Posts Tagged ‘Books’

David A. Patrick, a student at Bethlehem High School for three years, finished his first novel in the summer of 2006 and published it the following year in the fall with iUniverse Publishing; he titled it Nero Demare and the Legend of the Vampires.

Patrick’s first horror novel was based largely off his own experiences except for any vampire encounters; however, he did face spiritual attack during the writing of this book. Family issues exploded enormously, ministerial duties swallowed his time, and the book was becoming far more difficult to finish. However, these problems compelled him to complete his writing so that the world could peer into the spiritual realm through the story of a young boy.

Seven-year-old Nero Demare believes in vampires and grows up admiring their mythical slayer, Duke Angtrav. But little does Nero know that he himself carries the bloodline of the vampire slayers.

Throughout his childhood, a mysterious man watches over Nero and saves him from a fleet of the bloodthirsty brethren, who take their orders from King Orthendarh, a master far worse than Dracula ever dreamed of being. Without Nero’s knowledge, this man continues to watch over him, knowing that the world will one day need Nero.

As he grows older, Nero learns that it is his destiny to save the world from the malicious clutches of the vampires. Vampires soon cower in fear at the mere mention of his name. But sinister forces conspire to condemn the entire world to darkness, and only Nero Demare can save mankind from destruction.

Nero Demare and the Legend of the Vampires is a fast-paced story of good versus evil and the battles waged by both sides.

This novel was written predominantly for gothic fans and other avid horror readers but only for young adults due to the graphic violence and mature themes.

This review is based on the paperback edition of Anne Rice’s novel, ‘Christ the Lord Out of Egypt’.

I must admit that as a past reader of Anne Rice vampire novels, I was prepared for a different experience than what I encountered by reading this book. My son gave me my first Anne Rice novel at Christmas a few years ago, and he followed up with more of her paperbacks on subsequent birthdays, Mothers’ Days, and Christmases.

Many of Anne Rice’s previous novels are dark, yet strongly compelling, reading. You might find your mind wandering as you wade through paragraph after paragraph of descriptive details that, while setting the scene, sometimes distract you from the storyline. However, her stories always seize your interest. You might skim over the flowery descriptions, but you are always entranced by the characters in their search for something bigger than themselves.

In this book Anne talks about something bigger than all of us – and succeeds in eliciting strong emotions accompanied by occasional tears. This is a simply written account, narrated from the point of view of a young Jesus.

Unlike earlier novels, she restricts the descriptive language to a level which accurately depicts the time, customs, and surroundings – without distracting from the story’s progression. The book has been carefully researched. Historical facts are intertwined with dialogue and narrative in a way that makes them come alive to the reader.

Young Jesus surprisingly commits a huge sin in the third paragraph of the first page. This startled me! My perspective of Jesus has always been one of God personified in the flesh – and God would never sin! That first page raised my hackles and I almost put the novel down in disgust.

However, it was a Christmas present from my son, and I felt compelled to read it for his sake. I certainly didn’t think that Anne Rice was going to tell a story about the Jesus Christ I knew from reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Without a doubt, I am overjoyed that I read the book right to the end. It cleared up a mystery that has plagued me for years: Why did Jesus have to die to save me? This answer had been given to me many times in sermons and in the Bible itself. However, I never completely understood it until I read this book.

Whatever you do – don’t skip to the end of the novel to discover the answer. Without absorbing the narrative, chapter by chapter, you will not comprehend the last two pages.

Anne has wavered from Roman Catholicism to atheism, and back to Roman Catholicism. She relates in the paperback edition why she made a promise to dedicate her life to God.

The introductory pages of the novel include a map showing the northern part of Egypt and the areas of the Holy Land that are mentioned in the story. The back of the book includes an ‘Author’s Note’ and ‘Note to the Paperback Edition’. Here, Anne describes a bit of her background, her research techniques, and her conversion back to Christianity.

No matter what your religious beliefs, you will find this novel an interesting read. I intend to buy several to give away to friends and relatives.Christ the Lord Out of Egypt – by Anne RicePaperback Edition ISBN: 0-7704-3013-9Hardcover Edition ISBN: 0-6769-7768-5*Anne Rice has kindly provided the following thoughts on this review:

‘I do personally believe that Jesus was sinless, and in my novel the intention is to present Him as absolutely sinless. In the opening scenes He does not kill anyone. He ‘feels the power go out of Him’. Rather like the similar passage of the Gospel of Mark when the hemorrhaging woman is healed by touching His robe.

‘Take care and have a good year,

‘Anne Rice’

©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.

The Twilight book series has overtaken Harry Potter as the new sensation among preteens, and the teens and adults who still enjoy reading books aimed at younger people. With the first book being made into a blockbuster movie the series is starting to attract even more attention.

The movie will only tell the story of the first book but there are three books after that (and another one on the way!)

The first book is titled simply Twilight and it sets up the story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. At it’s heart this is a story about the unlikely budding romance between Bella and Edward. What makes it so unlikely? Edward is a vampire who is over 100 years old (although that’s actually quite young for a vampire!) Bella on the other hand is just a 17 year old girl. But while Edward is over 100 years old, he looks 17 too and he will look 17 forever because that’s how old he was when he became a vampire. Yes, that’s how it works!

The second, third, and fourth books are called New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I do not want to give a synopsis of each book as that would be giving too much away.
There is a fifth novel planned by author Stephanie Meyer. The 5th book isn’t really an extension of the story but rather a different point of view of the story. The four books are told through the point of view of Bella and Breaking Dawn will tell that same story through the eyes of Edward.

While that’s an interesting literary device (have you ever read The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner?) it does seem unlikely to be ripe for a film adaptation but perhaps if the Twilight movies do as well as the Harry Potter movies, the movie studios will go ahead with it anyway!

The movie version of Twilight stars Robert Pattinson as the vampire Edward and Kristen Stewart as Bella. Robert Pattinson has become a heart throb for many young girls (and some older girls who should really know better.)

Pattinson first gained attention as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Kristen Stewart has been in movies such as 2002′s Panic Room (she was Jodie Foster’s daughter) and 2007′s Into the Wild (which is a very good movie by the way.)

If you enjoy “young adult” fiction and in particular romantic young adult fiction then you may very well enjoy these books. They will not be for everyone that enjoyed Harry Potter (which I think has a wider audience) but if you do like the Harry Potter books that may be an indication you would like these books as well.