UPDATED AT THE END OF POST: 8/27/07
Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire is an illustrated novel by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and author Christopher Golden. The arrival of the Diamond exclusive edition in the comic shop last Wednesday (the standard edition doesn’t arrive in stores until August 28th) helped pave the way for my desire to open R.I.P. II just a bit early. There was no way that I was going to pass up the opportunity to dive right into this book.
Using Hans Christian Anderson’s short story The Steadfast Tin Soldier as a foundation, Baltimore tells the tale of Lord Henry Baltimore, a soldier on the battlefields of World War I, whose act of violent self-preservation in the face of supernatural evil leads to the spread of plague across Europe and unleashes the nightmarish reality of the vampire upon mankind. It is also the story of the lengths to which brave men must go to confront the evil in their lives.
After a brief introduction to Lord Baltimore, the reader is carried away to a forgotten inn where three strangers find themselves together after being summoned there by Lord Baltimore. The bulk of the novel is taken up by these three unlikely comrades: a sailor, a doctor, and a gentleman as they share the tales of the evil witnessed in their own lives that would cause them to believe the stories told them by Lord Baltimore.
I like stories within stories. I always have. Some of my very favorite novels employ this plot device, in which the protagonists are gathered together in some fashion recounting events of their own lives told as flashbacks. Migola and Golden use this to great effect in Baltimore and these moments are, to my mind, the very strongest part of the novel.
Baltimore is a book written in the old gothic style. It is a novel dripping with old-timey atmosphere and the writing style has such a nice flow to it that I was instantly swept up into the tale. As I read chapter after chapter I found Baltimore to be a book that I hated to have to put aside to resume life responsibilities. I just wanted to keep being told stories. That may be the reason I find myself lost in this type of story so easily, it feels as if I am sitting at the feet of a master storyteller, enraptured as they weave tale after delicious tale. That is certainly the cord that Baltimore struck with me. The tension builds and builds as each man in turns shares their own gothic tale, all the while becoming more and more anxious that Lord Baltimore himself has not shown up for their gathering. As darkness falls and all the stories are told, the suspense in the air is palpable. Baltimore is, by and large, the epitome of the kind of storytelling that inspired me to do the Reader’s In Peril challenge in the first place.
The reason Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and B.P.R.D. comics are so amazing to read is that he plumbs the depths of ancient folklore and mythology to craft his tales. Baltimore feels very much like that, both in the use of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale and in the telling of stories that feel like they must have ties to actual European folklore. The text is rich with history and very much feels like a tale that could have been written in the early twentieth century.
The only thing that mars this perfect reading experiene is a somewhat dissatisfying ending. The build up to the climactic battle of good vs. evil is methodically creepy and the battle itself is so hopelessly frenetic that I am unsure what exactly could have been changed on the last two pages to improve the ending. All I can say with certainty is that is was a bit of a let down. The writer’s need to somehow tie the ending of Baltimore to the ending of the Anderson tale as well as a not-so-subtle anti-war message put a bit of a damper on my unbridled enthusiasm for this book. I have said many times in conversations that I do not mind stories that have a message, or stories that are somewhat allegorical. However, those type of stories have to be skillfully crafted and the message very sublty woven in for me to be forgiving of the allegory. If I am blugeoned over the head with it I tend to have the same reaction I have when celebrities feel the need to espouse their political beliefs in front of the masses…I want to turn them off. A very skillfully crafted message about the devastation wrought by war which was woven throughout Baltimore was robbed of its efficacy by the heavy handed moralizing in the denouement.
I say all this not to turn you away from the book. On the contrary I think it is a wonderfully eerie read that only stumbles at the very end. This is unfortunately a common complaint about horror novels and when I read one that manages to deliver all the way through to the end I am even more in awe of the author’s skill. There were things about the ending that I really liked, I only wish Mignola and Golden would have been given some direction to remove the obvious politicizing from the end and allowed the reader to glean his/her own meaning from the tale. The writing skill which caused me to hang on their every word could have been better employed in the last few pages of the book.
My only other complaint about Baltimore is the cover. I’ve posted this image of the cover for Baltimore previously and that was also the image pictured in the Previews catalog that I ordered my book from. I ordered the slightly more expensive Diamond Exclusive version because of the extras, which are great. This edition includes the Hans Christian Anderson story, which I really enjoyed reading after I had finished the main story, as well as some pencilled roughs of Mignola’s illustrations. The book itself is beautiful, with the rough edged pages, a wonderful heafty size, and some fantastic illustrations by Mike Mignola. But the cover is not the cover image that I wanted. It is not bad, per se. If I had not seen the previous image I would probably have been quite satisfied with this cover. However, I am disappointed that this isn’t the image and will be more so if the book that arrives in stores has the image that I want.
In conclusion, Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire is a must have for Mignola fans and is a book that, despite my quibbles, is well worth reading. It is skillfully written and pulls the reader along with a smoldering suspense that erupts into a maelstrom of a climax. And I suspect, now that you have heard my complaints about the end, that if you were to read it you might find that bit less of a disappointment than I did. All in all it was a fine start to R.I.P. II and I look forward to sharing many more creepy reads with you in the coming months.
UPDATE:
In talking to Jeff on the phone after he finished this book he mentioned that he did not feel I got across the great passion and like that I have for this book, despite some disappointment in the ending. After re-reading this I really agree with him. The disappointment at the moment was so accute that I really couldn’t shake it while I was writing my review. After re-reading the ending I have to note that the anti-war sentiments I felt were ‘preachy’ certainly don’t seem as much that way a few days removed and I have to admit that I am uncharacteristically sensitive about the whole war issue right now. More importantly, though, is the need for me to get across that, taken as a whole, this book is marvelous! Jeff mentioned that he hadn’t read anything before this that held the same well done gothic feel that Dracula had given him. That is an accurate assessment. The atmosphere and tension this book builds is incredible and it only takes opening the book to get lost in the wonderful language of each character’s story. It is very, very good. Thus far Baltimore is the Thirteenth Tale of this R.I.P. II Challenge and it is the kind of book I hope to discover every autumn when I crack into books like these. It comes out this week. Buy it and enjoy it!
I’m sold. I wants it I does! I rather like the cover of the one you have, although the other one is good.
Great review, Carl. This is going on my “to read” list.
I know what you mean about “heavy handed moralising”, it can be quite the turn off.
oooh! this sounds very cool. its a rather different angle as well – mixing vampires with the war motif.
both covers are cool, although, the other one does have more of a mignola thing going, which is cool.
i like the promise of this creepy narrative…
but i know what you mean when you are dissapointed about a cover of a book. even though you can happily acknowledge that the cover you have good, it simply isn’t the one you wanted…
Lucky for all of us that you got your hands on this and couldn’t resist…thus allowing us to dig in early as well!
I rather like both covers.
Yeah….now I have ANOTHER book to add to my list!!:
My husband wants that book too.
I got him Grimm’s Grimmiest for his upcoming birthday present but I think I may have to add that one too!
🙂
Thanks Carl, I always know I can count on you for present ideas for my husband.
Oh no! The Steadfast Tin Soldier used to reduce me to absolute FLOODS of tears as a child. I actually feel upset just thinking about it now, as a rational adult. Warped from a young age, I’m sorry.
But I’m a big Mignola fan, so I may have to read the book anyway…
Paula, that is what I am here for, finding ways to encourage others to spend money! 😉
K, It is a sad tale, that is for sure. Although only a few pages long, it was a heartbreaker.
Sorry Stephanie!
Debi, JP, Quix…I like both covers as well, I just wanted the other one. Who knows, if I get a good coupon and really like it I may just buy the other one.
I was thinking about books today to compare this to in regards to how this book, as a horror story, ends and my recollections brought up The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker. Has anyone read that? It is a great book that moves along with slowly building suspense and in the last page it has such and unexpected, for me, and shocking end that I was just that, in shock, for days.
I didn’t realize that Christopher Golden was tied to this project. I’m a big fan of his Menagerie series (with Thomas E. Sniegoski). It looks like this one will be going on my tbr pile, as well. Great review, by the way!
I think the cover of the one you have is pretty cool, though I think I may hold off and see if the other cover is released on the 28th 😉
I’m really excited about this book and am even more so after your review. It’s ashame about the ending. I’m all to familiar with the over preachy writing that you’re talking about. It really can ruin things if overdone…yet it still sounds that all in all, Baltimore stands up to be a great read. Looking forward to it!
It sounds really good. My TBR pile has increased exponentially in the last couple of days!!
Got a copy of the regular edition yersterday, it has the other cover.
Well, you talked me into it. I am going to have to read this one.
I have the Daimond version reserved too. But I think I’ll wait for 1st September before breaking into it. Understand what you mean about the cover – I’m not all that thrilled about the red and black cover. Would have preferred the other one. The one I saw on Amazon.com.
I adore the art by Mike Mignola. *sigh*
I haven’t read that Bram Stoker book Carl, no. Another one for The List I guess! Your challenges really are dangerous. 😉
I’ve been interesting in this one ever since I heard about it at Kim’s blog. Thanks for the great review! It’s too bad about the ending, but it sounds very much worth reading all the same.
AGH! Not more for the wish list!
😀
It is definitely worth reading, that is for sure. And I suspect now that I’ve talked the way I have about the ending that it will seem less of a disappointment to others who read it. Kind of like when someone tells you a movie sucks and then you see it and think, “it wasn’t that bad”. I think it is all about expectations.
Oh my God, you’re such an enabler. I already added Freaks (Klause) to my stacks after I read your recommendation and now the same will likely happen with this.
Incidentally, I saw something that reminded me of you when I was browsing at Books-A-Million today. A new edition of some big Russian novel (it leaves me exactly which one it was now) has a comic book cover!!! OH! It was an edition of The Brothers Karamazov! With a comics cover! Little stick figures and comic guys doing horrible things to one another. I got a big kick out of it, and since you like comics, too, I thought you could appreciate it.
😀
you just couldn’t wait to put the first review up eh? lol lol..
What a detailed review! Fantastic! Christopher Golden is amazing, and I can’t wait to see what he and Mike Mignola have cooked up now.
This does sound good. I like stories within stories, too, and it’s part of what I enjoyed so much about The Thirteenth Tale.
Being a much slower reader than Carl it took me until today to finish Baltimore ( 5 days to his 2 days 🙂 ). I absolutely loved it. First off I will tell you I waited to read this review until after I was done with the book in order to not be influenced at all by Carl’s review.
I have to disagree with Carl on the ending. I didn’t get that preachy feeling at all myself. Now that’s just me and I’ll be the first to admit Carl is a lot better on picking things up in books than I. Don’t deny it my friend. It’s true. I felt so sad in the end that I couldn’t read anything else into it at the time. It’s funny too because I read the Hans Christian story right after it and I felt just the opposite about it. In it’s own way I thought it had a happy ending which considering how it ends. There was just something in each ending to sway me one way and the other.
I love the gothic writing and slow building tension the writers create in this book. I swear I held my breath during the last chapter. The book reminded me a lot of Dracula which I love. The Mignola illustrations also added to the mood a lot to me.
I own two other Hellboy books written by Christopher Golden which I plan to read soon. Atleast one for RIP II. I just have to read more by him now
I really think this is a perfect RIP book and I’m so glad I started off with it. I can’t wait to hear others reviews on it once they’re done with it too. This has been a ” reader’s story “.
How dare you disagree with me? 😉
Obviously I still really love the book, but the last chapter and especially the last few pages just felt like a let down to me. I felt that they did such a great job slowly building up the story only to allow the resolution to happen very quickly. I also wasn’t thrilled with the Stephen Kingish ending.
The thing that stuck in my gut the most, and tainted the experience, was what I interpreted as modern anti-war sentiment in a book that is supposed to occur during WWI. Again, I don’t expect anyone to agree with me on this for the very reason that my pointing out my feelings on this will cause the natural reaction of others not seeing it this way at all. That is just a natural phenomenon. And while I think this was a fleeting message in the book that certainly doesn’t have to be interpreted that way, for some reason it just threw me right out of the story when I read it, and I was deep into it at the time.
More than that even was my dislike of the ending of the book. I don’t know why, but I just didn’t enjoy it. Which is strange because I have enjoyed other gothic/horror stories that end in a similar fashion. I think the rest of the book was so amazing that I just expected more. It is, even with the way I feel about it, far and away one of the best books I’ve read this year and makes me want to go read Golden’s Hellboy work.
Oh! I saw this book in the bookstore yesterday and was this close to buying it. The fact that I already had six other books in my hand (don’t ask) convinced me that perhaps I should wait until a later date (when I have more money). I’m thrilled to hear that you and others found it so enjoyable. I will definitely be getting this on my next trip to the bookstore.
P.S. This is my first visit to your site, but I’d heard so much about your wonderful R.I.P. challenge that I just had to come and check out the source. I’m glad I did too! Great blog.
Thanks J.S….and you definitely need to pick up Baltimore, it is an amazing book!!!
I had Baltimore written on my calendar for the 28th, I think a trip to Borders is on order for tomorrow, since there was a 25% off coupon waiting for me on my e-mail. Great review, I had already decided to get it for the Challenge, your review made that more certain. Plus, I’ll be anxious to see what I think about the ending.
You’ll love it Pat, definitely gothic and creepy!
“…found Baltimore to be a book that I hated to have to put aside to resume life responsibilities…” is a perfect “capsule review” of my experience with this book: I actually made my life partner late for work to finish it. I didn’t notice the anti-war sentiment particularly, but I think that, as a whole, people tend to miss preachiness when it is in line with their own thinking, and I’m a strict pacifist, so I may have glossed over things that other people would have caught.
The ending left me a bit dissappointed, as well, if only because I felt that the text didn’t fully bear up the end results (except for the “Steadfast Tin Soldier” being a thme in the title and chapter headings…).
The ending seems very much in line with alot of the gothic tales that it is mimicking, so I cannot be totally annoyed with it, but I did find it all to unravel at the end a bit too fast considering the long tales of each character leading up to the climax. Of course I’m not sure what I would have liked in regards to the ending.
To be honest, I didn’t catch any ‘anti-war’ stuff at all until a line at the end just struck me that way. As I said, reading it later I didn’t feel quite the same way about it, but I think the sentiment is still there in some ways. I’m certainly not ‘pro-war’ but I find the simplistic anti-war dogma of some people to be just that…way too simplistic and head-in-the-clouds and, for my part, I was disappointed that a bit of that crept in for me when the majority of the story just felt like good old timey gothic storytelling.
I loved being able to read Steadfast Tin Soldier immediately after reading the story. While that tale was sad, I didn’t the ending of it near as fatalistic as I found the ending of Baltimore. Again, I’m not sure how I wished it would have ended, I just wish it would have felt a bit different.
It sounds as if the author could have done better by “leaving the reader wanting more” (even if there’s no hope of a continuation), and perhaps kept the anti-war message to an epilogue.
I’m glad that a few days’ space helped tone “teh preachy” down for you.
You read the most interesting things I’d never have thought to look for.
As to your added reflections – been there, done that. It’s fascinating how a book can leave you with a strong impression as you close it and then a week or a month later you feel totally different about it – either the good points start to surface and it takes on a brighter light or you find it’s easier to forget than you’d ever imagined. Interesting, isn’t it?
Yes, indeed it is!
A very detailed review. Fascinating gothic tale. I suppose a litlle suspense should have been maintained.