Revenants

by Paul Féval, Brian M. Stableford (Adapter)

1800. On the windswept moors of Brittany, renegade priest Gabriel Le Brec and Count Filhol de Treguern embark on a scheme to defraud an insurance company by faking the death of the latter. This sets in motion a danse macabre of murders, betrayals, people who change their names, lost birth certificates, false testimonies, an Ann Radcliffe romance, a Miltonian struggle between Good and Evil and an impossible phantasmagoria of living men who pretend to be dead and dead men who return to claim vengeance. "The whole plot is a duel between two insanely obsessive sorcerers, Commander Malo Treguern and Dowager Françoise Le Brec. Were it not for Féval's repeated assurances that Malo has Destiny and God on his side, while the Dowager is the Devil's pawn, the reader would surely be at a loss to know which of the two to support." Brian Stableford

332 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Paul Féval can refer to Paul Féval père or Paul Féval fils

Reviews

[Travis]

Two feuding families, two dueling mystics, a vast fortune, secret identities, babies switched at birth, a prophecy and tragic love affairs...holy moly, what is going on here...?

It's a mystery, but the kind where everyone is up to something. Not a whodunit, but rather several, mixed in with several capers and a ton of intrigue.

You need a flow chart to keep everything straight, so after a couple chapters, you just stop trying and go along for the ride.
It's a enjoyable romp, dripping with atmosphere, interesting characters, a sly sense off humor and a slightly creepy vibe.