
Fevre Dream, George R. R. Martin, 1982
(MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)
My favorite quote: “Sometimes I think … the humanity of him is all hollow, a mask … he is only an old animal, so ancient it has lost even the taste for food, but it hunts on nonetheless, because that is all it remembers, that is all it is, the beast.”
Most interesting characters: Abner Marsh, a riverboat captain with money troubles; Joshua York, a pale and mysterious stranger who seems to be the answer to Abner’s prayers … at a price
Opening scene: Fevre Dream opens in 1857, at a hotel in St. Louis at ten past midnight, where Abner Marsh has agreed to meet Joshua York for the first time
The gist: A steamboat captain and a vampire take an intriguing (and deadly) journey down the Mighty Mississippi — but it’s written by George R. R. Martin so it’s a lot more interesting than I just made it sound
Greatest strengths: George R. R. Martin knows how to sprinkle in his research — something that (especially in a book like Fevre Dream) I really appreciate. We’ve all read those books where you’re right in the middle of the action and the author is like, “WAIT! Let me show you how to properly brush a horse! It’s really interesting, I promise!” and then makes you watch the character brush a horse for the next ten or so pages while the author regales you with his or her vast knowledge of horse anatomy and horse-grooming tools and techniques. While these authors are obviously very proud of what they’ve learned, the fact is, the average reader doesn’t care — something that George R. R. Martin gratefully (and gracefully) takes into consideration. In Fevre Dream, I learned more about the history of steamboats than I’ll probably ever need to know — but not once did I feel like I was being given a lesson about the history of steamboats. For that, I have to credit George R. R. Martin for his deft hand and his respect for the audience
Standout achievements: In a world of the cutesy undead, George R. R. Martin’s vampires are not only true monsters but they’re actually pretty scary. Fevre Dream’s Joshua York was one of the creepiest vampires I’ve met in a long, long time. If he weren’t so creepy, I’d like to shake his hand for being so creepy
Fun Facts: In 1983 Fevre Dream was nominated for the World Fantasy and Locus Awards
Other media: A ten-issue graphic novel adaptation in 2010
Additional thoughts: So far, Fevre Dream is the only George R. R. Martin book I’ve read. I’ve never even watched Game of Thrones, let alone read the books — but I knew going into it that George R. R. Martin likes to kill off a shocking amount of characters in his work (that’s the main complaint I’ve heard about Game of Thrones, though I’ve never understood why anyone would complain — dead people are fun — they ramp up the drama!) Anyway, in Fevre Dream, I found out that they’re right: George R. R. Martin really does kill off a lot of people — and apparently, he was doing it way back in 1982 when Fevre Dream was published. — *virtually high-fives George R. R. Martin*
Hit or Miss: Hit
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
