(hb; 2002: third book in the Vampire Life series)
From the inside flap
"Lilith, the ages-old mother of the dying race of vampires, has been forced to come out of her cave deep in the Egyptian desert in search of food -- human blood. But she knows nothing about the modern world. She can't drive a car, rent a room, turn on a TV. She struggles to New York, penniless, vulnerable, and starving, protected only by her beauty and her power to capture men with desire. . . especially very certain special men.
"The instant she sess young Ian Ward, she knows that he is part vampire himself. She knows that Ian, if he ever tastes human blood, will belong to her forever. And she needs him desperately, to help her survive and live in this harsh new world of jets and credit cards and guns. She sets out on a campaign of seduction -- as sensuous as it is terrifying -- to touch human blood to Ian's lips, which will then become for him a drug a thousand times more addictive than heroin..."
Review
Lilith's Dream takes place seventeen years after the events of The Last Vampire.
Paul and Rebecca Ward, parents of Paul and Miriam Blaylock's half-vampire child, Ian, see their worst fears realized when Ian is taken by vampires, who wish to bring Ian over to the Vampire Life.
The vampires who have kidnapped Ian are: pop vocalist Leonore Patterson (who, like Paul and Rebecca, was a player in The Last Vampire's drama), and Lilith, an ancient Keeper who, in Paul's words, "makes [Miriam] Blaylock look like a nun."
This is a stellar second sequel to The Hunger, full of action, tasteful eroticism, palpable grue and horror, good characterization, humor and hope. Cineastes may appreciate Strieber's affectionate mentions of David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve, who starred in the film version of The Hunger.
Worth your time, this. Check this series out!
(hb; 1981: first book in the Vampire Life series)
From the inside flap
"Miriam Blaylock, rich and beautiful, lives life to the fullest -- a house in Manhattan's exclusive Sutton Place, a husband she adores, priceless antiques, magnificent roses. But then John Blaylock, like all Miriam's past lovers, suddenly begins to age. Almost overnight, his body reveals the truth: he is nearly two hundred years old!
"Fearing the terrible isolation of eternity, Miriam stalks a new lover. She is Sarah Roberts, a brilliant young sleep researcher who has discovered the blood factor that controls aging and thus may possess the secret of immortality. Miriam desperately wants Sarah, for herself and for her knowledge. But to win her, Miriam must destroy Sarah's love for Dr. Tom Haver, who learns that his enemy is like no other woman who has ever lived. . . now or forever."
Review
Melancholy, romantic, cynical, classic vampire novel, with characters whose time-salted wounds, secret or evident, infuse their present -- often irrational -- actions. Even cool-headed, predatory Miriam is not immune from occasional irrationality, justified as experience-based logic.
The Hunger is a hard to put down, atmospheric, emotionally-restrained and -explosive read that ably mingles the sweet and the rot: it could, very likely, prove to be a stylistic, cornerstone read for readers with tragic-Goth(ic) leanings.
Check it out. Followed by The Last Vampire.
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The Hunger, the film, was released stateside on April 29, 1983.
Catherine Deneuve played Miriam. David Bowie played John. Susan Sarandon played Sarah Roberts. Cliff De Young played Tom Haver. Dan Hedaya played Lieutenant Alleggrezza. Ann Magnuson played "Young Woman from Disco". Willem Dafoe played ""2nd Phone Booth Youth". Beth Ehlers played Alice Cavender. Rufus Collins played Charlie Humphries. Suzanne Bertish played Phyllis.
Goth band Bauhaus played "Disco Group" (performing "Bela Lugosi Is Dead").
Tony Scott directed, from a script by James Costigan, Ivan Davison and Michael Thomas.
A cable series, loosely linked to the film, began airing on July 19, 1987. It ran two seasons, its final episode airing on March 5, 2000.
David Bowie appeared in nine episodes (1999-2000). Terence Stamp hosted five episodes (1997-1998).
