Review: Children of the Night, by Dan Simmons

Does the world need another vampire novel? I would say, yes, of course, especially if that novel is well written and adds something new or compelling to the literary conversation about vampires, a conversation that authors and readers have been having since 1872 with Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla.” In Children of the Night, Hugo award-winning author Dan Simmons makes a solid contribution to the ongoing vampire mythology by giving us not only a believable scientific explanation for vampirism, but also by adding to the history of Vlad Dracula himself.

Winner of the 1993 Locus Award for Best Horror/Dark Fantasy Novel, Children of the Night reflects Simmons’s experiences in the horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres by weaving a compelling horror tale in a thriller format. The tale focuses on an American hematologist Kate Neuman, a dying baby she adopts during a visit to Romania, and a priest named Mike O’Rourke, who helps her get out of that post-Communist country.

But her adventures do not stop there. The baby, which she names Joshua, suffers from several genetic diseases and is doomed to an early death, until Kate discovers that Joshua can gain temporary relief from the disease symptoms when it receives whole blood transfusions. This genetic defect, Kate discovers, holds the key to a cure for many common diseases, including AIDS and cancer. One rather large problem however is that the baby turns out to be the heir of Vlad Dracula himself, and Dracula disperses his shadowy family line, vampires all, to bring Joshua back.

During her multi-country struggles, Kate is assisted by the conflicted priest O’Rourke and a young, too-good-to-be-true Romanian medical student named Lucian. But O’Rourke and Lucian seem to have their own agendas regarding Joshua, and she is never exactly sure who she can trust until the end.

And speaking of the end, this book is written as a thriller, so there are more than a few daring escapes and plot twists therein, including a finale that would make Indiana Jones tip his fedora in appreciation. But interspersed with harrowing escapes from infernos and being smuggled by gypsies, there are also reflective moments, such as when the point of view shifts to Vlad Dracula. From him we hear stories about his century-spanning life as the leader of the vampire clan, and these insights do much to extend the Dracula mythology.

The story settings and details in Children of the Night are well-researched. Much of the action takes place in Romania, and Simmons paints a vivid picture of what life was like there just after the fall of Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, overthrown as President of Romania in 1989. In fact, historical events are weaved into the narrative of how the family members of Vlad Dracula act as “dark advisors” to political, economic, and military leaders throughout the country. Moreover, the author presents a technical, detailed explanation of vampirism as a very rare genetic defect. In fact, there are so many genetic engineering details and discussions amongst the characters that some parts of the story are a little thick, as if we are eavesdropping on a conversation in a university genetics lab. But this information is crucial to the plot and adds a layer of credibility to the characters’ motivations and actions.

Children of the Night does not portray vampires as campy love interests, as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, nor does this story take the path of vampirism as global viral pandemic, as in Justin Cronin’s The Passage. Rather, Simmons takes us on a more personal descent into terror and adventure as Kate finds herself mixed up in Vlad Dracula’s family affairs. We learn the genetic reasons why vampires need to drink human blood, and though these vampires are not the supernatural forces from legend, that does not diminish their power as keepers of a family secret seeking the return of Dracula’s heir.

<div class="single-col">
  <div class="item">
    <h4>
      Children of the Night, by Dan Simmons:
    </h4>
    
    <p>
      <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446364754/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=kgweb-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=217153&#038;creative=399705&#038;creativeASIN=0446364754"><img border="0" src="http://kendallgiles.4orion.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/51sh-gmU4ZL._SL75_.jpg" alt="children of the night, by dan simmons" width="47" height="75" class="size-full wp-image-1883" /><span style="line-height: 60px;">Children of the Night, by Dan Simmons</span></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=kgweb-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0446364754&#038;camp=217153&#038;creative=399705" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> </div>
    </p>
  </div></p>
</div>