Note: Don't read this novel if you don't know a lot about the game Vampire: the Masquerade. You'll probably have no earthly idea of what's going on.


Packing Fangs Instead of Guns   December 19, 2004
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Clan Giovanni are neutrals in the conflict between Camarilla and Sabbat. In vampire terms that means they are out for themselves and devil take the hindmost. At their best they are the business people of the darkness, at there worst (which is often) they are simple gangsters only slightly smoother than the Brujah. Don't expect a Giovanni to be polite unless they have to be.

Chaz Giovanni Tello, is more goon than smart guy, Even so, he is likable - if you are drawn to people with excess potty-mouth and a huge sadistic streak. Still, his character is alive, and he has a certain flair. Assigned to find the missing Benito Giovanni, Chaz descends on Las Vegas and proceeds to wreak havoc, even if he comes up short on results. His path crosses that of Isabel Giovanni who is in the midst of negotiations with the clans of the Camerilla and Sabbat.

Complications develop immediately as Isabel realizes that wherever Benito has vanished to, there is bad news for her clan. Something dark is hunting them, something even darker that the Giovanni themselves.

While this novel is typical of the series in that it rarely offers an explanation and confuses more than it clears. It is my favorite of the series. Achilli shows a genuine flair for deadpan comedy, especially when he takes Chaz through his paces. Characters seem to pop off the page, and go into action. Undead proof that it is possible to write a Masquerade novel that doesn't have the pace of a textbook. I only wish Achilli has made a stronger effort to make this a completely standalone story. This is a fine example of why the Masquerade has so many fans.


A triumph for the series...   June 3, 2000
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

If you've been following this series as religiously as I have, this book is a MUST HAVE. In addition to really getting into the dark, spectral world of the Giovanni, it really has all manner of new insights into the grand, uber-plotline of the whole series. I don't want to ruin anything, so check it out!


Lots of nice touches   August 11, 2000
 0 out of 2 found this review helpful

I initially wasn't really looking forward to this book in the series, since it seemed to indicate less involvement in the overarching plot line. However, upon getting into it, the book really picked up, and despite the fact that it is *incredibly* vulgar (possibly more than all the other books so far combined) there was more depth to all the characters than in most of the other books. Despite the coarseness of the presentation, some very deep emotions are revealed in these characters (especially Chas), which I found very refreshing. Also, the description of the bathroom in which Benito finds himself toward the end matched the bathroom that Gale and Evell stop by in order to "clean up" after busting out of prison in "Raising Arizona", right down to the empty can of pomade on the counter. Very nice touch, and good for a laugh.