I am finally writing the review on the book Never Ceese which I have mentioned before. Here is my short opinion of the book:
BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT
Ms. Dent has written a book that both follows some of the typical “rules” for vampires and werewolves and yet twists those typical rules in new and interesting ways. I will not give away that part of the plot, but suffice it to say that Ms. Dent has come up with a new and novel way to cure both vampirism and lycanthropy.
This is the story of a vampire and a werewolf who are pulled together by a mutual friend so that they may achieve their dream of being cured of their curse. Yes, Ms. Dent views both vampirism and lycanthropy as spiritual curses that can be physically transmitted by the bite (or clawing) of a cursed person. But, the curse does not become permanent unless the infected person deliberately passes the curse on to another human being. Both Ceese, the heroine, and Richard, the hero, have kept themselves from passing on the curse despite the evil pull of their natures and despite the fact that their emotions are deadened by the curse. (One supposes that this is so in order to make it easier for the curse to force the infected person the infect someone else.)
But, more than that, without being preachy or even overt, it is clear that this is a book written by a Christian who has put a lot of thought into what a vampire/werewolf tale would look like if it were written totally within the worldview of a Catholic Christian. Like G.K. Chesterton, she writes a fantasy tale that never preaches while clearly calling you to think about how life really works. Actions have consequences, one can struggle for holiness, self-sacrifice is the way the world really works, and change sometimes begins with suffering.
But, Ms. Dent never makes the mistake of focusing the story simply on their inner struggle to break the curse. No, she puts in a fair helping of adventure, by way of a truly evil character. But, the truly evil character is not another supernatural creature, but a non-supernatural person who is not your classical vampire hunter or mistaken hero.
I highly recommend that you buy this book.
I’ve never read a vampire book, but this review has piqued my curiosity, and I’d love to see one written from a thoughtful Christian perspective. Thanks for the review!
This is wonderful! If you decide to post this review on Amazon as I truly hope you do, make sure you do so on the paperback version. 😉 I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I did send you Forever Richard too, didn’t I? If not let me know. 😉 Catholic Worldview! I LOVE it!
Yes, you did. I am starting on Forever Richard now. BTW, I own a Kindle also.
That must mean you saw where Never Ceese THE PAPERBACK LOL, is now available on Kindle. 😉 Forever Richard isn’t but my publisher might decide to go that route with it eventually. I decided to put Never Ceese THE PAPERBACK on Kindle because bookstores won’t place it now that I’ve made it un-returnable so that they could no longer take advantage of me. Stupid bookstores. 🙁
Forever Richard is traditionally published so it is returnable and can be shelved but the same “taking advantage” mentality still applies. Bookstores can place as many as they want on their shelves because they know they can send them right back to the publisher if they don’t sell. Publishers pay double and sometimes triple for returns thus eroding any profit and driving smaller publishers out of business. Sad state of affairs indeed!
It will be out in E-book format (PDF) through Lightning Source and Lit format as well for Microsoft E-reader. It’s been approved, just has to filter out to the different sites. Enjoy Forever Richard. I guess I better hurry with Cyn No More. *sue grins widely.*