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Dark Shadows #2
Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch
In Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch Barnabas Collins, the vampire hero of the series, has recently become a human again through the efforts of his devoted descendent Dr. Julia Hoffman and is living in current day Collinsport, Maine trying to adjust to normal life. Although engaged to marry Dr. Hoffman, he falls in love with a mysterious woman named Antoinette who has bought the ruins of "the old house" on the Collins estate and is restoring it while living with a band of hippies in the woods. Antoinette settled in the area because her daughter is being treated in a nearby mental hospital. Her daughter suffers from flashbacks to her previous incarnation as Miranda du Val who was burned as a witch in the Salem witch trials. One of the judges who condemned her to death was a Collins―Barnabas's ancestor. Barnabas is desperate to win Antoinette's love and to protect her and her daughter from the new vampire that he suspects is attacking the inhabitants of Collinsport.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2006
35 people are currently reading
465 people want to read
About the author
Lara Parker
40 books84 followersLara Parker was born Mary Lamar Rickey in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Memphis. She attended Central High School in Memphis, and won a scholarship to Vassar College. At Vassar, Lara began a major in philosophy, which she completed at Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College), receiving her BA. She attended graduate school at the University of Iowa and completed all course work on a Masters in speech and drama. During the summer when Lara was supposed to write her thesis, she acted at the Millbrook Playhouse, in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, playing 5 leading roles in 6 weeks. Rather than returning to Iowa, she decided to try her luck in New York. During only her second week in the city, she was cast as Angelique, the witch, in the daytime horror serial, Dark Shadows (1966). It was a role she held for 5 years. It culminated with the film, Night of Dark Shadows (1971). While still in New York, Lara appeared on Broadway in "Woman is My Idea", as well as in two off-Broadway plays: "Lulu" and "A Gun Play".
In 1972, she moved to Los Angeles, and began working in film and prime-time television, performing many guest starring roles, and occasionally returning to daytime television. After retiring from acting, she changed her focus back to what her original interests were. She became a high school and college English teacher, and obtained her MFA in creative writing (from Antioch University). Parker authored four novels based on "Dark Shadows" (see book section, below).
Parker lived in California with her husband, Jim Hawkins and their daughter, Caitlin Hawkins. She died at age 84 from cancer in October 2023.
In 1972, she moved to Los Angeles, and began working in film and prime-time television, performing many guest starring roles, and occasionally returning to daytime television. After retiring from acting, she changed her focus back to what her original interests were. She became a high school and college English teacher, and obtained her MFA in creative writing (from Antioch University). Parker authored four novels based on "Dark Shadows" (see book section, below).
Parker lived in California with her husband, Jim Hawkins and their daughter, Caitlin Hawkins. She died at age 84 from cancer in October 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 20, 2019
I came into this a book a bit of a newbie. I watched both the original Dark Shadows and its 1991 revival, but it's been awhile since I have seen them.
Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch was written by Lara Parker, who played Angelique, a witch in the original Dark Shadows television show.
The plot centers on Barnabas Collins, who is in the process of curing his vampirism and living a normal life. This all changes when a woman named Antoinette shows up bearing a strong resemblance to his beloved Angelique. He finds himself fighting his vampire urges as he uncovers an ancient mystery.
You can read Jennifer's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch was written by Lara Parker, who played Angelique, a witch in the original Dark Shadows television show.
The plot centers on Barnabas Collins, who is in the process of curing his vampirism and living a normal life. This all changes when a woman named Antoinette shows up bearing a strong resemblance to his beloved Angelique. He finds himself fighting his vampire urges as he uncovers an ancient mystery.
You can read Jennifer's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
October 26, 2022
LOVE this book! All the wonderful characters came back to life and were as vivid as I remember from the show!
Written by our very own Angelique, the story is split into two timelines: 1971 and 1692. Both times are intriguing and intertwined.
We follow Barnabas Collins as he fights to become human and also find the vampire who has suddenly arrived in Collinsport! There is much suspense and a genuine sense of place, excellently written!
Don’t miss this flashback to Dark Shadows!
Written by our very own Angelique, the story is split into two timelines: 1971 and 1692. Both times are intriguing and intertwined.
We follow Barnabas Collins as he fights to become human and also find the vampire who has suddenly arrived in Collinsport! There is much suspense and a genuine sense of place, excellently written!
Don’t miss this flashback to Dark Shadows!
June 9, 2011
The Salem Branch is the second novel in Lara Parker’s Dark Shadows series and is a direct sequel to her 1998 novel Angelique’s Descent and takes places roughly six months after the former ended. The re-construction of the old house which had previously burned down and the land sold to Antoinette Harpignies, who bears more than a resemblance to Angelique, is nearly completed.
Barnabus is both shocked and amazed at the accuracy of the reconstruction of the old house and become suspicious of Antoinette and her motivations. Weakened by the cure which Dr. Julia Hoffman continues to administer in hopes of ridding him of his vampirism, Barnabus fears that Antoinette is the reincarnation of Angelique and has come to destroy not only him but his family as well.
Making matters worse, Barnabus learns that in his absence another vampire has entered his domain and is making a play for control of Collinsport. Out of a sense of nobility, or guilt, Barnabus puts his own life in danger to protect his extended family members whom has grown to love, as well as a group of hippies which Antoinette has allowed to set up camp in the woods on her property.
Like the previous novel, The Salem Branch moves back and forth between the present (1971) and the distant past of the 17th century (circa 1692). The second story involves the fate of Miranda Duval, a woman living in Salem Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Hunts. It is revealed that Miranda was born with special gifts and had been kidnapped by Indians during a raid of her village when she was very young, resulting in the death of her parents. Living among the natives, Miranda’s gifts were allowed to blossom and flourish…until she was rescued and brought back to Salem village. Here she became an indentured servant to a branch of the Collins family where she must hide her gifts or be branded a witch.
In The Salem Branch, Lara Parker shows that she has definitely grown as a writer since her first novel and has a talent for turning of phrases which are at times very poetic. She does an excellent job of faithfully portraying the characters we know from the Dark Shadows series without making them seem stale and two dimensional. Whereas some readers criticize Barnabus’ drug use in this novel, they fail to point out that both times this occurs he was naively tricked into ingesting them. The scenes describing the fear and ignorance of the Salem Witch trials were fairly accurate in my opinion.
As stated before, the story moves back and forth between the 17th and the 19th centuries and I often found myself wondering when the two storylines would intersect. When the connection between the past and the present finally presented itself, it seemed rather confusing as well as when the identity of the vampire was revealed.
I felt that the ending needed to be cleaned up a bit to sort out the events which transpired and the motivations of the people involved. There were also a few plot points that went unexplained, such as who stole Quentin’s painting and why? Is Antoinette, whose surname is the same as that of Angelique’s mother, a descendent of Angelique or her reincarnation?
All in all, I The Salem Branch was a pleasant read despite a few rather confusing points and I would recommend it to anyone who was a fan of the show and who felt the urge to re-visit these characters one more time.
Barnabus is both shocked and amazed at the accuracy of the reconstruction of the old house and become suspicious of Antoinette and her motivations. Weakened by the cure which Dr. Julia Hoffman continues to administer in hopes of ridding him of his vampirism, Barnabus fears that Antoinette is the reincarnation of Angelique and has come to destroy not only him but his family as well.
Making matters worse, Barnabus learns that in his absence another vampire has entered his domain and is making a play for control of Collinsport. Out of a sense of nobility, or guilt, Barnabus puts his own life in danger to protect his extended family members whom has grown to love, as well as a group of hippies which Antoinette has allowed to set up camp in the woods on her property.
Like the previous novel, The Salem Branch moves back and forth between the present (1971) and the distant past of the 17th century (circa 1692). The second story involves the fate of Miranda Duval, a woman living in Salem Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Hunts. It is revealed that Miranda was born with special gifts and had been kidnapped by Indians during a raid of her village when she was very young, resulting in the death of her parents. Living among the natives, Miranda’s gifts were allowed to blossom and flourish…until she was rescued and brought back to Salem village. Here she became an indentured servant to a branch of the Collins family where she must hide her gifts or be branded a witch.
In The Salem Branch, Lara Parker shows that she has definitely grown as a writer since her first novel and has a talent for turning of phrases which are at times very poetic. She does an excellent job of faithfully portraying the characters we know from the Dark Shadows series without making them seem stale and two dimensional. Whereas some readers criticize Barnabus’ drug use in this novel, they fail to point out that both times this occurs he was naively tricked into ingesting them. The scenes describing the fear and ignorance of the Salem Witch trials were fairly accurate in my opinion.
As stated before, the story moves back and forth between the 17th and the 19th centuries and I often found myself wondering when the two storylines would intersect. When the connection between the past and the present finally presented itself, it seemed rather confusing as well as when the identity of the vampire was revealed.
I felt that the ending needed to be cleaned up a bit to sort out the events which transpired and the motivations of the people involved. There were also a few plot points that went unexplained, such as who stole Quentin’s painting and why? Is Antoinette, whose surname is the same as that of Angelique’s mother, a descendent of Angelique or her reincarnation?
All in all, I The Salem Branch was a pleasant read despite a few rather confusing points and I would recommend it to anyone who was a fan of the show and who felt the urge to re-visit these characters one more time.
May 29, 2012
Interesting tale. I really enjoyed the story and the storytelling but still had a few problems with it.
I enjoyed the present/past storylines, especially the descriptions of life back in old Salem. But, I found the later part of the story a bit tedious. First, denouncement by the judges in the old Salem part felt like it went on and on and on. Then in the present time of Collinsport, I was getting a little tired of reading about the hippies. And finally, though well written, I felt as if the Barnabas we knew wasn't the Barnabas we knew. He was old, timid, weak and not the young, confident and strong personality we came to know. That bothered me as I felt like I was reading about someone completely different.
But despite this I enjoyed the time I spent with the book and it held my interest till the end.
By the way, did the screenwriters of the new Dark Shadows movie read this book? Hmmm...
I enjoyed the present/past storylines, especially the descriptions of life back in old Salem. But, I found the later part of the story a bit tedious. First, denouncement by the judges in the old Salem part felt like it went on and on and on. Then in the present time of Collinsport, I was getting a little tired of reading about the hippies. And finally, though well written, I felt as if the Barnabas we knew wasn't the Barnabas we knew. He was old, timid, weak and not the young, confident and strong personality we came to know. That bothered me as I felt like I was reading about someone completely different.
But despite this I enjoyed the time I spent with the book and it held my interest till the end.
By the way, did the screenwriters of the new Dark Shadows movie read this book? Hmmm...
February 3, 2015
Lara Parker continues her expansion of the Dark Shadows universe with THE SALEM BRANCH, a novel that finds Barnabas Collins finally cured of his vampire curse, but having to cope with family conflict, a new vampire threat, and his own unresolved love/hate relationship with Angelique.
Cross-cutting between the modern Collinwood of 1971 and the witch-obsessed Salem of 1692, Ms. Parker has crafted an enthralling new adventure for Barnabas and his family which builds nicely on events in the original series (and those in her previous book, ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT), evolving the characters and their relationships in many complex ways. Barnabas and Dr. Julia Hoffman are now romantically involved, and it’s through her efforts that Barnabas is able to regain his humanity. His readjustment to life as a mortal is a torturous one, not quite the quick fix he may have been hoping for, and leads to many startling complications. It’s great to have Barnabas walk about in the daylight, but the price of his new life is that the “human” Barnabas is merely a shadow of his former self, lacking the strength and conviction he’d once possessed as a vampire. It leaves him vulnerable to his enemies, and his way of coping with his new status quo makes for compelling reading. Barnabas may view his vampirism as an eternal curse, but it also comes in handy when combating greater evils and protecting his family.
The rest of that family, of course, consists of Roger Collins, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Carolyn Stoddard, and David Collins. David, in particular, is allowed much development under Ms. Parker’s helm. Now fifteen years old and in love for the first time, he and Barnabas have also developed a touching father/son type of relationship which is one of the best elements of the book. Supposedly David and his new love interest will play larger roles in the third book, WOLF MOON RISING. Quentin Collins also makes an appearance here, as the author expertly sets the stage for his more prominent role in that next installment.
The transitions between the time periods are handled as smoothly here as they are in the series itself. The past storyline is both tragic and heart-wrenching, and Ms. Parker weaves the consequences of those events into the present with remarkable finesse, creating an intricate tapestry. No matter how closely we follow along, by the end of the book there is still plenty of room for surprises. That’s one of the qualities that has made Dark Shadows such a favorite, and has always kept the fans coming back for more.
A worthy follow-up to ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT and a welcome continuation of the original Dark Shadows saga, THE SALEM BRANCH carries on the tradition of multi-faceted characters, dream-like settings, and evoking those familiar feelings of mystery, suspense, and macabre fascination.
Cross-cutting between the modern Collinwood of 1971 and the witch-obsessed Salem of 1692, Ms. Parker has crafted an enthralling new adventure for Barnabas and his family which builds nicely on events in the original series (and those in her previous book, ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT), evolving the characters and their relationships in many complex ways. Barnabas and Dr. Julia Hoffman are now romantically involved, and it’s through her efforts that Barnabas is able to regain his humanity. His readjustment to life as a mortal is a torturous one, not quite the quick fix he may have been hoping for, and leads to many startling complications. It’s great to have Barnabas walk about in the daylight, but the price of his new life is that the “human” Barnabas is merely a shadow of his former self, lacking the strength and conviction he’d once possessed as a vampire. It leaves him vulnerable to his enemies, and his way of coping with his new status quo makes for compelling reading. Barnabas may view his vampirism as an eternal curse, but it also comes in handy when combating greater evils and protecting his family.
The rest of that family, of course, consists of Roger Collins, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Carolyn Stoddard, and David Collins. David, in particular, is allowed much development under Ms. Parker’s helm. Now fifteen years old and in love for the first time, he and Barnabas have also developed a touching father/son type of relationship which is one of the best elements of the book. Supposedly David and his new love interest will play larger roles in the third book, WOLF MOON RISING. Quentin Collins also makes an appearance here, as the author expertly sets the stage for his more prominent role in that next installment.
The transitions between the time periods are handled as smoothly here as they are in the series itself. The past storyline is both tragic and heart-wrenching, and Ms. Parker weaves the consequences of those events into the present with remarkable finesse, creating an intricate tapestry. No matter how closely we follow along, by the end of the book there is still plenty of room for surprises. That’s one of the qualities that has made Dark Shadows such a favorite, and has always kept the fans coming back for more.
A worthy follow-up to ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT and a welcome continuation of the original Dark Shadows saga, THE SALEM BRANCH carries on the tradition of multi-faceted characters, dream-like settings, and evoking those familiar feelings of mystery, suspense, and macabre fascination.
January 17, 2013
There are parts of this book that I really enjoyed like the flashback to the 1692 Salem Witch Trials and the way Parker worked in the show's mythology and backstory with a historical event. And there are parts I didn't care for like Barnabas's repulsion at finally becoming human and his repulsion to Julia Hoffman who was his dear friend in the original series. Also, whether or not Antoinette or Jackie were reincarnations of Angelique is never resolved. The reader is left to decide for themselves, but I felt the clues were not definitive enough.
However, for the most part, the characters are true to the characters from the show and I could even hear the original actors speaking their lines through Parker's dialogue.
I dearly love the TV show, but one thing I always found annoying about Barnabas was how fickle he was. First he has a fling with Angelique, then he dumps her for Josette. Then Josette kills herself and Barnabas is cursed with being a vampire and after that he's constantly chasing a variety of young women who resemble Angelique or Josette or some other pretty young thing, all the while ignoring the woman who really loves him, Dr. Julia Hoffman. This character trait is in the novel, too.
If you watched and enjoyed the original soap Dark Shadows, you will probably like most of this book. Some reviewers have criticized Parker's purple prose, but I found its usage appropriate considering that Barnabas originally lived duringthe 1700s and the Salem Witch Trials occurred in the late 1600s.
However, for the most part, the characters are true to the characters from the show and I could even hear the original actors speaking their lines through Parker's dialogue.
I dearly love the TV show, but one thing I always found annoying about Barnabas was how fickle he was. First he has a fling with Angelique, then he dumps her for Josette. Then Josette kills herself and Barnabas is cursed with being a vampire and after that he's constantly chasing a variety of young women who resemble Angelique or Josette or some other pretty young thing, all the while ignoring the woman who really loves him, Dr. Julia Hoffman. This character trait is in the novel, too.
If you watched and enjoyed the original soap Dark Shadows, you will probably like most of this book. Some reviewers have criticized Parker's purple prose, but I found its usage appropriate considering that Barnabas originally lived duringthe 1700s and the Salem Witch Trials occurred in the late 1600s.
January 22, 2013
Lara Parker will always be Angelique, and what a talented, broadly ranged actress she is. She's also an exquisite writer too, and to counter the other reviews of this book as being "purple prose" or "romancey writing," hopefully I can refer you to the great gothic literature of the 19th century, which was written in the exact same style. Her writing style flows beautifully, a pastiche of the gothic, but the plot is sorely lacking in here. What I adored was revisiting characters I loved from the show, but the plot, or lack of a good solid plot, holds no candle to what the original television show writers had up their sleeves. I did love the counterculture hippies in the novel, although it was a bit campy and over-the-top at times. Still, I am very impressed by Lara Parker's writing, and I urge her to write an original novel, outside of Dark Shadows. The Salem Branch is mild, or pseudo-Dark Shadows, to be honest. I suppose I've been spoiled by the great writers of the show (loved the 1897 Flashback, and the parallel time storylines). I do recommend The Salem Branch for DS fans, but don't expect anything too great or earth moving. What you can expect is gorgeous, gorgeous writing, though. Lara, write an original novel, I know you've got it in you! :D
September 21, 2013
Lara Parker has penned another guilty pleasure in her 'Dark Shadows' book series. Like the lengthy story lines in the hit TV show, the novel alternates between two timelines; the historic era of Salem, Massachusetts, full of Puritanical witch-hunting paranoia, and a 1970s "contemporary" setting at Collinwood.
Antoinette may be a clear reincarnation of the witch Angelique, but is unaware of it, despite Barnabas Collins' sure suspicions. A camp of hippies has settled in the woods on the property of The Old House, and Antoinette is intent on restoring the damaged house to its old beauty. I wonder if this in-depth treatment of '70s lifestyle wasn't a big inspiration for the oddly comedic recent film adaptation: a camp of hippies are reduced to a few jokes in the film.
But in Parker's book, counter-culture ideals versus patriarchal property values are mixed in with the appropriate Gothic-styled mysteries, and countered with the historic ordeal of an independent woman in Salem. As with her other books, Parker's stories can be enjoyed by those who have not seen the TV series, but devoted fans will enjoy this interesting tale.
Antoinette may be a clear reincarnation of the witch Angelique, but is unaware of it, despite Barnabas Collins' sure suspicions. A camp of hippies has settled in the woods on the property of The Old House, and Antoinette is intent on restoring the damaged house to its old beauty. I wonder if this in-depth treatment of '70s lifestyle wasn't a big inspiration for the oddly comedic recent film adaptation: a camp of hippies are reduced to a few jokes in the film.
But in Parker's book, counter-culture ideals versus patriarchal property values are mixed in with the appropriate Gothic-styled mysteries, and countered with the historic ordeal of an independent woman in Salem. As with her other books, Parker's stories can be enjoyed by those who have not seen the TV series, but devoted fans will enjoy this interesting tale.
January 14, 2018
I found this incredibly well written, esp. in regards to the descriptions of the characters and the setting. The actions and dialogue where spot on and properly melodramatic: it was nice to finally see hippies in this setting!
The pacing seemed to falter a bit in the middle half of the novel, but that might be a product of trying to match the ever shifting dynamics of the original series. If Lara Parker doesn't have a ghost writer, I'm terribly impressed.
The pacing seemed to falter a bit in the middle half of the novel, but that might be a product of trying to match the ever shifting dynamics of the original series. If Lara Parker doesn't have a ghost writer, I'm terribly impressed.
May 6, 2018
The second Dark Shadows novel by Lara Parker is very good.
She catches the characters very well and the dialogue is spot on.
I can't wait to read the next one.
She catches the characters very well and the dialogue is spot on.
I can't wait to read the next one.
December 15, 2019
Actual rating: 3,5
January 17, 2016
This is a very interesting book. It bounces back and forth between Collinwood in 1971, and Salem back in 1692 during the Witch Trials.
First strength of the book is in the material on the witch trials. Someone has done their research for that section of the book gives a pretty good idea of just how little the men in Salem thought of all women in general, and just how stupid they were to believe spectral evidence and the stories told by a bunch of children. One of the moving factors in the trial was the greed of various men for land that belonged to someone else, especially women, and this is how it was in reality. The incredibly horrible prison conditions are also well presented
Now here is where the book could become somewhat controversial and unsatisfactory for some readers. Barnabas has been cured of being a vampire, and there are fans of the series that find that quite upsetting. It does change the dynamic of the story quite a bit.
Also controversial could be how Angelique is handled in the story and how different she is in this story then she is in the other books about Dark Shadows.
The final controversial part is the relationship between Barnabas and Julia, and how that works out.
I liked the book, although I did have some trouble with the three things I've noted above.
First strength of the book is in the material on the witch trials. Someone has done their research for that section of the book gives a pretty good idea of just how little the men in Salem thought of all women in general, and just how stupid they were to believe spectral evidence and the stories told by a bunch of children. One of the moving factors in the trial was the greed of various men for land that belonged to someone else, especially women, and this is how it was in reality. The incredibly horrible prison conditions are also well presented
Now here is where the book could become somewhat controversial and unsatisfactory for some readers. Barnabas has been cured of being a vampire, and there are fans of the series that find that quite upsetting. It does change the dynamic of the story quite a bit.
Also controversial could be how Angelique is handled in the story and how different she is in this story then she is in the other books about Dark Shadows.
The final controversial part is the relationship between Barnabas and Julia, and how that works out.
I liked the book, although I did have some trouble with the three things I've noted above.
March 18, 2014
Finished Lara Parker’s 2nd “Dark Shadows” novel “The Salem Branch” and it was really good!!! :D Her series has been really great and I liked this one a bit better than the first as it dealt with a new storyline and continuing the show after it got cancelled in the 70s. I really loved Barabas’ taking on David like his own son. Their relationship is just great. I also really liked how it introduced a new love quadrangle with Barnabas, Toni (the new character who owns the Old House and looks weirdly like Angelique, similar to the Maggie storyline), immortal werewolf Quinten, and doctor Julia. Then David’s finally a teen and gets his own love interest with Toni’s daughter Jackie. Plus there is also a story that connects the Salem witch trials to the Collins family. This book had some crazy twists and an ending I never expected. :D Can’t wait to read her 3rd book that focuses more on Quinten. :)
November 17, 2013
I am a bit disapointed with that book, the first book was so good and this one was just meh. It wasn't a bad book, but compared to the first one, it was disapointing.
The story was really confusing with all the new characters and you don't really know who they are until the end. The side story is very weird too, in the first book you know who Angelique is and what she did, so you just read her childhood and you found out why she did all those things. In this one, you don't know who is Miranda so it's a bit weird.
For positive feedback, I love Lara Parker writing style, especially when she describes things like objects or places, it's really beautiful. I really love the base story too, the idea is really good and different from all the vampires stories you see.
The story was really confusing with all the new characters and you don't really know who they are until the end. The side story is very weird too, in the first book you know who Angelique is and what she did, so you just read her childhood and you found out why she did all those things. In this one, you don't know who is Miranda so it's a bit weird.
For positive feedback, I love Lara Parker writing style, especially when she describes things like objects or places, it's really beautiful. I really love the base story too, the idea is really good and different from all the vampires stories you see.
April 21, 2016
Lara, good job! Just like watching the original series (well, a little more risqué and I think David uses a crude word once, which was a surprise), but the dialogue is perfect. The characters are true to themselves. The twists and turns and two time periods are great. I got half of the surprise ending but not the other half, so that was delightful.
Just finished watching the whole Dark Shadows series, so had to read this. Glad I did.
Just finished watching the whole Dark Shadows series, so had to read this. Glad I did.
May 21, 2012
horrendous
January 13, 2024
Lara Parker is a vivid and entertaining writer. The book definitely held my interest. I didn't always like the choices she made with the plot or the characters, but the dialogue and actions certainly sounded like them. She brings a lot more of the flavor of the 1970s than the TV show did, which I felt removed some of the fantastical charm of the original show. The Native American characters were also kind of stereotyped. Still, a fun read for any DS fan! You'll get to dive into a fuller version of the Miranda du Val/Judah Zachary story than in the show, and it's interesting to see how Parker thinks the character of David would have developed as he became a teenager.
August 4, 2022
My son bought me the Complete DVD series of Dark Shadows and we love it! In one of the videos, Lara Parker, who plays the part of Angelique, wrote this book along with a second one as updates into the story line.
Barnabas Collins is ready to embark on a new life and marriage with his savior, Dr. Julia Hoffman. But when Antoinette, a beautiful flower child with a shocking resemblance to the immortal witch, Angelique, rebuilds the Old House and Barnabas’ past returns to haunt him. He discovers a grisly corpse in the basement—-where his coffin once lay—-and he realizes another vampire has invaded his domain. This new threat takes him back thru time in America’s history and his fight to protect his family in the corrupt witch trials of old Salem.
Once you start reading this book, it’s hard to put down. I recommend to all “Dark Shadows” fans and all others who have heard of this series.
Barnabas Collins is ready to embark on a new life and marriage with his savior, Dr. Julia Hoffman. But when Antoinette, a beautiful flower child with a shocking resemblance to the immortal witch, Angelique, rebuilds the Old House and Barnabas’ past returns to haunt him. He discovers a grisly corpse in the basement—-where his coffin once lay—-and he realizes another vampire has invaded his domain. This new threat takes him back thru time in America’s history and his fight to protect his family in the corrupt witch trials of old Salem.
Once you start reading this book, it’s hard to put down. I recommend to all “Dark Shadows” fans and all others who have heard of this series.
November 26, 2023
Real bad left-winger tripe. Actress Lara Parker was a real-life very bad radical and roommate to radical famed actress Jane Fonda in college. It is true. Parker hated police. In her book she makes them out to be goons denying the citizens of Collingwood their constitutional right to assembly. Nasty book best avoided. Wish I could give it no stars at all!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2024
Okay ngl, I got bored asf. The movie is entertaining as hell, and I was pretty surprised to find out it didn't really follow the book much at all. I found Miranda Du Val's storyline to be way more interesting than Barnabas, and ended up skimming a lot of his to get back to hers. Overall didn't love this one
May 24, 2020
It’s delicious to hear author Lara Parker read this one aloud on Audible. The love triangle between Barnabas (main character from the Dark Shadows TV series), Angelique, and Julia goes to cool places the show only hinted at. And the dramatic conclusion literally made me gasp aloud.
December 20, 2016
I liked this one much more than the last one I read by this author. More mystery and just a more satisfying story for fans of Dark Shadows.
December 2, 2019
I didn't enjoy reading the Salem branch. The characters were confusing and the events that took place were a bit confusing. In two much was happening without enough information.
May 22, 2020
Enjoying this series
January 16, 2021
Average
I preferred the Salem witch tale,to the weird tale of Barnabus. Who was a vampire, wanting to be human. Who became human, but wished he was still vampire.
I preferred the Salem witch tale,to the weird tale of Barnabus. Who was a vampire, wanting to be human. Who became human, but wished he was still vampire.
January 15, 2008
Actress-cum-novelist Lara Parker's second DARK SHADOWS novel, THE SALEM BRANCH (Tor, 2006), is the follow-up to her successful debut, ANGELIQUE'S DESCENT, released by HarperCollins in 1998.
I will concede that I had heard little positive about THE SALEM BRANCH before I sat down to read it. Many readers complained of its exceedingly hot violet prose, and the fact that the author displayed little understanding of the characters from the show — which was probably the most remarkable (and quite surprising) failing of ANGELIQUE'S DESCENT. Well, I have to tell you, for the most part, I enjoyed THE SALEM BRANCH — albeit with no small number of caveats. It's quite true that Lara's characterizations aren't what one might expect from someone who actually played a part in the show, but it's evident to me that she intended from the outset to delve deeper into personalities than she had in her first book, and in large part — whether or not she accurately captured the personas from the show itself — she did frequently succeed in drawing the characters as real human beings, warts and all. If there's a real failing in this, it's that, too often, the warts are the focus, and as a result, the momentum of the story suffers, particularly in the chapters where Barnabas is dealing with life as a human being, rather than a vampire. Still, the plot feels faster-paced and better constructed than in her original outing, and some of the criticisms of the story's twists and turns strike me as unwarranted — specifically the scenes involving the Collins' family's interaction with the hippies who have taken up residence on their property. (But again with a caveat — there's a scene of local law enforcement personnel running this gang off the Collins's property that's so over-the-top that I nearly split a gut. And that is bad.)
I will agree with the critics that there is too much purple prose. In fact, if I were to make any real recommendation on technical matters, it would be for the author to check out the proper usages of words such as "akimbo" and "pugnacious" and to never, ever, ever use phrases such as "She placed the epithet in verbal italics, her tone sardonic." This was an affront to narrative voice that nearly sent me packing and moving on to reading Jonathan Maberry's GHOST ROAD BLUES (which is a fine book that I will review in detail in the near future). However...I am quite glad I persevered with THE SALEM BRANCH because, in spite of its shortcomings, it's really, really not a bad novel at all. I'd go so far as to say it's superior in almost every respect to S. E. Hinton's almost-DARK SHADOWS novel, HAWKES' HARBOR, and that's not just me shooting shit. The atmosphere is oftentimes so vivid that I can truly feel myself immersed in the story, and in my old age, that experience is a rare thing indeed. The climax, which some critics felt was ludicrous, didn't strike me as ludicrous at all. In fact, in its own way, it was admirably imaginative and reasonably well-rendered.
I'm going to give THE SALEM BRANCH three beers out of six, with a solid shot of Mezcale, worm and all, to go with it. Not superlative by any stretch, but then again, not too shabby.
Take that from an old DARK SHADOWS connoisseur.
I will concede that I had heard little positive about THE SALEM BRANCH before I sat down to read it. Many readers complained of its exceedingly hot violet prose, and the fact that the author displayed little understanding of the characters from the show — which was probably the most remarkable (and quite surprising) failing of ANGELIQUE'S DESCENT. Well, I have to tell you, for the most part, I enjoyed THE SALEM BRANCH — albeit with no small number of caveats. It's quite true that Lara's characterizations aren't what one might expect from someone who actually played a part in the show, but it's evident to me that she intended from the outset to delve deeper into personalities than she had in her first book, and in large part — whether or not she accurately captured the personas from the show itself — she did frequently succeed in drawing the characters as real human beings, warts and all. If there's a real failing in this, it's that, too often, the warts are the focus, and as a result, the momentum of the story suffers, particularly in the chapters where Barnabas is dealing with life as a human being, rather than a vampire. Still, the plot feels faster-paced and better constructed than in her original outing, and some of the criticisms of the story's twists and turns strike me as unwarranted — specifically the scenes involving the Collins' family's interaction with the hippies who have taken up residence on their property. (But again with a caveat — there's a scene of local law enforcement personnel running this gang off the Collins's property that's so over-the-top that I nearly split a gut. And that is bad.)
I will agree with the critics that there is too much purple prose. In fact, if I were to make any real recommendation on technical matters, it would be for the author to check out the proper usages of words such as "akimbo" and "pugnacious" and to never, ever, ever use phrases such as "She placed the epithet in verbal italics, her tone sardonic." This was an affront to narrative voice that nearly sent me packing and moving on to reading Jonathan Maberry's GHOST ROAD BLUES (which is a fine book that I will review in detail in the near future). However...I am quite glad I persevered with THE SALEM BRANCH because, in spite of its shortcomings, it's really, really not a bad novel at all. I'd go so far as to say it's superior in almost every respect to S. E. Hinton's almost-DARK SHADOWS novel, HAWKES' HARBOR, and that's not just me shooting shit. The atmosphere is oftentimes so vivid that I can truly feel myself immersed in the story, and in my old age, that experience is a rare thing indeed. The climax, which some critics felt was ludicrous, didn't strike me as ludicrous at all. In fact, in its own way, it was admirably imaginative and reasonably well-rendered.
I'm going to give THE SALEM BRANCH three beers out of six, with a solid shot of Mezcale, worm and all, to go with it. Not superlative by any stretch, but then again, not too shabby.
Take that from an old DARK SHADOWS connoisseur.
April 21, 2008
I don't care for Parker's writing style. The tortured phrases and constant overdone descriptions kept tempting me to skim to the next part of the book where something actually happened. And the characterization doesn't always fit the show, which wasn't that big a deal to me but may annoy some fans.
Mostly I just didn't care for the story. A woman who looks exactly like Angelique buys the Old House, but she lives in the woods with a bunch of hippies. Barnabas is having second thoughts about his cure, partly because there seems to be a new vampire in the area. There's a parallel story about a witch who lived in Salem in the days of the witch trials, at times this plot really dragged. If devoting that many pages to a historical situation was really necessary, I'd have preferred more of a focus on the Collins family of the time.
The setup had potential, but I thought the supernatural elements of the story were poorly handled and the ending was a bit of a mess.
Mostly I just didn't care for the story. A woman who looks exactly like Angelique buys the Old House, but she lives in the woods with a bunch of hippies. Barnabas is having second thoughts about his cure, partly because there seems to be a new vampire in the area. There's a parallel story about a witch who lived in Salem in the days of the witch trials, at times this plot really dragged. If devoting that many pages to a historical situation was really necessary, I'd have preferred more of a focus on the Collins family of the time.
The setup had potential, but I thought the supernatural elements of the story were poorly handled and the ending was a bit of a mess.
November 12, 2011
I started this around Halloween because I wanted a Halloween story to read, but not one that too gory or scary. I knew Dark Shadows would deliver. I had hoped not to find the mopey, emo vampire that's all the rage. Sadly, Barnabas was in this book. I started reading this, not realizing it was the second of her books. Main problems: No Angelique. Barnabas can't decide what he wants to be. Quentin is not necessary to the story so why is he here (and I thought we solved the werewolf deal in the series). The end "twist" seems out of place. The Salem bits were interesting. In fact, they were more fun than the bits in Collinsport. Overall, an okay read if your fan of the series, but I would not recommend it if you are not up on the back stories of Collinsport.
April 23, 2024
I love all of Lara Parker’s Dark Shadows novels, but this one is really a standout for me. I have watched the original series, the revival series, the two Dan Curtis films, and the new adaptation starring Johnny Depp. So I was surprised at how Ms. Parker was able to add yet another dimension to already familiar and beloved characters. Especially wonderful was her take on young David Collins. Seeing David grow into such an intelligent and kind young man feels like something we would have seen onscreen if the show had went beyond its original run. Who better to continue the story than Angelique herself?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2013
This book was written by Lara Parker, who played Angelique in the original Dark Shadows soap opera. She went to school and got an MFA, which surprised me. Before I found that out, I suspected it was ghostwritten (hehe), and that the publisher only used her name to sell more books. I didn't expect a lot (after all, even written by Lara Parker, this is really fan fiction), but I found it entertaining. It was fun to revisit the characters I love so much in a new story (also how I felt about 2012's movie), and it is at least as well written as a lot of popular fiction on the bestseller list.
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