Bloodline

One for the Dracula fans who will probably see more references in this than I did.

Basically it's a World War I story about the next generation. John Shaw arrives in the hospital Mary Seward works in, she liked him from afar when she saw him years ago and she's curious to see what reduced him to a catonic state so she reads his diary of the period and finds that he was disturbed by the actions of his superior, Quincey Harker. whose bloodthirst on the battlefield seems to have been quite literal..

When Harker appears at the Shaw family home and John's sister, Lily becomes attracted to him their lives will never be the same again. Twists and turns lead them to Transylvania and an inheritance of blood.

It's not bad, echoes of it's pulp show more forbearer roots and it does have some interesting nods to the source novel. Characters are a little colourless and the motives of several don't seem apparent. A quick read but I'm not really motivated to read the sequel. show less

Squeamish readers beware. This book is a very well-written "sequel" to Bram Stokers "Dracula," and is true to it. I found it to be somewhat of an odd story, but that may just be my own personal preferences.

John Shaw is sent to the front lines of World War One. He can’t help but awe at his Captain, Quincy Harker, but there is also something strange about him as well. When John is injured, he is sent back to England to recover. A nurse, Mary Seward, recognizes John and she nurses him back to health as well as befriends his sister who lives nearby, Lily. John suffers from a fever that causes delusions. Mary hoping to help calm his fears reads his diary to learn about what John has faced.John describes his fearless leader Captain Harker and his strange ways of war, but of also his rescuing John. Mary tells Lily of Harker’s heroic act and when Harker comes to England he stays at the Shaw’s mansion. In turn winning the love of John’s show more sister Lily.While John is away on business, he returns home to find Lily and Harker gone and a note that they are traveling to Transylvania where they are to be wed. John on learning the news, also learns the true identity of Captain Harker, he is a descendant of Dracula and a vampire himself. Fearing for his sister’s safety, John and Mary vow to rescue her from the clutches of Harker!This is supposed to be a continuation of sorts of Dracula. Although I’ve never read Dracula, I most likely will someday. If you know anything about Dracula, you know that is a horror story. So don’t expect these vampires to be vegetarians like the Cullen/Hale clan or a soy-based blood substitute drinker like Morning McCobb. These vamps are the bloodsucking monsters that started it all. Even so, I really liked the story! It is told in diary entries like the original Dracula. It was nice to be able to see which each character was feeling. It made the story much more compelling. It’s obvious that Harker is a vampire, but Cary leaves a big twist for the end, one that I know I didn’t see coming! This was an awesome reinterpretation of a classic! I only wished I’d read it so I could compare. I am really looking forward to the next book Reckoning! show less

Ms. Cary is another author who has expanded on the offspring of Mina and Jonathan Harker. This time, Qunicy Harker is not the main character but secondary to John Shaw. Harker is his commander in WW1 and this time, he is the vampire and he has his sights set on John's sister....
I did enjoy the way the characters interacted and how the character of Quincy was different than in Dacre Stoker's tale. A good carry on from the original novel. Well done and looking forward to Ms. Cary's next novel

Merideth says: John Shaw, a 19 year old communications officer is both repulsed and fascinated by the barbaric behavior of his commander, Quincey Harker. A physically imposing man, Harker shows tremendous courage, and tremendous savagery. After being severely wounded, Shaw returns home to England, only to find his commander has followed him, and has taken an interest in John's sister, Lily.

This book did nothing for me. The diary format does little to freshen up a tired plot line that plays on every vampire cliche imaginable. Tying it to a WWI setting, with stiff dialogue and clunky descriptions only made things worse. In my opinion, the worst sin a vampire book can commit is to be both gory and boring, and this book certainly did both. show more I'm sure this book will find it's audience, however, I gave up after 50 pages. show less

John Shaw, a 19 year old communications officer is both repulsed and fascinated by the barbaric behavior of his commander, Quincey Harker. A physically imposing man, Harker shows tremendous courage, and tremendous savagery. After being severely wounded, Shaw returns home to England, only to find his commander has followed him, and has taken an interest in John's sister, Lily.

This book did nothing for me. The diary format does little to freshen up a tired plot line that plays on every vampire cliche imaginable. Tying it to a WWI setting, with stiff dialogue and clunky descriptions only made things worse. In my opinion, the worst sin a vampire book can commit is to be both gory and boring, and this book certainly did both. I'm sure this show more book will find it's audience, however, I gave up after 50 pages. show less

An imaginative update to the familiar "Dracula" tale. When nineteen year old John Shaw returns tramautized from trench fighting during World War I, he is haunted by memories of his commanding officer, Quincey Harker, and his blootlust during fighting. As Shaw is nursed back to life by Mary Seward, their love grows - as does the love between Quincy and Shaw's sister, Lily. Like "Dracula", this story uses journal entries and letters to move the plot along, and sometimes the self-affected nature of these entries can be trite and tiring. OFans of "Dracula" will enjoy this imagined sequel.