Publishing Information: Paperback; 334 pages
Publisher: Random House 1 September 2004
ISBN 10: 0553383051
ISBN 13: 9780553383058
Standalone
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson
Back of Book: "When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something's amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn't care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh's dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won't earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh's concern--no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.
Marsh meant to turn down York's offer. It was too full of secrets that spelled danger. But the promise of both gold and a grand new boat that could make history crushed his resolve--coupled with the terrible force of York's mesmerizing gaze. Not until the maiden voyage of his new sidewheeler Fevre Dream would Marsh realize he had joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare...and mankind's most impossible dream.
Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire's quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman's dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river."
George RR Martin is famous for his A Song of Ice And Fire series, which is loosely based on the War of the Roses. Having read ASOIAF and enjoyed them, I decided I to see what some of his other works were like. If you look on any horror forum you will more than likely be surprised as I was to learn that he had also written a vampire novel, Fevre Dream, it takes place on a river boat just before the civil war would break out.
The setting of Fevre Dream takes center stage in this vampire tale. Martin takes an interesting look at the concept of slavery. For humans it is lowering another person simply due to the color of his or her skin For vampires it is lowering humanity because they are a newer race and not as powerful as the undead. While the ideas presented in the book are very thought provoking they are very understated. The one interesting tidbit that I gleaned from the story that the chained or impoverish of society may suffer from those that lord over them, but they persevere through their art and ingenuity. As an expatriate myself, I could easily draw parallels to America as it rose to the cream of the crop in innovation only to no longer produce any products and left the more impoverish countries to create what the US feels is beneath it. Only to have the great country rot from the inside. Of course this is only my take on the novel.
The characters in Fevre Dream are also a lot of fun. Each of the four main characters have their distinct personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. If Fevre Dream were a cake, the setting would be the spongy cake and the characters the sweet frosting. By the end of the book you feel let down. Not because the ending was not spectacular, but that Martin decided that the novel did not require a sequel. You are left wondering what happened after the events in the book. I read this book days ago and I still wonder what everyone is doing now.
I hate to say it and will probably get hate mail, but I would like to see Martin postpone A Dance With Dragons and have him write a sequel to Fevre Dream. If you are 'dying' for more GRRM and can not wait for ADWD to arrive on book shelves, look no further than Fevre Dream. It has all the rich characters you come to expect from GRRM and lets you see that regardless of which genre Martin decides to write in he is the master of his craft. This is the vampire movie that should have been made. Not the teeny romance Twilight. I will warn you that the book is set in a time and place where the word "nigger" was considered acceptable. While I cringed every time I encountered the word, I realised why he used it and what he was attempting to do with the word. If you can see past that you are in for a truly great tale reminiscent of Mark Twain and Bram Stoker.
Plot 9
Characters 10
Style 9
Overall 9.5/10
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