This is a “wild” book unlike anything I have read before. A very different take on vampires. Excellent character development with incredible imagination. Tying the horrific holocaust and the early 1980”s America with mind raping vampires is quite the concept. This could definitely be a movie. I would recommend the book if you like horror books and you have a while because it is quite long

The book started a little slow and the sheer amount of characters, especially in the beginning was a chore. However once you get further in it gets better and better, with the third book being gloriously thrilling and enthralling. Dan is a great writer. My only caveat was the racism, particularly against blacks. While some of it fit certain characters, the rest seemed gratuitous.

This book is interesting for the first chapter. After that, it is an abysmal march through mountains of campy prose, idiotic plot devices, and terrible characters. This book will surprise you by lowering the bar with seemingly every sentence. I cannot believe I spent twelve entire dollars just to read Dan Simmons personal fetish diary. This book is a bad joke. Consider yourself warned.

Really enjoyed this story.

To say this book needs serious, surgical editing would be an understatement. The potential for the plot to terrify is buried under layer upon layer of needless, useless, peripheral details. The gratuitous racism masquerades for character development. Is the violence meant to shock? Or numb? In any event, it felt endless. It was however an excellent reminder about the power of revising and editing.

I've just finished my third reading of this amazing novel. The first reading was more than twenty years ago. I continue to be in awe of Mr. Simmons' writing style and talent. A fantastic and superb read. It surpasses, in my opinion, the grandeur of Stephen King's "The Stand". But just barely. They are both favorites of mine and I hate to read the last page of each of those novels. Wow. I hope to publish something of my own someday, but reading these books makes me wonder how any author could come close to the imagery I've encountered here. Thanks to Dan Simmons for so many hours of enjoyment.

Although a decent read, it drags on and on. The author gets lost in details that are not pertinent to the story. Atmosphere is good and solid images are great but move.