Book Review: Clan Novel: Toreador by Stewart Wieck
There's a huge chunk of independent books that have since fallen into obscurity if not outright vanished from the ability of people to read them. Other books have been published by mainstream publications but have returned to their original creators, only for the exact same thing to happen. I grew up on the fantastic tabletop gaming fiction of Dungeons and Dragons, Vampire: The Masquerade, and more. While some of these have returned to print despite extreme reluctance by the IP's new owners to promote them, a huge chunk remain untouched. I'm pleased to say that Crossroad Press has re-released the old World of Darkness books on Kindle and even audiobook now.
The Clan Novel series is something that I'm very glad to see returned to print because it is a monumental project. A thirteen volume project by multiple authors that carried a vague story thread between them while illustrating the various types of vampire that exist in the setting. CLAN NOVEL: TOREADOR by Stewart Wieck has the unenviable task of not only introducing new fans to the world but also setting up all the other volumes. So, does he succeed or fail? Well, it's a mixture of both.
The premise for the World of Darkness is that the world is full of vampires, werewolves, and wizards among other supernatural entities. The things live among us and maintain a veil of secrecy so we're none the wiser. It was cute as a conspiracy in the Nineties and less so in the present day when too many lunatics believe it. Still, I love the setting and its characters. In Clan Novel: Toreador, the conflict is primarily between the sinsiter Sabbat (vampires who act like horrifying monsters) and the Camarilla (vampires who pretend to be human while being horrifying monsters).
The two lead characters are Leopold, a Neonate (or new vampire), and Victoria Ash, an Elder (duh). Leopold is a sculptor who lures young women into his basement to model, most of whom assume this is a come on, and then drinks them (though not to death). Victoria, by contrast, is planning on hosting a massive party that will secure her place in the Atlanta vampire scene. All the whie, the city is about to come under siege by the Sabbat. There's a magical artifact called the Eye of Hazmiel too.
If that sounds like a very complicated plot, it unfortunately is. The book is very much geared to people who are already familiar with Vampire: The Masquerade and even makes references to the previous Blood Curse books that most readers are not going to have read. The book also spends a lot of its time setting up the events for the rest of the series. There's some good moments throughout the book but I'd argue this is one of the weaker of the thirteen. Still, if you are interested in Vampire: The Masquerade then I think this series is a good one to start.
