Thursday, August 24, 2017

Hidden Gems #1

In the phenomenon that is Games of Thrones, so many fans of George R. R. Martin rush to obtain their ComicCon tickets and stand in lines for hours to hear Martin speak and hope to pick up some insider info on upcoming episodes.  The big thing is, before he was an HBO wonderkin, he was an author.  He is an author.   And a damn good one at that.

In 1983 a paperback was given to me by friends because they knew I enjoyed books with vampires.  Almost 35 years have passed and I have held on to this paperback because it had become one of my favorites.  I was unpacking my books after a big move and was placing them on the shelves in alphabetical order by authors last name (like any good librarian), only to discover that Martin was the author.  I had no idea.  Before there was Game of Thrones, there was Fevre Dream.  The story is an intriguing one of the golden days of the Mississippi steamboat days.  Days of glorious, showy steamboats traveling down the river filled with beautiful people, gamblers and vampires.  The nights are filled with danger, intrigue and vampires.

Abner Marsh was down on his luck when he was contacted by the wealthy and aristocratic Joshua York to build a riverboat and teach him all about being its captain.  York has given Marsh the funds to build one of the most beautiful and fastest ships on the river, the Fevre Dream.  It was all about racing and beating the other ships down the river. Excited to show the world what Fevre Dream can do Marsh pushes her down the mighty Mississippi passing the other riverboats at record speeds.  However, York has a different agenda, putting out orders to stop at odd spots for long delays.  The stops coupled with York’s odd behavior and his odder friends put Marsh on edge.  As rumors of bodies begin to surface Marsh decides to confront his benefactor. 

Martin has created an atmospheric tale of life in 1857 on the Mississippi.  His story is brimming with beautiful scenery and dark descriptions that fill the mind with images both beautiful and disturbing.   His portrayal of life on board the Fevre Dream and the river are breath taking as well as the vile and lurid scenarios of those who embrace and revere life in the dark.

Fevre Dream
By George R. R. Martin
ISBN:  9780553577938 pbk reprint
Pub Date:  April 24, 2012

Genre:  Historical/Supernatural

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