A Non-Spoiler Review

It seems ages ago that I read and reviewed the first book in Colleen Gleason’s Gardella Vampire Chronicles, The Rest Falls Away, but it was actually the first book I completed in 2007. Waiting for books in a series to come out can be an agonizing experience for readers, wondering just when the author and publisher will get together to let the reader know just what has happened to the characters since they closed the page of the previous book. Mercifully the wait for the further adventures of our favorite Victorian Venator has not been too long.

For those who have not had the pleasure of reading The Rest Falls Away, the Gardella Vampire Chronicles have been compared to an amalgam of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. While I think this is a fair assessment in an overall sense, the work of Colleen Gleason is more than that. Mystery, suspense, and action share page time with polite Victorian society. The strict rules and social mores of the time are juxtaposed against the more visceral and sensual side of the night hours in which Victoria Gardella must stalk her prey. In short, the Gardella Vampire Chronicles are the kind of books a guy can pick up from the romance section of the local bookstore and thoroughly enjoy.

Rises the Night picks up after the very intense ending of The Rest Falls Away. Sequels are an interesting thing. There is often the need of some sort to introduce the characters to readers who have not read the previous novel as well re-introduce the characters to those who have met them before. When done well this process is a seemless one and does not detract from the story. When done poorly the opening of a sequel can read like a book report of the novel(s) that came before. Colleen Gleason has done this very well. There is no long, meandering introduction to this world. Gleason hits the ground running and has produced a very intense opening chapter that lets the reader know immediately that this book will be a page turner. The intensity that begins Rises the Night rarely subsides, but when it does the story manages to maintain a degree of suspense that keeps the reader thoroughly engaged.

But where is the romance? Fear not, lovers of love, romance is present and accounted for in Rises the Night. One of the things I enjoy when reading these books is that there is a romantic element, albiet one that never feels like the overblown Gone with the Wind-ish romance that one would stereotypically attribute to romance novels. There is a reality to it, particularly considering the events of The Rest Falls Away and the life that Victoria has chosen to live.

The other thing that pulled me right in to Rises the Night were the historical elements. One of my favorite mystery series is the Irene Adler series by Carole Nelson Douglas. Those stories, set in the world of Sherlock Holmes, involve a great many true-to-life historical figures used in ways that are fascinating to the overall story. Colleen Gleason has done something similar in Rises the Night, to great effect. Skillfully integrating historical figures into the tale gives Rises the Night depth. It grounds the story in its time period and does much to spark my interest in where the tale going. Colleen’s voice is uniquely her own, but I compare these two series out of the great admiration I have for the former and the growing pleasure I am experiencing in reading the later.

Is there a way to say that an author’s writing has improved since the last book without making it sound like you are insulting either the author or their debut novel? There probably isn’t, but I must share this observation. In reading The Rest Falls Away, I felt that each chapter built and built upon itself, not just with the story but also with the skill of Colleen Gleason’s writing. In closing the very intense final pages of The Rest Falls Away, my impression was that Colleen Gleason had a great debut novel on her hands and that if each book read as well as that one then I would be thoroughly enjoying each subsequent book. My expectations were exceeded, because somewhere along the way Colleen Gleason got even better. I experienced an honest-to-goodness Wow! moment in chapter one of Rises the Night and was engrossed in the story from that time on.

Rises the Night is an intense adventure tale with historical depth and enough romantic entaglements weaved throughout to satisfy a wide range of readers. Well done, Colleen. I look forward to The Bleeding Dusk.
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And believe me, you will too. That is why I remind you that there is a contest going on! The Bleeding Dusk is not due to hit stores until February 2008. But right here you have an exclusive chance to win an Advance Reading Copy of The Bleeding Dusk, allowing you to continue the adventures of Victoria Gardella later this summer!

All you have to do to qualify is go out and buy yourself a copy of Rises the Night at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com before the end of the day on June 10th. Take a picture of yourself with the book (or at your computer if you are ordering online). You can take a picture of yourself in the bookstore, at home with the book, whatever. Be as creative or as simple as you choose. Then send me said picture before 11:59 p.m. June 10th (email it to me at cvincent68@comcast.net) to be qualified for the drawing. I will post all the pictures I receive on June 11th as well as announce the winner.

Let’s all do our part to help Colleen Gleason’s newest book sell like hotcakes! I look forward to seeing your pictures and good luck to everyone. You will be wanting this advance reading copy, trust me!