on his part for once and that made it more enjoyable for me. I'm hoping the next volume, the continuation of this story, is better done.

[Thom Brannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Same review for Parts 1&2 as for Part 3)

This entry into the VHD series sees the eponymous vampire hunter up against a series of dangers, each worse than the last, until the final bit. Aside from some weird parts, it was a very enjoyable read overall, and D is hurt worse than ever before, and somehow more evenly matched than before, even than in Vampire Hunter D Volume 13: Twin Shadowed Knight - Parts One and Two. If this is going to be trend for the next volume, so be it, as we got more vampire (Noble, excuse me) history in this volume than in many other combined.

The weird bits are weird enough that I don't want to go over them, but all in all, a good read, better than most of the series.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be an example for what this series can do: vampire lore. Give it to us raw and wriggling.

Excellent characters with interconnecting backstories from thousands of years ago ✅
POVs from villains to get into their heads and see their motives informing their actions ✅
Lore revelations connecting books and events referenced prior ✅

I was so ready (again) for this to be the last one I read (not because the series was waning but because 14 volumes is probably enough) but urrngnnghhghhh I guess I'll do the next one at least

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Nothing really stands out about this one, but it's still a decent read.

We meet what seems to be the most evil vampire ever, and as usual, D has some tag alongs he's protecting along with some evil monsters that are after him. For some reason this didn't grab me like most of the Vampire Hunter D novels, but we'll see how things wrap up in the next volume.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment in the series.

[Matty Dingdong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was slow, boring and didn't seem very coherent. I love the anime and had this book sitting around for years. It was a total slog to get through.

[Alexandru Simionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

When they’re mean to D : 😴😪🥱
When they’re mean to Mr. Left Hand : 😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

D has encountered another Frontier town. It was filled with people who’ve been bitten by the Nobility. Only trying to live in peace without attacking their neighbors, they have been killed by traveling vigilantes that see them as a blight and danger waiting to happen. There is only one survivor, a red-headed girl named Rosaria. Traveling with D and the only surviving vigilante, Quinn, the two distrusting, reluctant allies struggle for mutual acceptance and understanding. Bringing the question of socialism, equality and racism into the mix isn’t entirely a new tactic for the author. The very first Vampire Hunter D novel featured a girl who’d been attacked by the Nobility and subsequently shunned and hated by her neighbors. What is different here is the one-on-one nature of the struggle presented in this volume. If this subject had been explored with greater depth, it might have been a stellar novel. But the surviving redhead is soon kidnapped by a Noble and the book degenerates into more fight scenes as D struggles to win her back.

[Grimread · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion Dark Road (trilogy?) is one of the weakest books from the Vampire Hunter D series. It's sloppy written, the story is all over the place, the characters are inconsistent, the bad guys that are suppose to be ultra powerful are a bunch of weaklings that keep running away all the time but still never get killed. D is completely out of character that Kikuchi has been building for the past 13 books. The book is an utter disappointment.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Within the first 60 pages, D fights the main villain, General Gaskell, who has been touted as such a big bad vampire, he is considered second only to Dracula (this will be changed later to Valcua and/or Gilzen), and proceeds to beat up and chase away the main antagonist. Kind of takes the whole threat away when the villain can easily be beaten by the hero, with little to no effort.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really dug the Vampire Hunter D anime when I was back in highschool. These are pretty fun too.