I’m not really an expert of vampire novels, but I think this one by S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet is pretty much adherent to an old classic vampire novels. There is an ancient vampire, Nikola, who not only was a feudal lord who was turned against his will, but he was, and still is, from East Europe. At the time when Nikola was turned he lived somewhere in deep Russia, in the XVII century, when the land was fascinating but a little barbaric. If I have to be true, Nikola doesn’t appear to be a strong man, but more someone of the intelligentsia, someone who is more used to win his battle with his mind more than his body. And indeed he is now a renowned expert in historic and music, who is willingly taking a young pupil under his roof for an year of teaching him not only school lessons but also about life.

Aric is a child prodigy, already touring in concert at 13 years old, and now at 19 he is “burned”; he has no more urge to learn, he feels as he has no strings, not with his country or his parents. When his father plans to leave him in Serbia with Nikola, Aric has little choice, but it’s not that he complains a lot, really. One place equals another, and mostly Aric wants to loose himself, and his chosen way is to have sex with stranger, with whoever and whenever he has a chance.

The secret of his tutor being a vampire is not really well kept, and it’s not long that Aric confronts Nikola; and as simply as that Nikola confirms that he is a more than 500 years old vampire. Aric turns his pursue of distraction from life from sex to Nikola: he agrees to now have sex with strangers if Nikola tells him more of his life. Now, as I said, it’s not that Nikola is really hiding he is a vampire: he dresses like in the XVII century, he teaches his lesson from sunset to dawn, and he never eats or drinks; and the secrets that he tells to Aric are more or less what you can learn on East Europe vampires. But for Aric is another game, another way to forget he has not really a life for him to come back or a family welcoming him. Listening about Nikola’s loneliness is a way to believe he is not the only one in the world with such emptiness inside him.

The story moves along the usual path of the vampire novels, with even the European grand tour (all by night) that often you see in these vampire novels or movies. I think the main difference is actually Nikola, and his “weakness”: I’m not saying he is weak in a derogative way, but he has not the usual strength you are used to read for vampire; he has plenty of questions on his life and desire, he is unsure, often scared of his own feelings. True, he makes some right moves regarding Aric, allowing him to grew into a man he can love, but all in all, I found Aric stronger than Nikola, in his loneliness, in his anger and in the end, in his love.

http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Rachmaninoff.aspx

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Amazon: Rachmaninoff
Amazon Kindle: Rachmaninoff
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Storm Moon Press LLC (December 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0982700830
ISBN-13: 978-0982700839

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Nathie