I like vampire novels & this isn't one nor is it horror or romance, yet it's all 3. The word 'vampire' is never once mentioned in the book, yet you're left with no doubt as to what Brust means. I really can't say more, maybe shouldn't have said that much. The process of discovery is one of the things that makes this book so well done. Each word is crafted with a precision that leads to inescapable conclusions, yet almost made me want to re-read it to see if I could have misunderstood.The world is ours, with a slight twist, requiring very little suspension of belief for a fantasy. The characters are well done & I understood their motivations well, even when I didn't like them. There is a sense of predestination permeating the book, which I don't normally care for, but was pulled off in a masterful manner.I really like Brust's writing, especially his Taltos series, but this book may well be the best that he's written. I don't LIKE it the best, don't re-read it as often as the Taltos books, but I think the writing & plot were the best he's ever done. It's just not as fun & relaxing as the others. Still, it isn't work. It's a fairly quick read. ( )

A good read, for anybody: I picked this book up for my girlfriend 2 Christmas' ago. I try to get her to read 'Sci-fi/fantasy' since it is typically the genre I read, in hopes of having a little in house book club. She burned through this book fairly quickly and recommended I read this. So I gave it a try.

The story unfolds easily, without a quickly draws you in, and Agyar (the title character) is a very interesting and realistic character. If you are a Die Hard vampire junkie, this probably isn't for you. You will not find the overly brooding, standard fare that pervades most of the genre. It is a love story told through the memoirs of Agyar as he is going through his life, which happens to be the life of a vampire integrating with the world. Because the book is told through these memoirs, the story unfolds in a very subtle way. He tells of things and events and we don't realize the extent of what is actually occurring until later. But the writing keeps you interested. Keeps you going page after page.

Recommended for anyone looking to try something a little different, to broaden your horizons.

Here we have a record of the days of Jack Agyar. He fills us in on his new residence, his roommate, his seduction of several local girls and his numerous half-cups of coffee. Oh, and also the ways his previous lover, Laura, is framing him for murder. Did I mention that Jack is a vampire? No? Well, you see the book doesn't specifically mention that either. And that's what is so very clever about it.

I really enjoyed this book. I had read that the v-word wasn't used anywhere in it and I wondered how Brust would pull that off. Now I know and I think that he did an excellent job. The character Agyar has a great voice. He is at times profound but also very witty and quite funny. As the story becomes more complicated the pace really picks up and I have to say, it ended before I wanted it to. ( )

This is one of my favorite vampire stories. Brust captures the horror of vampiric life, which is not so much in blood lust or immortality, but simple loneliness, confined to life as a kind of homeless outsider. ( )

http://home.comcast.net/~ktoonen/summ... ( )