Lasombra

Vampire: The Masquerade: Clan Novel #6

by Richard Dansky

The Lasombra are known primarily for ruling the fractious Sabbat. The Assamites are known primarily as the assassins of the Kindred. Lucita, a Lasombra assassin, has spent years fighting to make her unlife her own. It has been a hard-fought struggle, for her sire is none other than Moncada, one of the architects of the Sabbat offensive in North America. Lucita will stop at nothing to humiliate her sire...and there is little under the moon that can stop her.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, World Of Darkness, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Fantasy, Role Playing Games

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 1999

About the author

By day, Richard Dansky works as a professional video game designer and writer for Red Storm/Ubisoft, with credits on games like Splinter Cell: Blacklist. By night, he writes fiction, with his most recent book being the short fiction collection SNOWBIRD GOTHIC. Richard lives in North Carolina with his wife and their inevitable cats, books, and collection of single malt whiskys.

Reviews

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

LASOMBRA is the sixth novel in the Clan Novel series that began with TOREADOR and will continue until it reaches thirteen volumes with a bonus anthology. It is the trademark series of Vampire: The Masquerade and was written roughly between the end of 2nd Edition and the beginning of its Revised. Gehenna, the apocalypse of vampires, is nigh with a war being fought between both the Camarilla (evil vampires) and the Sabbat (eviller vampires).

The books were originally published in 1999 but have since been reprinted by Crossroad Press as part of a deal with Paradox Interactive (new owner of the White World roleplaying game company). This was my favorite of the books originally but my tastes have changed a bit in twenty years. Some things I enjoyed about the book earlier like the action are now less important than the character-building while I now wish for more focus the lead's motivations. Something I feel this book was a bit lacking on.

Lasombra features the arguably most popular of all Vampire: The Masquerade characters, Lucita of Aragon. A literal Spanish Princess from the Dark Ages, Lucita was Embraced by her disgusting sire Moncada in order to satisfy his lusts. Moncada was a holy churchman as well as a vampire and Lucita found herself rebelling against him as both sire as well as spiritual leader. Centuries later, she earns her living as a paid assassin of the undead.

Lucita is hired by a mysterious employer (possibly multiple mysterious employers) who wishes her to kill a number of high-ranking Lasombra agents crucial to the military efforts of the Sabbat. She is also supposed to kill one of the three Archbishops that will cripple the invasion of the East Coast by her clan. Lucita has no loyalty to either her Clan or the Sabbat and mostly just wants to collect her expensive fee.

Much of the book is devoted to the lengths the Camarilla is willing to take to slow the Sabbat's advance on Baltimore. They start abandoning their less valuable cities, mass Embracing cannon fodder and leaving them to die despite this being against their cardinal beliefs. Theo Bell and the Princes are utterly unrepentant about this, considering their victory worth any costs. They also move away anyone "important" among their kind.

On the Sabbat side of things, we follow an ambitious young Pack Leader named MacEllen who is eager to prove himself as a potential leader of the sect by completing impossible orders. MacEllen believes he's being sent to his death, unaware the Sabbat is aware of all the Camarilla's secret movements due to a secret Lasombra among their ranks. The most important character in the book, even more than Lucita in some ways, is Talley the Hound who is the Sabbat's greatest assassin and reluctantly assigned to stop but not kill Lucita. This is on the order of Moncada, her lecherous and vile sire who is now a high-ranking member of the Sabbat.

If the story sounds convoluted, it really isn't as it progresses from point to point and allows you to soak up in the complicated power games between the two sects. In many ways, it is a much more Jyhad-esque (what vampires call their political games before the word would become uncomfortable to use due to the War on Terror) than the Ventrue Clan novel. Games within games, wheels within wheels.

There's some really good moments spread throughout the book like a young Nosferatu Neonate's giddiness at the opportunity to Embrace and torture a dozen handsome young men like the kind she used to hang out with, Talley's world-weariness at having to deal with so many idiots in the Sabbat heirarchy, and Moncada's depraved paternalism to Lucita despite how thoroughly she's rejected him. This is in-between some really well-written action sequences that incorporate vampire Disciplines, emotion, and twists.

Unfortunately, the biggest weakness of the book is Lucita herself. For a character so beloved, she spends most of the book in a state of perpetual anger and disdain for everyone around her. There's not much character development for her and while she does a large number of impressive stunts, we don't get much of her character other than, "Don't piss her off." Talley, her opponent, actually gets the meat of the character development.

Lasombra is an okay installment in the series but not up there with Setite or Gangrel. Both of those books heavily focused on the character development of its protagonists. Even Ventrue had a lot more insight into who its main character was. Lucita mostly remains a mystery but she sure does look cool killing people.

[Dimitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge fan of W.O.D. AND a player, I was always interested in reading these clan novels.
I used to play as a Setite when I read their clan novel and was not impressed at all...
Now I play as a Lasombra and I have to admit that it's much much much more fun!!!
So I got this but I was afraid that it would be bad, again...
Guess what! It was AWESOME!!!
Lucita is very similar to a character I made once. I loved her badass, strong and cool character and the action scenes were amazing!!!
Great writing which describes different clans and species of the world of the game and even strategies and actual moves!
Loved it!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books from this whole set.

I am blogging the reviews to this whole series.
It starts here: http://pseudopod.org/2018/10/25/the-c...

And for this book:
http://pseudopod.org/2018/12/06/the-c...

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm halfway through the series now, and I feel perfectly okay with saying that this series maintains its momentum if not increases its momentum as it goes along. Really enjoying it, as well as the fact that these books are short enough that it's possible to read one in about a day.

[Beau Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book because the Lasombra Clan have a lot of potential as interesting bad guys. Richard did a good job capitalizing on the clans strengths, and presenting them as villains you can respect and dislike at the same time.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here:

http://jamesgenrebooks.blogspot.com/2...

In the end, the Sabbat has eaten up more of New England, but one of the three archbishops is dead. And Lucita is planning a visit to Madrid to see her Sire. (I think we return to that in a few books.)

[Dee Rogers]

I've been in a reading slump so I decided to ease into things with something silly. I loved the World of Darkness games when I was young and I remember eyeing these books wistfully in game stores, dreaming of the hot vampire action within, so I decided to return years later. What I found was a mixed bag, a dense, plot-driven, often overwritten book that struggles to tell coherent stories about its characters. The two main characters of this novel, as a novel in itself and not the tightly interwoven series its a part of, are probably the vampire assassin Lucita and her rival Talley, who's trying to find and protect her latest target. I say "probably" because there are so many asides and so many POV characters who come and go. Some of these cameos seem like sensible excuses to advance the larger plot, or important characters in the larger unfolding story. But many left me scratching my head, like the minor Sabbat warrior who volunteers for a dangerous mission, introduces us to his raggedy but reliable crew, and then immediately dies offscreen. Why did I need so many pages of his interior monologue?

Coming back to our main characters: Lucita and Talley both suffer as characters from just being sooooo badass. Like yes we get it, they're the scariest vampires ever, they're really powerful, sometimes they kill people because they're slightly offended. Talley is probably a better drawn character within this novel, a man who has a job he just wants to get done who is constantly thwarted by the incompetence and personal agendas of his colleagues. This guy just wants to hand in the group project and go home, always relatable. Lucita is more of a cypher and I think a character who suffers from being too "cool;" it's like she has a rider in her contract that she can never lose or even seriously struggle. Because she doesn't struggle, she doesn't have to change or reveal things about herself; she just does a bunch of (pretty well-written!) superpowered violence and then drives off without looking back at the explosion.

I still found myself rooting for Lucita because my god the Sabbat vampires she's fighting are tedious with all their betrayal and counter-betrayal and tedious power games that, literally, even they are bored by. Sascha Vykos takes a call in the middle of a big meeting, obnoxiously disrupting things, which makes people mad, and later everyone's like "wow she made those people mad, WHAT a master manipulator." Really?

The best parts of this book are when it gets away from the politics and the scheming and gets closer to horror. There's a pretty spooky passage where a vampire seduces young men so she can turn them all into vampires to enter a suicidal battle for her; monstrously transformed when she became a vampire, she resents conventionally attractive men and wants to punish them. I wanted to find out more about her and what was going on before and after that experience, rather than cutting back to vampires being snide across a boardroom at each other. The action sequences where super-powered vampires tear into each other are also very well-written; they're lively and kept me engaged even though its content I might often be tempted to skim.

[Katrina Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so this was actually a pretty interesting book, that showed off the functionality of one of the clans, and showed how they would work in the ttRPG setting that this book is based upon

It actually does the gimmick of this series... well kind of

This book appears to operate in a duology with the last one. Showing the outcome of various events from the perspective of the Sabat. With a single event added onto those events at the end

Except there are also several elements that I have to refer towards as "retcons". A couple of the characters in the last book show up and behave a fair bit differently. With a few actions being done by them that somewhat change how to interpret the events of the last novel. It does end up feeling a bit jarring

Also... the typos are still present. Being all consistently inconsistent... or inconsistent in their consistency. I could call it a writing style... if it was more consistent. Honestly tempted to do another re-read of this series, equiped with a highlighter and pen. To highlight the various typos in the form of spelling errors and grammatical spiciness. Maybe write stuff in the margins about stuff

Though, there is a chance that that this might have to do with a psychological filter that appears to sometimes show up on characters. Confirmed via an interaction between Lucita and a Nosferatu where they both mention that they did not get a communication that doesn't quite show up in the page

So there is a non-zero chance that upon going through the books in this series with the highlighter and pen I might get a better notion of if this is actually a part of the narrative. Ooor... I might just have a bunch of marks where I am being an irritant. Win/win

But yeah... the typos are consistently inconsistent enough that I have started to make a game out of it

Fairly decent book--got some good bits. Hits the gimmick fairly decently. Actually has me hyped up about the ttRPG and other related game media. It is a win all over the place

I will note that this book does not really advance the plotline in any real way... buuuuut... still enjoyed it

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of a larger series that ties in to the role-playing game Vampire: the Masquerade, the Clan Novels are frankly are an uneven mix of writing, some good, some not so good. As one of the game’s writers, the question was: but can he wrote a good novel. The answer is a resounding yes. Clan Novel Lasombra by Richard Dansky is one of the best in the series. Working with previously established characters, the author clearly knows the lore, but manages to tell the story and even reference the system without referring to any gamer lingo, making this a book both for fans of Vampire: the Masquerade and for those who know nothing of that setting. The Clan of Shadows in its various facets is delightfully portrayed, their nuances displayed for us without being overtly gauche. Although the sixth book in a larger series, the books is delightfully stand-alone, something that not all the books in the series can claim. Dansky knows the assignment: this is a book about monsters; there are no good guys, and the book is as dark as the genre warrants without descending into tawdry sensationalism. The author has a particular flair for dynamic combat, skillfully woven throughout the book, and reading it, I was particularly impressed with the pacing of the conflict. An excellent book and worth the read, even if it’s the only book that you read in the series.

[Kağan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it is compared to other clan novels, this one shines the most. For anyone who is new to WoD whether they got introduced through more popular entries like VTMB or more niche media like VTM: Redemption this is a great way to understand the dynamics among the kindred. To see clan represantative characters such as Lucita and Monçada in their authentic self is a portrayal we do not see a lot in other materials. Even the new characters we are introduced to are written well and they do serve their purpose without stretching the storyline just for the sake of it which i presume would be a great convenience for adhd folks. May this novel give you the comfort of the dark and conceal your worries only but a moment.

[Winter Bat-Lilit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of VtM and the World of Darkness at large since stumbling across it in middle school, leading to an interest that's lasted a quarter century. I found the Clan Novel series in high school, though I've lost track of how many times I've read it. This volume has always stood out as one of my favourites, not least because of my particular love of Clan Lasombra in general and Lucita in particular. Dansky's writing is phenomenal as ever, which I already knew from, ya know, literally everything else he did for White Wolf. And now, having written this, I suppose it's time for me to start yet another read-through of the entire series.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I'm slightly biased because the lasombra are my favourite clan. regardless the book does an immaculate job of displaying some of the strongest lasombra. We get a real taste for what this clan can do and even some displays of the weaker members too.

it's funny how both the Sabbat clan books do an impressive job of showing off their clans.

This was more interesting than the ventrue book thanks mostly to Lucita. Thank god Jan hired her because the war was rather boringly one sided.

it felt like this book could have been combined with the ventrue one

[Ben Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge fan of VTM, pretty alright book that goes into the Lasombra clan quite well as well as showing vampiric behaviours pretty well.

Also the sabbat is my least favourite so that's like an extra star for that.
to be fair its a lot like the other books where it comes across as angsty teen literature at times.

[A Stranger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it... Talley, Lucita, even Polonia, I understand you. I saw myself even in MacEllen - as unfortunate as that is. Yes, I loved reading this slowly over a few months. I finished sometime last month... - the date is a ballpark.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

they call him talley the hound cuz he got that dog in him

[Welther · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was fine, the story better told than some of the previous novels, but several things the author, Richard Dansky, wrote just bothered me and broke the immersion. Excluding typos.

[Michał Przestrzelski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo dobra część. Dobrze wyważone skupienie na pojedynku dwóch Lasombra, bez odwracania uwagi.

[Deadwish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reseña completa en mi blog:
http://drdeadwish.blogspot.com.ar/201...

Esta parte de la historia abarca cronológicamente eventos de la novela anterior, pero vistos desde el otro punto de vista. Aquí, en lugar de los tejes y manejes Ventrue, se ven las dificultades del Sabbat para trabajar en equipo sin matarse entre ellos, o mejor dicho, como mantener las bajas al mínimo para no echar a perder la misión. Hay mucha acción, y capítulos atrapantes. Pero el autor cometió lo que para mi es un error imperdonable, y es que parece que no ha leído las novelas anteriores, deformando la personalidad de algunos personajes, sobre todo de uno de los Arzobipos Lasombra: Borges. En el segundo libro de la saga, Borges es nombrado siempre como "el Honorable Borges" y todos lo respetan, más allá de si confían o no en él. Su aspecto es de un viejo y se mueve como un viejo. En resumidas cuentas, casi con total seguridad está basado en Jorge Luis Borges, notable escritor argentino. Pero aquí nos encontramos con un Borges caprichoso, atolondrado, sin control de su ira, que se deja manipular fácilmente. Además, posee agilidad y fuerzas sobrehumanas (más allá de sus poderes Lasombra). Es una estúpida máquina de matar y meterse en aprietos, muy lejos del honorable Borges que se había presentado. Este tipo de errores siempre son una posibilidad en sagas que cuentan con más de un autor, pero no es una excusa. Me molestó tanto que un personaje tan enigmático e interesante haya sido arruinado de esta manera, que le bajé un punto a mi opinión general del libro.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to judge

There's stuff I like about this book, like the characters. There's stuff that could better, like the pacing and purpose of what's going on here. The other books this far felt more complete to that end. However on the side of characters, this is has more of the best defined characters. Sure, that's partially due to the fact that it is the sixth book of a series where some of the characterization was previously done, but the work on the characters here is really only second to the Ventrue clan novel.

[Carlos Lenis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siguiendo con la trama Camarilla Vs Sabbat, la novela del Clan Lasombra sigue los pasos de Lucita, una asesina completamente certera y profesional. Este libro es bueno, pero no llega a ser tan bueno como por ejemplo el del Clan Ventrue o la hermosa novela del Clan Setita; aunque no falta la acción, de eso hay bastante. Seguir conociendo como se maneja el Sabbat es demasiado genial, en todos mis años de jugar Vampiro: La Mascarada nunca me hice una idea clara de como se comportaban, pero gracias a está novela logre despejar aquellas dudas.
El libro solo se ve eclipsado por un error y es el comportamiento de uno de los lideres y me refiero al Arzobispo Borges. Cuando una serie de novelas no son escritas por un solo Autor es obvio que en algún momento habrá errores, pero lastima que eso haya casi arruinado está novela. Borges es alguien al que se refieren como "honorable" presentándose siempre con su parche de sombras sobre su rostro, ocultándolo y dándole un aura de terror, es alguien calmado que no cae en arrogancia y dando renombre de ser alguien calculador, es decir, el Borges que vimos en la Novela de Clan: Tzimice. Aquí, desgraciadamente es solo un matón de turno, siempre dejándose llevar por la ira y su sed de sangre desenfrenada.

La novela es bastante atrapadora y fácil de leer, lastima ese error, pero igual muy recomendada. :D

[Anthony Alessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fantastic series if you are a fan or player of the Vampire the Masquerade Table Top game. I gave it a 3 because I don't recomend this series to those who are not.

[Suellen Almeida · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the nicest vtes clan and book.

[Chris · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Still going strong 6 books in

[Davy Van goethem · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novel in the series.
Offcourse I am a bid biased as it happends to be my favorite clan as well.

[Douglas Gonçalves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente romance.

[Ernesto F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book! I love the characters, and it is wonderful the way Dansky developed them.