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Book Review
Mar. 27th, 2014 10:28 pmBy Blood We Live
by Glen Duncan
This satisfying novel is the conclusion of the trilogy Duncan began with The Last Werewolf. The beautiful writing combined with the exciting plot and fascinating characters made this book really hard to put down. In this book, Duncan also focuses a little more on the vampires of his world as well, and we get to know Remshi, the oldest vampire, much better and learn a little bit more about the vampiric state. Nonetheless, By Blood We Live is still very much focused on Tallula and her small, loose community of fellow werewolves. Duncan wraps up many of the threads of the earlier two volumes, most importantly Tallula's relationships with Madeline, Walker, and Remshi. There's also a lot of action and adventure as Tallula, Remshi, and the others cope with new threats from the human world. In and among all this, Duncan weaves poignant themes dealing with death, loss, and the effect of literature on human and not-so-human lives.
Duncan continues to write some damn fine prose, expertly balancing the lyrical and the gritty. That balance also carries over to the other elements of the book as well. The narrative shifts expertly between fast-paced action and elegiac reflection. The vampires and werewolves are portrayed as both horrifically monstrous and wonderfully sympathetic. It all makes for really compelling reading and a novel I couldn't help but love.
by Glen Duncan
This satisfying novel is the conclusion of the trilogy Duncan began with The Last Werewolf. The beautiful writing combined with the exciting plot and fascinating characters made this book really hard to put down. In this book, Duncan also focuses a little more on the vampires of his world as well, and we get to know Remshi, the oldest vampire, much better and learn a little bit more about the vampiric state. Nonetheless, By Blood We Live is still very much focused on Tallula and her small, loose community of fellow werewolves. Duncan wraps up many of the threads of the earlier two volumes, most importantly Tallula's relationships with Madeline, Walker, and Remshi. There's also a lot of action and adventure as Tallula, Remshi, and the others cope with new threats from the human world. In and among all this, Duncan weaves poignant themes dealing with death, loss, and the effect of literature on human and not-so-human lives.
Duncan continues to write some damn fine prose, expertly balancing the lyrical and the gritty. That balance also carries over to the other elements of the book as well. The narrative shifts expertly between fast-paced action and elegiac reflection. The vampires and werewolves are portrayed as both horrifically monstrous and wonderfully sympathetic. It all makes for really compelling reading and a novel I couldn't help but love.
