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Second Species #2
Shadow Players
Vampire Marek Strigoi has been freed from the torments of Hell…and unceremoniously dropped into the 20th Century.
1968 Paris, to be exact.
Torn forever from his wife, the Marquise Celine, Marek tries to find meaning in a century where the word vampire merely means horror movies, and a pretty girl or two offers new love as he reunites with his brothers in London. What he doesn’t know is that his old enemy is also enjoying the British city, with a trail of blood-drained bodies creating a wave of terror equaling Jack the Ripper’s reign.
Without their knowledge, both men are on a collision course. Journeys end in lovers' meetings but they also allow two old enemies to confront each other.
Revenge is a dish best served cold and Marek’s waited one hundred and fifty-five years to savor this particular meal.
Are the Fates finally going to allow him and his father’s murderer to meet?
1968 Paris, to be exact.
Torn forever from his wife, the Marquise Celine, Marek tries to find meaning in a century where the word vampire merely means horror movies, and a pretty girl or two offers new love as he reunites with his brothers in London. What he doesn’t know is that his old enemy is also enjoying the British city, with a trail of blood-drained bodies creating a wave of terror equaling Jack the Ripper’s reign.
Without their knowledge, both men are on a collision course. Journeys end in lovers' meetings but they also allow two old enemies to confront each other.
Revenge is a dish best served cold and Marek’s waited one hundred and fifty-five years to savor this particular meal.
Are the Fates finally going to allow him and his father’s murderer to meet?
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2015
About the author
Tony-Paul de Vissage
65 books22 followersA writer of French Huguenot extraction, Tony-Paul de Vissage saw his first vampire movie on television at age 6--the old Universal horror flick, Dracula's Daughter--and was scared sleepless. He’s now paying his very permissive parents back by writing about the Undead.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 19, 2015
SHADOW PLAYERS
Book Two of the Second Species series
by Tony-Paul de Vissage
Marek Strigoi is back from Hell and he's out for revenge!
Well, kinda.
In Part two of a nine-part series, Marek has certainly escaped from a kind of vampire hell. In this Hell, furies would bite off his dick, then let it grow back, only to bite it off again. OK, that's amusing.
But in this book, just like the last book in this series, Marek is complacent about his revenge. After finding himself in Paris in 1968, Marek spends a full half of the book just getting familiarized with the 20th Century. Only then does he meet his family again.
There are several humorous bits with Marek experiencing technology shock after waking up after 157 years in the Inferno. He has to learn all about cars, planes, electric razors, showers, toilets, and the New Morality. But the heart of the story is his conflict with the evil Mircea Ravagiu who has wronged him and his family.
Or it would be if de Vissage was writing a horror story. In fact, this is a soap opera.
That could be good or bad, depending if you like your soaps. It's good because we get to follow continuing characters and wonder what will happen to them next. Of course, in a spoap opera, characters must keep secrets from one another, even for the best of reasons. So what will happen when those secrets are finally revealed?
And in which book will the truth eventually come out?
Vampires—the aventurieri—experience something equivalent to Vulcan pon farr. Periodically, they gotta have it, and don't get in their way. Marek's travails with this condition lead to much of the erotic material in the book.
But this domestic tranquility comes to an abrupt end when Mircea spots Marek at a London pub... at about 90% into the book.
There are some things I really like in this book. The character Celine, Marek's vampire wife from the first book, finds herself feeling anger, frustration, and even hatred at Marek for leaving her alone for so many years. It's a hatred born of intense love. It's a very human scene and a very female response. Tony-Paul de Vissage shows considerable insight in writing her character.
There's also some nice attention to historical details in this book, which takes place mostly in 1968 (or, four months later in 1970). However, there are a few bits that seem out of place, like automatic doors (doubtful), electronic monitors for pulse & blood pressure (maybe), latex gloves (maybe), and the phrase “designer drugs” (no). And consider this line about the Beatles: “Some day, they’re going to be famous...” Yeah, sorry, but the Beatles were already the most famous Rock n' Roll group in the world by 1964. And I'm curious why x-rays taken of Marek fail to show his hidden, bat-like wings.
Surprisingly accurate, however, was this line: “That call’s costing me a fortune.” People tend to forget that long distance calls were expensive in the old days. And yes, homosexuality was indeed illegal in Britain until just a few years before.
In one amazing coincidence, the doctor assigned to Marek's case just happens to be the current lover of Celine.
“Shadow Players” is a well-written book in which not a lot happens. These non-undead vampires are given humanity lacking in most fictional vampires. Unfortunately, that tends to make them mundane. They're really just mortal humans that have evolved wings. Blood's nice but they just need a sip every few weeks.
If you are comfortable with that, then this is definitely a four-star book. If you prefer supernatural tales of horror over soap operas, then I might give it three stars.
Book Two of the Second Species series
by Tony-Paul de Vissage
Marek Strigoi is back from Hell and he's out for revenge!
Well, kinda.
In Part two of a nine-part series, Marek has certainly escaped from a kind of vampire hell. In this Hell, furies would bite off his dick, then let it grow back, only to bite it off again. OK, that's amusing.
But in this book, just like the last book in this series, Marek is complacent about his revenge. After finding himself in Paris in 1968, Marek spends a full half of the book just getting familiarized with the 20th Century. Only then does he meet his family again.
There are several humorous bits with Marek experiencing technology shock after waking up after 157 years in the Inferno. He has to learn all about cars, planes, electric razors, showers, toilets, and the New Morality. But the heart of the story is his conflict with the evil Mircea Ravagiu who has wronged him and his family.
Or it would be if de Vissage was writing a horror story. In fact, this is a soap opera.
That could be good or bad, depending if you like your soaps. It's good because we get to follow continuing characters and wonder what will happen to them next. Of course, in a spoap opera, characters must keep secrets from one another, even for the best of reasons. So what will happen when those secrets are finally revealed?
And in which book will the truth eventually come out?
Vampires—the aventurieri—experience something equivalent to Vulcan pon farr. Periodically, they gotta have it, and don't get in their way. Marek's travails with this condition lead to much of the erotic material in the book.
But this domestic tranquility comes to an abrupt end when Mircea spots Marek at a London pub... at about 90% into the book.
There are some things I really like in this book. The character Celine, Marek's vampire wife from the first book, finds herself feeling anger, frustration, and even hatred at Marek for leaving her alone for so many years. It's a hatred born of intense love. It's a very human scene and a very female response. Tony-Paul de Vissage shows considerable insight in writing her character.
There's also some nice attention to historical details in this book, which takes place mostly in 1968 (or, four months later in 1970). However, there are a few bits that seem out of place, like automatic doors (doubtful), electronic monitors for pulse & blood pressure (maybe), latex gloves (maybe), and the phrase “designer drugs” (no). And consider this line about the Beatles: “Some day, they’re going to be famous...” Yeah, sorry, but the Beatles were already the most famous Rock n' Roll group in the world by 1964. And I'm curious why x-rays taken of Marek fail to show his hidden, bat-like wings.
Surprisingly accurate, however, was this line: “That call’s costing me a fortune.” People tend to forget that long distance calls were expensive in the old days. And yes, homosexuality was indeed illegal in Britain until just a few years before.
In one amazing coincidence, the doctor assigned to Marek's case just happens to be the current lover of Celine.
“Shadow Players” is a well-written book in which not a lot happens. These non-undead vampires are given humanity lacking in most fictional vampires. Unfortunately, that tends to make them mundane. They're really just mortal humans that have evolved wings. Blood's nice but they just need a sip every few weeks.
If you are comfortable with that, then this is definitely a four-star book. If you prefer supernatural tales of horror over soap operas, then I might give it three stars.
May 21, 2015
Shadow Players opens with high drama, Marek’s potentially lethal plunge is a striking metaphor for our tortured yet driven protagonist’s new predicament as he finds himself dropped into the modern world (well, 1968 anyway), after a century and a half of very unpleasant imprisonment.
I very much enjoyed this second installment and as I stated in my review of the first book, Vissage is a very gifted writer in both terms of narrative structure and also his actual prose. I must confess however that I enjoyed the first book a little more, the brooding, gothic, isolated and atmospheric parts especially. Yet I also realise this is an epic work that needs to evolve and expand and this it certainly does. There are some actual light hearted moments this time around and some very pleasant and welcome surprises indeed that softened the tone. There was also a great deal of non-melodramatic character development and deep emotional explorations that I particularly liked.
Shadow Players though is the second book in a trilogy so I was always conscious that while I might be treated to some interesting reveals and twists there was never going to be any battles or ultimate confrontations and in some ways this lessened the sense of suspense a little. I’m sure though that this will only increase my enjoyment of the final book.
A great read for horror fans.
I very much enjoyed this second installment and as I stated in my review of the first book, Vissage is a very gifted writer in both terms of narrative structure and also his actual prose. I must confess however that I enjoyed the first book a little more, the brooding, gothic, isolated and atmospheric parts especially. Yet I also realise this is an epic work that needs to evolve and expand and this it certainly does. There are some actual light hearted moments this time around and some very pleasant and welcome surprises indeed that softened the tone. There was also a great deal of non-melodramatic character development and deep emotional explorations that I particularly liked.
Shadow Players though is the second book in a trilogy so I was always conscious that while I might be treated to some interesting reveals and twists there was never going to be any battles or ultimate confrontations and in some ways this lessened the sense of suspense a little. I’m sure though that this will only increase my enjoyment of the final book.
A great read for horror fans.
July 19, 2015
I want to begin by saying that if you have not yet read book one, Shadow Lord, then don't read any further just go right out and buy that one first. Once you have read the first book there is no doubt in my mind that you will rush to buy this one. I will be revealing many things that happened in book one and don't want to spoil it for anyone who still hasn't read it.
It has been one hundred and fifty-five years since Marek Strigoi was sentenced to death only to find himself in Hell. There is a prophecy that Marek will play a major role in but first he must serve his father's sentence in Hell. Unfortunately, Marek doesn't learn what his father's crime was until his release. For all his time in Hell he is constantly visited by the Furies who bite off and eat his penis until he is once again healed so that they can do it again. If that is something you can get past then there is nothing else that will be disturbing.
When his chains are open he finds himself falling wondering which part of Hell he will be entering now. What he could never have suspected was that he would wind up naked in a snow storm. He is hit by what he sees as a monster with bright eyes, a monster we refer to as a car. When rushed to the hospital he is treated by Dr. Philippe Dumont who recognizes that Marek is an aventurieri (vampire) and he calls on his lover to confirm it. That is when everything Marek knew turns into a living nightmare. The lover is his wife Celine who he doesn't even recognize at first. He is now a man living in the twentieth century who only knows how to live in the eighteenth century.
Celine has secrets, she is in love with Philippe although Marek still holds her heart. She has given birth to Marek's son and was forced to divorce Marek when he was sentenced to death. Marek has learned that he is half human, that is the punishment he served for his father. If it was ever discovered that Celine and Marek's son has human blood in him his life would be over as well as Mareks and Celines. Everything else she shares with Marek as she tries to acquaint him with phones, tv, planes, trains and automobiles. Between books and tv he begins to learn what he needs too, only he still can't seem to get comfortable with this new time period or the fact that he and Celine can never be together because of who he is.
It is here in Paris that he meets another woman, Jenny, an aspiring artist and he falls in love, only once again it is a love that has to end. He is going to travel to London to see his brothers and knows that he will never be returning. His reunion with his family is heartwarming and tragic because once again he falls in love and has to leave. He cannot be with a human without risking his and her death.
Marek he has not forgotten his promise to get revenge for his father's death at the hands of his enemy, Mircea Ravagiu who has no idea that Marek is alive. Going by the name Marcus Stryker he knows that he has to a start over somewhere away from his family, a new beginning leaving behind his family and the women he loved.
I love this series because of Marek who whether an aventurieri or human is a person who you can't help buy love and root for. There are many secrets and surprises and although there is a cliffhanger it is not one that makes you scream. I can't wait for the next book in the series to learn more about Marek's life hopefully he can finally find love and peace.
Reviewed by: Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
It has been one hundred and fifty-five years since Marek Strigoi was sentenced to death only to find himself in Hell. There is a prophecy that Marek will play a major role in but first he must serve his father's sentence in Hell. Unfortunately, Marek doesn't learn what his father's crime was until his release. For all his time in Hell he is constantly visited by the Furies who bite off and eat his penis until he is once again healed so that they can do it again. If that is something you can get past then there is nothing else that will be disturbing.
When his chains are open he finds himself falling wondering which part of Hell he will be entering now. What he could never have suspected was that he would wind up naked in a snow storm. He is hit by what he sees as a monster with bright eyes, a monster we refer to as a car. When rushed to the hospital he is treated by Dr. Philippe Dumont who recognizes that Marek is an aventurieri (vampire) and he calls on his lover to confirm it. That is when everything Marek knew turns into a living nightmare. The lover is his wife Celine who he doesn't even recognize at first. He is now a man living in the twentieth century who only knows how to live in the eighteenth century.
Celine has secrets, she is in love with Philippe although Marek still holds her heart. She has given birth to Marek's son and was forced to divorce Marek when he was sentenced to death. Marek has learned that he is half human, that is the punishment he served for his father. If it was ever discovered that Celine and Marek's son has human blood in him his life would be over as well as Mareks and Celines. Everything else she shares with Marek as she tries to acquaint him with phones, tv, planes, trains and automobiles. Between books and tv he begins to learn what he needs too, only he still can't seem to get comfortable with this new time period or the fact that he and Celine can never be together because of who he is.
It is here in Paris that he meets another woman, Jenny, an aspiring artist and he falls in love, only once again it is a love that has to end. He is going to travel to London to see his brothers and knows that he will never be returning. His reunion with his family is heartwarming and tragic because once again he falls in love and has to leave. He cannot be with a human without risking his and her death.
Marek he has not forgotten his promise to get revenge for his father's death at the hands of his enemy, Mircea Ravagiu who has no idea that Marek is alive. Going by the name Marcus Stryker he knows that he has to a start over somewhere away from his family, a new beginning leaving behind his family and the women he loved.
I love this series because of Marek who whether an aventurieri or human is a person who you can't help buy love and root for. There are many secrets and surprises and although there is a cliffhanger it is not one that makes you scream. I can't wait for the next book in the series to learn more about Marek's life hopefully he can finally find love and peace.
Reviewed by: Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
June 24, 2015
After suffering a hundred fifty years of torment in vampire (aventurieri) Hell, vampire Marek Strigoi finds himself dumped in a Paris hospital in 1968. He now must deal with the modern world of electricity, cars, airplanes, telephones, and the customs and evolving mores of the late sixties--and with a wife who considered him legally dead a century and a half ago and who has since formed a new love relationship.
The second volume in the Shadow Players series, taking up the story form Book One, Shadow Lord, does an impressive job of world-building a complete vampire civilization which has gone underground in modern human society, effectively becoming a second species of homo sapiens.
Marek’s long adjustment to life in the late sixties is patiently and often humorously described, and the interaction between him and the people from his past life as they adapt to his unexpected arrival is well-developed and true to life. Released from decades of numbing torture, Marek has also recently discovered that he’s half human and thus liable for execution by the ruling vampires in the Old World. Reunited in London with his brothers Vlad and Andreas and the extended aventurieri family, he finds himself no longer the patriarch of the family, and unable to form any satisfying love relationships with the human women he must conceal his true nature from. He hasn’t forgotten his mission of revenge against Ravagiu, his sworn enemy from 1811, but not only is he not quite balanced enough to rejoin the battle, he also has no idea how to go about locating the traitorous vampire. So he must make the choice about whether to leave his family and current lover behind and embark on a new life.
Shadows Players has a useful glossary of aventurieri terms at the end, though the novel flows so freely there’s not a real need to consult this list, as everything is properly explained at the correct pace throughout the novel. The aventurieri concepts do form a cohesive world view, though, especially when perused at the end of the book.
review by Michael D. Smith
The second volume in the Shadow Players series, taking up the story form Book One, Shadow Lord, does an impressive job of world-building a complete vampire civilization which has gone underground in modern human society, effectively becoming a second species of homo sapiens.
Marek’s long adjustment to life in the late sixties is patiently and often humorously described, and the interaction between him and the people from his past life as they adapt to his unexpected arrival is well-developed and true to life. Released from decades of numbing torture, Marek has also recently discovered that he’s half human and thus liable for execution by the ruling vampires in the Old World. Reunited in London with his brothers Vlad and Andreas and the extended aventurieri family, he finds himself no longer the patriarch of the family, and unable to form any satisfying love relationships with the human women he must conceal his true nature from. He hasn’t forgotten his mission of revenge against Ravagiu, his sworn enemy from 1811, but not only is he not quite balanced enough to rejoin the battle, he also has no idea how to go about locating the traitorous vampire. So he must make the choice about whether to leave his family and current lover behind and embark on a new life.
Shadows Players has a useful glossary of aventurieri terms at the end, though the novel flows so freely there’s not a real need to consult this list, as everything is properly explained at the correct pace throughout the novel. The aventurieri concepts do form a cohesive world view, though, especially when perused at the end of the book.
review by Michael D. Smith
May 4, 2015
Tony-Paul de Vissage writes fresh and original takes on the vampire. The second book in the Second Species series, Shadow Players, is another good example of his intriguing style and imaginative plots with twists and turns to keep you turning the pages...and sometimes to keep the light on at night.
I recommend this book as a must read.
The war of vengeance between Marek Strigoi and Mircea continues n the second book of the Second Species series. Shadow Players is an imaginative novel of a totally different kind of vampire. Finding himself in the strange new society of 1968, Marek must adjust to a different world as he journeys from France where he finds his wife has divorced him, to England to reunite with his brothers. Excitement galore!
This sequel to Shadow Lord is a must read. I loved Shadow Lord and looked forward to this second book in the Second Species series. Tony-Paul de Vissage has penned another winner in the vampire genre. Beware--these are not your ordinary vampires, but as the series title says, a second species living with and alongside man...a secret society with its own rules. Shadow Players is a page-turning tale of ancient vengeance, love, death and a rebirth of my favorite character, Marek Strigoi. Marek is totally enchanting!
The ending of this book is brilliant and beautifully penned. Shadow Players was an excellent, refreshing read. After reading Shadow Lord, I eagerly awaited this second in the Second Species series. Tony-Paul de Vissage did not--never does--disappoint his reader. Shadow Players delivers on his promise with yet another fine tale of vengeance and rebirth with a little love blended in.
I recommend this book as a must read.
The war of vengeance between Marek Strigoi and Mircea continues n the second book of the Second Species series. Shadow Players is an imaginative novel of a totally different kind of vampire. Finding himself in the strange new society of 1968, Marek must adjust to a different world as he journeys from France where he finds his wife has divorced him, to England to reunite with his brothers. Excitement galore!
This sequel to Shadow Lord is a must read. I loved Shadow Lord and looked forward to this second book in the Second Species series. Tony-Paul de Vissage has penned another winner in the vampire genre. Beware--these are not your ordinary vampires, but as the series title says, a second species living with and alongside man...a secret society with its own rules. Shadow Players is a page-turning tale of ancient vengeance, love, death and a rebirth of my favorite character, Marek Strigoi. Marek is totally enchanting!
The ending of this book is brilliant and beautifully penned. Shadow Players was an excellent, refreshing read. After reading Shadow Lord, I eagerly awaited this second in the Second Species series. Tony-Paul de Vissage did not--never does--disappoint his reader. Shadow Players delivers on his promise with yet another fine tale of vengeance and rebirth with a little love blended in.
September 1, 2015
After more than a century, Marek Strigoi has been released from his punishment in Hell. Even after the years of torment he has not forgotten his vow of revenge against Mircea Ravagiu. Before Marek can follow through with any plans he must first adapt to a world much different than the one he left behind.
Vissage’s Shadow Players is a much different book than the first in the series. Shadow Lord, in my opinion, had a sense of urgency. The feud between Strigoi and Ravagiu was active, and intense. The time period of the first book also set a different mood. Although this book didn’t possess that same feeling of urgency I still found it fascinating. Marek learned that nearly everything of his old life was gone, but he still had the strength to adapt to a new modern world and convincingly fit in. I had to admit I had to chuckle a couple of times when Marek began to use the vernacular of the late 1960’s. Although Shadow Lord and Shadow Players are very different books they are equally as good, and despite the difference in time periods, Vissage holds true to his writing style.
It is going to be necessary to read the first book in the series to truly grasp the story, but the series is well worth it. Shadow Players left me feeling that there is something very big on the horizon, and I can’t wait to see what lies in store for Marek in the future.
**Reviewed by Teresa D. for VampireRomanceBooks.com**
Vissage’s Shadow Players is a much different book than the first in the series. Shadow Lord, in my opinion, had a sense of urgency. The feud between Strigoi and Ravagiu was active, and intense. The time period of the first book also set a different mood. Although this book didn’t possess that same feeling of urgency I still found it fascinating. Marek learned that nearly everything of his old life was gone, but he still had the strength to adapt to a new modern world and convincingly fit in. I had to admit I had to chuckle a couple of times when Marek began to use the vernacular of the late 1960’s. Although Shadow Lord and Shadow Players are very different books they are equally as good, and despite the difference in time periods, Vissage holds true to his writing style.
It is going to be necessary to read the first book in the series to truly grasp the story, but the series is well worth it. Shadow Players left me feeling that there is something very big on the horizon, and I can’t wait to see what lies in store for Marek in the future.
**Reviewed by Teresa D. for VampireRomanceBooks.com**
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews