Fevre Dream: A Novel Martin, George R. R.

Great expectations led to greater disappointment. Unlike the game of Throne series, George R R Martin didn't impress with this tale of two warring species. Somehow the protagonist's lofty idealism seemed contrived and his nemesis not sinister enough. The narrative lacks the fluidity of his earlier work and the characters apart from the Captain, seem to be mere shadows rather than real flesh and blood.

"Fevre Dream" is one of those brilliant genre novels that slipped between the cracks for many years, only to flower again when the vampire craze did. George R.R. Martin wove his own unique vampire mythos, and mixed it in with Southern grittiness, some shocking gore, and a grizzled ugly old man who may be the vampires' salvation.Steamboat captain Abner Marsh has become business partners with the gentlemanly Joshua York, who pays for the construction of the ultimate steamboat. But strange deaths along the Mississippi lead Abner to suspect that something isn't quite kosher with Joshua, until Joshua reveals the truth about himself -- he and his friends are vampires, who are working to free his race from their bloodlust.However, the evil bloodmaster Damon Julian wants to keep the vampires as-is, since it allows him greater power over his brethren. He's even got a Gollumesque human serving him before long. Abner's attempts to help his friend lead to disaster, and it will be many years before the two friends have a chance at killing Damon again...Martin is one of the few authors who actually bothers to come up with an origin story for his vampires, rather than just having these pale bloodsucking people be... there. Without revealing too much, he weaves a haunting explanation for the biological, spiritual and cultural differences between humans and vampires, and sets them up as a brother race to homo sapiens (instead of undead corpses). It's awesome.Martin's writing is gritty, dark and sometimes grotesque (a vampire using a BABY as food), and even at the best of times he fills it with the grimy atmosphere of a working-class man living on the Mississippi. The only real problem is the timeskip, which jolts us several years into the future and is kind of disorienting, but that's a relatively small problem.And the entire plot revolves around two very powerful characters, who share a powerful friendship based on trust and a desire to help the vampire species. Joshua is the usual charming gentlemanly vampire, but he's elevated by his powerful desire to save his species from their enslavement to bloodlust and/or Damon Julian. And Abner is a totally unstereotypical vampire-novel character -- he is ugly, a grizzled military man, and even as a sick old man he kicks butt."Fevre Dream" is a visceral, gritty vampire novel that takes the time to explore the bloodsuckers' past, and comes up with a pretty brilliant plot in the present as well. A must-read for vampire fans who like it bloody and dark.

Not GRR Martin type . May be its one of his initialBooks that's why not so interesting

Seres ardilosos e medonhos, é como eu descrevo as criaturas de mitos depois de ler Fever Dream

Prior to reading this book, I was not really a fan of vampire literature, but George Martin is a brilliant storyteller and I have read this book 3 times simply because of his masterful prose. In fact, this is one of the best, most memorable works of fiction I have ever read.

I made the mistake here of leaning on the GOT storytelling pedigree. This book comes nowhere near as captivating.

Like so many others, I was first attracted to Martin's novels because of  A Song of Ice and Fire , and after finishing that series, decided to look into some of his other works. FEVRE DREAM is the first I've tried, and I am completely impressed. Martin's style always evokes strong emotion and his ability to bring unique and powerful characters to life is unparalleled. FEVRE DREAM would have to be called a "vampire book", though the style and plot stray from the more common gothic romances of the genre. This stand-alone novel reads more like a historical fiction, being set in the mid-1800's along the Mississippi river and mostly focusing on the booming steam boat river trade.Abner Marsh and Joshua York are the characters that carry this story, a pair of unlikely partners on a history-defining journey. Marsh and York's excellent adventure along the Old Muddy and centers around each's most intimate desire. In the case of Abner Marsh, he dreams of captaining the grandest and fastest steam boat to ply the Mississippi trade. Fame and fortune are his driving forces, though by mid-book he's shifted his focus to the more practical aim of surviving the vampire politics he finds himself enmeshed in. Joshua York, on the other hand, considers himself a sort of Vampire King that will lead his dwindling species into a more peaceful and open future. He is an ideologue who's task (and instinctual drive for killing and feeding on humans) may be too much to conquer. Especially when the more entrenched powers within vampire society would rather things not change so drastically.FEVRE DREAM is definitely an enjoyable book for casual reading. Martin is a master of his art. He keeps the story moving at a comfortable pace with plenty of emotional stimulation all along. His characters come to life and give this rather simple story the impact and reach to achieve a full 5-stars on my sometimes-too-generous rating scale. Highly recommended. A Song of Ice and Fire

Nach dem großen Vampir-Hype, der viele Geschichten, die die Welt nicht braucht, zur Folge hatte, hatte ich erst meine Bedenken ein Buch über Vampire zu lesen.Doch da bisher alles was ich von GRRM gelesen habe genial war, entschied ich mich doch dafür.Wer hätte es gedacht, es war einfach nur traumhaft.Besonders hervorzuheben ist es meiner Meinung nach, wie Martin es schafft, das Wesen der Vampire von einer bisher unbekannten Seite zu beleuchten. Dass dies nach all den Geschichten über Vampire in der Art noch möglich war, hätte ich nicht gedacht.Außerdem hat es sehr viel Spaß gemacht die Reise im Buch entlang des Mississippi nachzuempfinden, was sich als sehr leicht herausstellte, da es sich um reale Schauplätze handelt.Weiterhin fande ich es sehr gut wie Martin die gesellschafftlichen Probleme der USA im 19ten Jahrhundert im Rahmen der Geschichte verarbeitet hat.Insgesamt ist das Buch sehr empfehlenswert, da GRRM wie immer höchste literarische Qualität liefert.