Children of the Night

Diana Tregarde #2

by Mercedes Lackey

Rock band Wanderlust is about to hit it big, guitarist Dave Kendall is sure of that. They're playing better venues, in front of bigger crowds-and the people showing up at the after parties are increasingly good-looking and cool. Some even radiate power, like "Master" Jeffries, the tall, saturnine man who seems to have some sort of weird control over Dave's fellow bandmates.

But Dave's too tired to pay much attention to Jeffries. He's tired a lot, lately, and making music isn't as much fun as it used to be. Probably he's just working-and partying-too hard.

Luckily, Dave has a friend who takes what's happening to him very seriously. Diana Tregarde is a practicing witch and a Guardian of the Earth. It's her job to keep an eye on innocents like Dave and make sure they stay out of trouble and don't become someone's lunch.

Jeffries has been on Diana's hit list since she first spotted him pursuing a young Romany. Di wasn't fast enough to stop him, but the Rom have their own protector-a dashing, charming, very attractive vampire named Andre Le Brel.
Together, the witch and the vampire face Jeffries and his evil minions in a battle for the soul of rock 'n' roll.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Fiction, Mystery, Supernatural

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.

"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.

"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.

"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:

"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."

Also writes as Misty Lackey

Author's website

Reviews

[Gail Carriger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second in the Diana Tregarde series (but you don't have to have read the first). Lackey was writing Urban Fantasy before we called it that and this is one of her best. This book introduces Andree the sexy French vampire, one of the first hot vampires to enter my reading life. The romance between him and Diana (a strong and powerful witch) is adult, complex, and deeply moving. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

[Oriana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am 99% sure this is a mistake. Mercedes was my very first favorite author, when I was about twelve. I must have read Castle of Deception forty times; I can still call to mind entire paragraphs from it. But I know I was an idiot at twelve, and I really don't want to learn that Mercedes was never all that good to begin with, but I just want to read something totally unlike all the pomo super-modern lit fic I'm always immersed in, and this certainly fits that bill. So we shall see...

Also, Tor? WTF is up with this hideous cover???

***

Yeah, so there's not a whole lot to say. All my fears were justified. This book is clumsy and lazy and horribly overdramatic and full of fake buildup and incredibly transparent plotting and beleaguered descriptions &c. It's a book for twelve-year-olds, and I am, thankfully, no longer twelve. I will probably reread Castle of Deception at some point, and I will probably regret it just as much. This is probably a good argument for non-hoarder-ing; if this wasn't just sitting on my shelf peering at me, I'd never have picked it back up and never have known how corny it was. Le sigh!

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised that it was set in 1970s New York and it was a refreshing setting. I thought that Lackey descriptions were well done, providing a realistic fiction version of what I would imagine New York City would have been like.

I thought the characters were flawed, but likable, especially the main protagonist, Diana Tregarde. I thought the idea of a psivamps a fascinating concept, heightened by Lackey's integration of ancient mythologies. In particular, I thought Andre Le Brel completely charming and a match for Di. While I wish there had been more scenes with the two of them, the balance between the characters worked well and provided a wonderful pacing.

I did struggle with the internal voice structure that Lackey employs. The technique was jarring and I found it to stifle the pacing of the unfolding story, especially during dialogue exchanges between characters. I eventually got used to it, for the most part.

I would read another Lackey book in the future and I probably will revisit this one again in the future.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd originally read this book back in my heavy-Lackey, middle/high school phase. Now having lived and worked in New York for a few years (and no longer being a hormone-drenched teenager), I found myself curious about how it would stand up.

Lackey was doing urban fantasy before it really caught on--if her vampires are derivative of anyone's, they're Rice-esque. So you don't have to worry about errant sparkles, at least.

There may be some lingering affection biasing me here, but I thought this held up surprisingly well. Oh, the prose is purple and the plot angst-drenched. But for a psychic investigator whose day job is writing bodice rippers, Diana is refreshingly practical and down-to-earth. The dialogue flows with warmth and humor, the tension ratchets up nicely, the bad guys are a mix of the inhumanly creepy, the all-too-humanly evil, and the banally selfish who made some bad choices.

Is it brilliant? No, not particularly. But it's entertaining, and succeeds at its own goals well. The vampire love interest is attracted to the heroine because of her strength and intelligence, not because she smells like the best steak dinner ever. And if anyone tried to pick her up and carry her around for her own good against her will, Tregarde would kick their butt into next week.

[Gwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I paid 50p for this book, and I want my money back.

Oh Mercedes, why? What went wrong? Was it the 80s? Did the 80s do this to you?

Mercedes Lackey is always a guilty pleasure. Fluffy fantasy novels with fun themes and only a cursory nod to anything deeply meaningful. I usually rip through them in a couple days, like a bag of sugary marshmallows. But this one I ripped through because I just wanted it to end.

Here, I will write a book blurb for you:

"VAMPIRES! DRUGS! FREAKY SEX! DRUGS! TERRIBLE SLANG! VAMPIRES! ARE THEY GOOD OR EVIL?! EITHER WAY THEY'RE SEXY AND POSSIBLY FRENCH! YOUR MOM ATTEMPTING TO BE HIP WITH THE KIDS! BLACK LEATHER! DRUGS! SEX WITH CHICKS! VAMPIRES! SEX WITH DUDES! SEX WITH QUEERS! VAMPIRES! ALSO TERRIBLE 80s SLANG! OFFHAND STEREOTYPE OF MINORITY/QUEER/TRANS/PERVERT! THREE PAGES OF ITALICS! VAMPIRES!"

There, now you don't need to read it. I mean to be fair, I was born in 1989 and this book came out in 1990, so maybe there's a reason the slang sounds like it was written by a desperate soccer mom with secret kink fantasies and a dusty Ouija board.

I can't even give it points for queer representation, because even though there are a bunch of queers, it feels like they're just there to emphasize that this is TAKING PLACE IN ROCK AND ROLL FREAK 1980S NEW YORK! CHRIST ON A CRUTCH! EVEN THE CABBIES ARE HAVING SOME REEFER! CHRIST ON A CRUTCH! I'VE HAD CHICKS, BUT NO REAL GIRL SINCE I BROKE UP WITH MY HIPPIE GIRLFRIEND WHO ACTUALLY IS A REAL WITCH, BUT NOW I'M A VAMPRIE! ANGST! DRUGS! ROCK AND ROLL! CHRIST ON A CRUTCH, M'LAD!

...sorry, turned back into 1990 Lackey there.

Just don't. Mercedes, I'm so glad your writing isn't quite this shit any more.

[Punk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Supernatural...thriller? Diana Tregarde is a Guardian, a witch who's devoted her life to battling evil supernatural forces. Here, she meets an assortment of vampires.

This book is awful. The writing's completely over the top, abuses italics and "quote" marks to the point of insanity, and is filled with bizarre folksy phrases. Characters lived in the "Apple," were "in deep kim-chee" at least once a chapter, and Diana (fresh out of college) called all sorts of people "laddybuck" and once said "lawsy." I don't even know what to do with that. The spine says this is "dark fantasy." It really isn't. To make matters worse, a Japanese character is referred to, almost exclusively, as "the Oriental." Yuck.

The terrible thing is that the first time I read this book I liked it so much I bought it. What can I say, I was younger then.

[farmwifetwo · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 50pgs.

I'm simply not interested. The story jumps all over, it's all in Diana's head and who were those people and why in the bookstore.

Not for me.

[Aiyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the days of Anita Blake and Sookie Stackhouse, before Bella... There was this book.

This book gave teenage me the creepy-crawlies and made vampires sexy at the same time. This book introduced me to the idea that there could be more than one kind of vampire, and that the blood-sucking kind might not be the most dangerous. This book has a female protagonist who is both vulnerable and bad-ass, a woman fighting psychological demons as well as literal ones, and that makes her someone I could both relate to and look up to.

If I were reading this book for the first time now, I think I'd find it a little cheesy, a little over-dramatic. But when I was a young adult, it was perfect, and I can still remember how swept-away I was the first few times I read it, and I still love it for that.

[Jasmyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diana Tregarde is a guardian who is sworn to protect those who ask for her help. She finds herself caught up in a complex series of what at first appears to be coincidence, but with the help of her friends and a man she just met, she puts the pieces together to find that many of the strange things happening were really linked together.

Diana experiences every possible emotion in this book and Lackey is there to show them to us in a detailed way that leaves the reader grinning at her jokes, wishing we could give her comfort as she cries, and wanting to hide in the corner with her fears.

Overall, quite a good book. The story was engaging from the beginning and had enough twists and turns to keep you interested without confusing or muddling the chain of events. Personally, I would have liked to see the characters of Lenny and Keith, who in their own way played quite an important, if small role, expanded on a little more as they seemed a bit flat. At times the story began to turn towards a romance novel, but before it could get too far Lackey reigned it in and got back on track.

[Alex Wedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed the first book in this series more, but was still a fun book to read.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Buffy or Hamilton's Anita Blake or Harris' Sookie Stackhouse, Lackey was writing Urban Fantasy with a strong heroine, Diana Tregarde, starting with Burning Water and also including, besides this one, Jinx High. Diana is a practicing witch and a "Guardian" sworn to protect innocents who get caught up in the supernatural.

Of the three novels, I think this is the strongest. I've read the Tregarde novels didn't sell well, and that's why Lackey hasn't written more with this character. I find that a shame--I like these books as much as any by Lackey and more than many an urban fantasy featuring vampires that are bestsellers. I like the vampire character, too, Andre Le Brel, and how well he partners with Diana. This story is actually a prequel to the first published book, Burning Water, so you could start here first.

[Kevin Rubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being kind of disappointed with the first Diana Tregarde novel, I only read “Children of the Night” by Mercedes Lackey because I’d already purchased it. However, I’m glad I did, I enjoyed it quite a lot more.

“Children of the Night” opens with Diana living in New York City and helping her friend out by taking over her small magic shop just off 42nd Street. So this already interested me more because I live in New York City, not far from 42nd Street.

Before long Diana teams up with a real, genuine, blood sucking vampire, Andre, who has taken it upon himself to protect some people.

They have some enemies, psi-vampires who drain energy, but not blood, from people, and a mysterious creature that eats souls. The enemies have teamed up because they found it advantageous to work together.

Diana and Andre also include a couple of Diana’s friends from New York in their team, and have an unexpected ally, an old boyfriend of Diana’s in the psi-vamp team who never wanted to become and doesn’t enjoy being a psi-vampire, and just wants out of it.

This novel also covers how she helped the Romany people in New York so they are in debt to her, which was a plot point in the first Diana Tregarde novel, “Burning Water” that now obviously takes place later than this one.

I can’t figure out when it takes place. When I read the first Diana Tregarde novel, “Burning Water” I assumed it took place around the time it was written, the late 80’s. This one was written in 1990, and at first I assumed it took place around that time. But then Lackey makes passing reference to the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon being president, which would be the first half of the 1970s.

While doing some in-story research, Diana refers to Michael Moorcock’s “Elric” saga and the sword Stormbringer in a way that would indicate time has passed since Moorcock wrote about it, fitting with the story taking place around when it was written, the late 80’s or 1990…. But then there’s mention of a B-grade actor in the governor’s mansion, which would seem more like the late 60’s or early 70’s, whereas if it took place in the 80’s, I’d expect mention of this B-grade actor having ascended further, to the White House.

Overall, though, I quite enjoyed the story, and I’d recommend it.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually the first story in the omnibus edition I bought, of Diana Tregarde Investigates.

As my first introduction to Diana, it was a good one, and I enjoyed learning about her, how she got to become a Guardian, and a witch, and a writer of romantic bodice rippers - and how she met Andre, a vampire who is doing his best to protect a gypsy tribe from a Psychic vampire.

Also involved, is her ex boyfriend Dave who, with his band of musicians, have suddenly hit the high life - but in a way that Dave doesn't have the stomach for, and who is finding it harder than he thought, to back away. Unfortunately, he is in the hands of the group's Patron, Master Jeffries, who is the very Psychic Vampire that is causing Di so much trouble, and who had partnered with a Japanese Gakl, a being who feeds on the soul of it's victims. Because Dave's band mates are totally with them, and who prefer the dark side of life, too, Dave is being forced to go along with them, or become a victim.

When some of the gypsy clan are kidnapped, it takes everything that Diana, and Andre, can give, in order to rescue them - but at a price that Dave, himself, decides to pay, in return for the hurt he has caused.

I enjoyed reading this. It wasn't a great classic or anything like that but, as usual, Mercedes has put humanity, into it, in all it's shades, and I found the interaction of the characters very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed Diana's interactions with Andre, plus going back to the 80's, before smartphones, and laptops - life was simpler then - though I don't miss having to use payphones to keep in touch with people! Lol

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second Diana Tregarde adventure has her at home in New York City. She's supposed to be writing a category romance for her agent but having trouble because she finds the heroine a wimp. She's also shop sitting for a friend who is about to have a baby.

When a young Romany boy comes to the shop looking for the owner, Diana offers to help him escape the trouble that is following him. However, the trouble manages to catch up to him and kill him before Diana can do anything. This brings her to the attention of Andre Le Brel who is a vampire who has guarded the boy's family for generations.

Meanwhile, Diana's old boyfriend is part of a band that is just beginning to become popular when he attends a party, takes a new drug, and becomes someone he had no desire to be. He and his fellow bandmates come under the influence of Master Jeffries who is a psychic vampire feeding on the emotions of others. Worst of all, Master Jeffries has teamed up with a Japanese demon known as the soul eater.

Dave knows he's in over his head and calls on Diana for help. Their breakup was bad, and Diana doesn't want anything to do with Dave. But she's a Guardian and has to help when asked. Diana is still suffering from anxiety attacks from the last time she was asked for help and even teaming up with Andre and a couple of gifted friends feels like she's in over her head.

What I like most about this urban fantasy series is that Diana isn't all powerful. Sure, she has a Black Belt in karate and is a powerful mage, but she's also small and filled with self-doubts. But knowing the odds are against her isn't going to stop her from doing her duty as a Guardian.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read this as a teenager, and figured it was free to read on kindle, I'd give it a re-read. Alas, it has not aged well!

Written in the late 80's, the language and attitudes of the characters really reflects that, and not always in a good way.

That said, it's a semi-diverse cast, especially for a book published in 1990, though some representation is done okay, other bits not so much. The f-slur is metioned at least once (used to make fun of people that would use that word seriously), and g*psy is used multiple times. While this was a more socially acceptable word in the 80's & 90's, it's never used in a way that felt outright derogatory within the text. However, I'm not a member of that community so my opinion carries little weight on that point. It is a word that nowadays would (hopefully) not be used in any context.

The pacing is fast enough that you don't get bogged down in the occasional melodrama of the characters, who do occasionally feel two dimensional, especially some of the background characters.

It's not the best book, but my opinion is coloured by nostalgia, so... 2.5 stars.

[Dlora · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Diana Tregarde Investigation books seem to have an odd trajectory. The first one, Burning Water, shows Diana at full strength and fully set up as a romance writer by day and a witch with "Guardian" powers on the side. However, in this second book, Children of the Night, the timeline backs up. Diana is now just out of college, struggling to be established as a romance writer and unsure of her abilities as a Guardian to help people with occult problems. She is struggling with anxiety attacks related to an occult attack a while ago, which undermines her confidence in her abilities. While being a temporary shopkeeper for the Bell, Book, and Candle new age shop, she discovers some unsettling vampiric activity in the city--and that includes physical vampires sucking blood and psychic vampires sucking emotions and even souls. Good character growth but for Diana and for an old boyfriend of Diana's who is getting sucked up into much more than he was bargaining for in his drive to make it big with his rock band.

[Raven and Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban fantasy

I have a confession to make. Andre spoiled me for other literary vampires. I read this story back in the 80’s when I was discovering my love of fantasy and science fiction, thanks to Mercedes Lackey. I have been hooked on her books ever since I picked up Arrows of the Queen while in middle school. No, I am not doing that math! She is my all time favorite author. Diana Tregarde was written during a time when you didn’t really have much in the way of urban or paranormal fantasy and you certainly didn’t have many LBGQT characters.

If you like the genre, please read these books but remember to keep in mind that these are set in the 70’s before you complain about things. They didn’t have cell phone or the internet. These characters are flawed. I mean how many main characters have panic attacks thinking about fighting the bad guy. But you will find that Lackey is a genius at character building and can spin a @#$ing great story.

[Quenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this book 2.5 stars and it is for only one reason so I gave it three stars which I will explain. But for other readers - This book did not age well. It has way too many references that show its age and not in a good way.

The story is great and not your normal vampire story and I loved how much I learned about Diana in this one. I loved her friends and how involved she is in the paranormal world that under lies New York City.

Diana was so deep in the book. You got to see her flaws and some of that turned me off in this book. She was panicky, lacked confidence but she was determined and unwavering in her duty. This really bothered me because she is so strong and confident in “Burning Water.” This cause me to want to give deduct for that. I then found out that I read these books in the order I was given not knowing this book takes place earlier in the chronology.

I still love the other characters and look forward to the next book.

[Tarma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book first of the Diane Tregarde series. In it I found out that things I'd 'felt' as true and actual were not merely issues of my own imagination but that there really are psychic parasites who can (and do) drain the energy of others. A thing which is real -- and brought out into conscious (and public) awareness. If for no other reason, this book gets 5 stars.

Note: It is through reading the books of Mercedes Lackey that I was introduced to the idea that many things which I had experienced in life and thought were just my imagination had been experienced by many other persons and were actually going on, real. This was a wonderfully liberating thing. Yes, I really AM hearing/feeling/being this way. Yes, there are psychic parasites (as well as other kinds of parasites). Yes there are ways to protect oneself from them. How lovely.

[Miriam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't much like anyone in this story, but I really didn't like the ex, Dave. He was whiny, misogynistic, self-absorbed, shallow and going nowhere. But the worst bit...

Trigger warning: rape







He "saved" a woman, but let the rapist rape her first. And then somehow became a hero of the story by killing most of the bad guys.


As a few reviewers have mentioned, the use of the term "Oriental" to refer to a Japanese character was jarring. I understand it to be a sign of the times in which this book was written, but I try and avoid things like that when I can.

And the Japanese demon was apparently put down by being punched in the head? I may have missed something because by that point I was skim reading.

Lackey may have been early to the party when it comes to the UF genre, but in my opinion the best memories from said party are another 20 years down the line.

[Michael Armbrust · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Children of the Night even more than I expected to. Where Burning Water was big and mythic, this one feels more personal — quieter, darker, and deeply human. Mercedes Lackey has this amazing way of making magic feel real and messy, like it’s hiding in the cracks of the everyday world.

Diana Tregarde will always be one of my favorite characters. She’s not perfect, and that’s what makes her so compelling. She gets tired, she makes mistakes, but she keeps showing up — and that kind of strength hits harder than any spell ever could.

This book has everything I love in urban fantasy: atmosphere, heart, and a story that actually means something. It’s eerie and sad in all the right ways, but it’s also hopeful — the kind of story that sticks with you long after you’ve closed the cover.

[Tarma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read! It's nice to read how Diana starts out and know, see, how she and her skills and abilities grow as she matures in life experiences and wisdom (I'd read Book 2 already - Burning Water and knew this was a prequel).

Not only is it a good story and we get to meet Andree, this is one of the first books I read wherein I encountered the concept of psychic vampires and realized that what I'd been experiencing throughout my life was not just my imagination but actually happening. I really was regarded as 'good food' and my life energy drained by some of those around me. This was, in some strange way, reassuring and also, since it wasn't 'just' my imagination, it was something that I could do something about.

[William Bentrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children of the Night by Mercedes Lackey
One of the very few good things about the pandemic is that I am finally whittling down my book collection. When I check the publication dates I am often shocked at how long I have waited to read these books. Diana Tregarde is a Guardian and a witch. Her job is to answer anyone’s call for help. She finds herself facing both a blast from her past and some psi-vamps.
Diana discovers that all vampires are not alike. She also can bury some fears that have restricted her ability to deal with her Guardian duties. Andre is a surprising addition to her circle although she is not quite sure on how to deal with him.
This was an entertaining book that has survived the test of time being 31 years old.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this accidentally. It was included in an ebook copy I had of Invasion, and I thought it was a continuation of that. (I figured out that it wasn't pretty quickly. I'm still not sure why it was bundled with Invasion, but whatever.) I liked this quite a bit. It's a fun "urban fantasy" novel, set in NYC in the 70s. I guess it was written in the 80s. Some of the language is a bit dated. But if you can get past that, it's fun. The main characters are likable and interesting. I wouldn't mind reading more of this series, though I don't think I'm going to seek it out.

[R. J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Burning Water before I read this book and I think it ruined this book for me. In that book the MC seems confident and knowledgeable but in this one she seems immature and whiny. That makes sense because this book is chronologically first but if you read the books in the order that they were published it seems like she taking a step backward. It's also a little annoying that she has a new set of side kicks in each book. You spend a book getting to know the side characters and in the next book they've disappeared with out a trace.

[Rachel Oberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires and Witches, Oh My

I wasn't sure about this book when I first bought it back in the early nineties, but I gave it a try. I was hooked on the series and the author since then. Diana is the witch trying to make it in the mid seventies New York. Enter a band that drains people's emotions and a real vampire. Stir well.

I enjoyed the book and the look into the past. This is a small peek at what it was like at that time and I like that background. But then, I'm nostalgic for these books too.

[Doug Sundseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than Burning Water, this book has better characterization and character development and a tighter plot. Entertaining urban fantasy, though not the pinnacle of the genre.

Note that in spite the name, this isn't a typical vampire novel; the twists here are quite well done.

NB: This book, supposedly book two in this series, is set during Watergate, so early-to-mid 70s. The first book in the series is set during the AIDS crisis, so early-to-mid 70s. (This is confirmed by other details in the story, btw.)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was almost as good as the first, though it took me a while to get into. It's a prequel so it filled in some of the blanks, but it's not obviously a prequel at first so the timeline confused me initially.

Some interesting things with Vamps and vamp like creatures, sort of a combined sad/happy ending that's leaving me trying to recall if any of them were mentioned in the first book.

Don't have the 3rd unfortunately. Will have to be on the lookout.

[Christopher Schmehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read! I'm sad I didn’t find it earlier, but I'm glad to have found it now. Mercedes Lackey is a fantastic author. Her Diana Tregarde is three-dimensional and grounded in reality. She is a Guardian, someone born with an affinity for magic and power. Her charge is the defense of people in need from shadowy things, occult-related and evil. She uses her gifts and her knowledge of Tae-kwan-do to protect the innocent.

[cheralyn r quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT

This is a MARVELOUS SCAREY BOOK!!!! Mercedes Lackey is such a talented writer. Most readers are used to her Valdemar series but her DIANA Tregarde Books are such marvelous mysterious magical scary books! BOO!! DEFINITELY 5 STARS. I highly recommend this book and the others in the series as a must read!!!!!