The vampire myth takes on a modern twist as it is updated to the 1990s in this thrilling horror novel. A female doctor, driven by a sense of compassion, embarks on a journey to Romania. There, she encounters the lost children of the communist regime and decides to adopt one of them.

At first, everything seems normal. However, as time passes, strange things start to happen. The baby appears to be allergic to sunlight and refuses to eat regular food. But miraculously, when given blood, it becomes stronger and all of its illnesses seem to disappear.

The doctor, filled with hope and scientific curiosity, begins to believe that this extraordinary child might hold the key to curing AIDS. She dedicates herself to studying the baby's condition, convinced that she is on the verge of a major breakthrough.

Yet, not everyone shares the doctor's optimism. Some people start to develop darker theories. They wonder if there is something more sinister at play, if the baby's strange abilities are a sign of something evil.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that both the doctor's hope and the others' fears might be right. The line between science and superstition blurs, and the true nature of the baby remains a mystery, waiting to be揭开.

Children of the Night, which was published in 1993, adheres to the familiar pattern of a later-date Dan Simmons novel.

The beginning of the story is truly remarkable, deserving of four stars. It grabs the reader's attention and sets the stage with great intensity and promise.

However, the middle section of the book is a bit of a letdown. It feels as if half of it could have been omitted without significantly affecting the overall plot. This part earns only two stars.

Unfortunately, the ending is completely implausible, warranting just one star. It fails to provide a satisfying conclusion and leaves the reader with a sense of disappointment.

Overall, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of each section, Children of the Night can be rated three stars. While it has its moments of excellence, it also has areas that could have been improved upon.

The book, to a certain extent, presents a rather decent vampire story.

Nonetheless, it lacks inspiration. The characters are not fully developed, and although they may have their own personal traits, they conform to stereotypes that have been seen numerous times before.

Moreover, the most significant issue that persisted throughout my reading of the book is the extremely negative portrayal of Romania and Romanians that the author attempts to convey. It is simply not true that all Romanians are bad, dirty, and corrupt individuals who are willing to sell their children for a pittance. This is not an accurate representation of who they are today or who they were at the end of the 20th century.

I found the underlying message to be highly unacceptable, and it has completely deterred me from reading anything else written by Dan Simmons.

REVIEW SUMMARY: This is a story that is technically well-written, delving into the world of vampires and the pursuit to halt AIDS. However, it suffers from over-description and a rather disappointing plot twist that unfortunately siphoned away the reader's interest.

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A doctor takes in a Romanian orphan baby and stumbles upon a secret that catapults her to the top of the enemy list for a Mafioso-like group of vampires.

MY RATING: 2.5 stars

MY REVIEW:

PROS: The author has done a great deal of research in various aspects such as science, location, and vampire lore. The action scenes are vivid and visceral, making the reader feel as if they are right in the middle of the fray.

CONS: The excessive use of technical jargon tended to slow down the flow of the story. The characters lack depth and are rather weak, making it difficult for the reader to truly connect with them. Moreover, the turn that occurs halfway through the story almost completely eliminates any remaining interest in finishing it.

BOTTOM LINE: Perhaps this story looked promising as an outline, but the actual execution failed to maintain the reader's interest, especially after the midpoint twist that seemed to discard a significant portion of what had come before.

Read the rest of the review at SF Signal.

This book is not Dan's best work.

For me, it was a bit too 'thriller-y'.

I did like the fact that he attempted to do something different with vampires and provided a medical explanation for their existence.

However, in reality, I'm actually quite content with vampires simply being bad-arsed blood suckers.

I think that's what makes them so appealing and classic.

The traditional image of a vampire is what I prefer, rather than a more scientific or medical take on them.

Maybe Dan was trying to be innovative, but for me, it just didn't quite hit the mark.

Overall, it was an interesting read, but not one that I would highly recommend.

The aspects that I truly enjoyed from this book were, without a doubt, the characters.

For me, it is an absolute fact that if the characters hadn't been so incredibly likeable, it would have taken me a significantly longer time to complete the reading.

I found the beginning of the story to be the most captivating part. Learning about the old vampire was truly fascinating.

However, I didn't have much interest in the medical jargon or the long, drawn-out chase scenes.

Despite these few drawbacks, overall, the story was highly enjoyable and entertaining. It had a certain charm that kept me engaged throughout, and I would definitely recommend it to others who are looking for a good read.

The characters, in particular, were so well-developed that they felt like real people, and this is what made the book so special for me.

What is up with some of the low ratings for this book?

I'm not necessarily an avid vampire fan, but this book is a doozy of a page turner.

Set in Romania, it updates the vampire legend in a very satisfying way by incorporating elements such as AIDS and an adopted baby.

I read this book years ago. Half of it was read while lying in a hammock on a warm summer day. Sadly, I can't remember the specifics. For those details, you can read the other reviews.

All I remember is that I really dug this book! It had a unique charm that kept me engaged from start to finish. The way the author combined the traditional vampire lore with modern-day issues made it a truly captivating read.

Even if you're not a die-hard vampire enthusiast, I would highly recommend giving this book a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

3.5 rounded up.

Simmons' writing is truly stellar. It is filled with vivid descriptions and engaging prose that draws the reader in from the very beginning. However, for some reason, I just couldn't seem to connect with Kate. Despite Simmons' best efforts to make her a relatable and complex character, I ultimately found myself losing emotional investment in her story.

On the other hand, the vignettes about Vlad Tşepeş were my absolute favorite parts to read through. Simmons has a way of bringing this historical figure to life in a way that is both fascinating and terrifying. The details she provides about his life and actions are truly captivating, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages to learn more.

Overall, while I may not have been fully invested in Kate's story, I still found Simmons' writing to be of a very high quality. The vignettes about Vlad Tşepeş alone make this book worth reading, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction or vampire lore.

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Dan Simmons has shown himself to his readers in the best possible light. His books are, in fact, monuments of a sort, dedicated to pivotal events that are often deeply ingrained both in human consciousness and in the annals of history. These mysterious tales, oscillating somewhere between sensation and blood-chilling literature, successfully ignite the imagination of the reader and resonate in the memory for a long time.

Both "Terror", "Drood", "Abomination", or even "The Song of Kali" are precisely this type of literature - stimulating the senses, brilliantly描绘 not so much selective facts as simply the spirit of the era itself and the silhouettes of truly existing people. Simmons, also known as the "tyrant of research", is phenomenally able to paint the essence of the subject matter while preserving all of its most prominent features.

So it's no wonder that when reaching for "Children of the Night", one has clearly defined expectations. After all, having already read the description of the plot, it's hard to hold back the blush of excitement blooming on the cheeks or to control the trembling of excited hands at the thought of how fascinating, full of surprises and intense experiences, the adventure awaits us.

But, but. Aren't these raptures perhaps premature?

Hmmm... Well, here it is.

The quality of the prose itself should not be a concern at all. Simmons' language is a refined language, creating a solid foundation for an equally solid plot. There is no room here for any shortcomings or missteps; quite the opposite - it is a writer's workshop of a true literary school, in which simplicity masquerades as suggestiveness and the vividness of the created visions.

I would say that the problem lies more in the genre归属 of "Children of the Night".

Although promoted as a classic horror, in reality, it is not a scary read. It is rather a sensational novel where the elements of horror occur sporadically, rather as spices adding piquancy, a touch of character, and an interesting nuance to the whole.

The setting of the plot against the backdrop of events related to the Ceausescu regime and those hundreds of years ago, during the reign of Vlad the Impaler, evokes obvious associations with a climatic, charmingly dark history that keeps one on edge and even - terrifying.

Meanwhile, it is a bit different.

Because yes, Simmons has placed his story on an absolutely intriguing theme. He has painted the reality of the domestic scene in a proper way, sketched the appropriate social and cultural background, taken care of the tiniest details and particulars, but...

That's basically it.

The intriguing historical premises, the legend of Dracula, the problem of overcrowded orphanages, and the drastic attempts to solve it are merely a pretext for telling a typically sensational story in which chases, shootings, and shrewdly conducted searches for a missing child will form its main axis.

Fans of typical "action-packed" novels will surely be delighted. The novel maintains a rather uniform pace, and the author constantly discovers various kinds of novelties for the reader. After all, the events themselves also ignite the imagination, thus creating a dense atmosphere of nervous anticipation. However, those who are counting on something more will unfortunately be disappointed. This is not another "Terror" or the insanely soul-chilling "Kali".

What I want to say by this is that it is in vain to look for elements of classic horror, macabre scenes, and a gathering of supernatural phenomena in "Children of the Night". The motif of vampirism (somewhat reversed, more surreal and modernized) makes the story more attractive, but only halfway - sometimes it has to give way to the aforementioned sensation.

At the same time, it cannot be said that this novel is a bad one, by any means. Perhaps it is simply exceeding the expectations of anyone who has "sampled" Dana Simmons' work even a little, and unfortunately - as we well know - a false notion of the reading experience that awaits us can ruin even the best stories.

In this case, I was taught - it is a good, even very good Simmons, but tailored to a completely different measure and maintained in a different style. Genre-wise, solid, but not... Passionate.

At least in my perception.

Here's a book that delves into the world of vampires. In fact, Dracula himself is wandering around, a 500-year-old being who is tired of life. It's only the third vampire book I can recall reading, and it's old enough to have been penned before vampire literature was reduced to a joke by Meyer et al. Just like in one of the other vampire books I've read, "My Name is Legion," vampirism is regarded as a disease - in this case, a rare genetic disorder - not contagious at all. The details are meticulously worked out and seem plausible to this not overly knowledgeable-of-biology reader.

Hence, it can be shelved under both SF and horror. Most of that horror stems from the reminiscences of Dracula, who is treated as the real historical Vlad Dracula. These memories are drawn from the known facts of his life and are sickening in a way that made-up horrors aren't - because real people suffered in their thousands.

The book is a competent story, albeit a bit predictable (I guessed most of the twists and revelations). However, it was slightly disappointing as I'm accustomed to Simmons being much more ambitious. This tale is of the scope of "A Winter Haunting" rather than "Hyperion Cantos," "Ilium-Olympos," "Drood," or "The Terror."

Bonus plus point: no spell-breaking lit.crit. essays!

A completely fresh and contemporary take on Dracula? Sign me up!

Children of the Night is an extraordinary book that defies expectations and genre boundaries. On the surface, it may seem like a typical horror novel. However, it is so much more than that. It is part medical thriller, part globe-trotting action adventure, and part historical account of Romania during the chaotic overthrow of its leader in the early 1990s. This unique combination creates a truly interesting and engaging story, offering a fresh perspective on the vampire genre.

At its core, the story follows an American doctor who is working overseas with orphaned children in Romania. She falls deeply in love with a baby in her care and decides to adopt him and bring him back to the US. However, she soon discovers that the baby has an extremely rare condition that has some very interesting reactions to blood transfusions. Hmmmm... wonder why? The real kicker is that this baby's condition could hold the key to curing cancer and AIDS!

This leads to a really cool concept of trying to explain vampires and their need for human blood scientifically. I mean, really scientifically. You might need a PhD to fully understand some of the insanely detailed medical jargon in here. There are a few chapters that are so full of it that you'll be lucky to understand a handful of words per page. But don't worry, it doesn't last throughout the whole book, and you can still get the general idea of what's going on fairly easily.

Without giving away any spoilers, the book takes several twists and turns that lead back to Romania, forcing our heroic doctor to face the vampire legend and the ultimate bad guy, Count Dracula. There is also a returning character from Summer of Night, Mike O’Rourke, who is now a priest with a wild side. Danger seems to follow him everywhere. He's definitely my favorite character in the book. It was great to see how he has grown and changed as an adult.

The best part of this book is a series of chapters titled “Dreams of Blood And Iron”. It's like Dracula is doing a reality TV style series of confessionals, where he recounts all the atrocities he has committed in his lifetime in gruesome detail. These sections are both fascinating and brutal, and are well worth the price of the book alone.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. I found it to be a great blend of old world vampire lore and modern day storytelling. However, I did have a few minor complaints. As I mentioned earlier, Simmons can sometimes get a bit carried away with things like medical jargon and the layout of Romanian cities. There are also a few plot twists involving one particular character that left me a bit confused and raised some questions. And the ending was a bit far-fetched, but you just have to suspend your disbelief and go with it.

Overall, though, I really liked this book. It was different from what I was expecting and brought a breath of fresh air to the vampire genre. I have to give Simmons credit for doing so much research and for trying to put a unique spin on this classic story. I would definitely recommend it to fans of horror, adventure, and medical thrillers. 4/5 stars.