Review: Fevre Dream

''Fevre Dream'' is an earlier book by one of my favorite authors, George R.R. Martin. It concerns the owner of a small steamboat company in 1857 named Abner Marsh. Abner's been having some bad luck, and at the start of the story he has only one ship still running. However, he is approached by a mysterious man named Joshua York. York wants to buy into a partnership with Abner, and together captain the greatest steamship ever. This is the titular ''Fevre Dream'', a ship covered in silver, mirrors and other finery. Part of the deal is that Joshua would be allowed to bring onboard several associates, and that they be unharrassed and unquestioned in their strange behavior. And it is strange: they have a tendency to talk in strange tongues, drink a horrible-tasting liquor, and never come out into the sun. Meanwhile, down in New Orleans a mysterious but evil creature named Damon Julian and his brood of followers are attempting to figure out where to go.

This is a pretty good vampire novel. Granted, I haven't read many vampire novels, but this one seemed to be pretty absent of the cliches of the genre. The vampires themselves are interesting, being living beings who are an entirely different species from humanity, with their own culture and behaviors. I also liked how Martin seemed to be as passionate about the workings of a Mississippi River steamship in the years before the Civil War as about the vampires. The setting is also perfect: characters are racist and mean, and the condition of white humans to black slaves is adressed and even used as a metaphor in the story (although perhaps a few too many times).

Really, the one problem I had with the story was how it constantly seemed to be about to resolve, with the protagonists defeating the evil Damon Julian, only to have that be yanked out of their grasp. It got a little exhasperating after awhile, and made it ahard to get enthusiastic about the heroes' plans.

All in all, however, it was a good and fine book, one that was well-written, interesting, and with interesting characters. I reccomend it.