World Famous Comics: Ancestral Hungers (Ashlu Trilogy)
Ancestral Hungers (Ashlu Trilogy)
By: Scott Baker Publisher: Tor Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Tor Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 384 Publication Date: November 15, 1996
David Bathory returns to his ancestral estate after the death of his father, the head of his family. David is the direct male heir to a birthright he has tried to deny: the lineage of Dracula--which means control over the entire family of vampires. Since his sinsiter uncle wishes to gain the vampire throne (and rule David as well), David is forced with two choices: either claim his birthright at the cost of his immortal soul, or suffer the immediate torments of hell. It's hell one way or the other.
Mining the Darkness Scott Baker's Ancestral Hungers" may very well be the first "Gothic, neo-Noir" Novel of our generation. Unlike the lush romanticism of Anne Rice or the creepy surrealism of Clive Barker, "Hungers" barrels across the page like a passenger train in a Edward Hopper cityscape that's haunted by characters out of a Bosch nightmare. Like classic Noir, Baker's most terrible "Gothic" secrets are hidden under the calloused soul of his main character, and there they fester until circumstances drag it all out of him in a paryoxym of lust, rage, hellfire and transcendent mysticism.
And that's when the real fun of "Hungers" begins. The novel begins in familiar territory, then explodes into a pathos that distorts the classic western battle of "Good vs. Evil" (desire vs. control) and turns it on its head, focing the main character to tumble headlong into a tortured wilderness of metaphysical plot twists that ooze with the sacred Horrors of eastern religion and philosophy. It's a wild ride!
Baker's tale is a Fever Dream. A tale laced with Absinthian nightmares that would make Poe proud - yet it forces readers to confront their own deep seated emotional fears by relentlessly tearing at the narrow realities that we inhabit every day. And when all the fear and terror is spent, it finally asks us this question: "In a world bursting with the weight of the most mundane little evils, are we capable of true consciousness?" Are we ready to see through the everyday Horror that surrounds us and see it for what it truly is...
flawed, but classic occult horror Ancestral Hungers is a rewrite of the author's older book, called Dhampire, which has always been a favorite of mine. While most reviews think of this as a 'vampire' book, I think it's a broader canvas than that - it includes medieval grimoire sorcery, tantric occultism, and a lot of cool real vampire lore that never gets covered in the popular literature. Those who like the occult theories of Kenneth Grant will be thrilled by the stuff in here. The book's greatest flaw is its ending, which wanders off into a full-scale tour of a halluncinatory hell without much rhyme or reason. This last section rather fails. Still if you want a tale of black magic to curl your toes, I recommend it. Sexually depraved? You bet! Lunatic? Possibly... Steeped in elder lore? Fer sure!
Great!! vampire literature I loved this book. I couldn't put it down i wish that there was a second part I would love to find out what happens next. It has been many years since this book was published and i hope that there will be another one.
What a disappointment!!!!!!!! .... Started out interesting, then went totally off the wall, making no sense at all. . Absolutely worthless reading, I too didn't finish reading the book even though I was over three quarters of the way through. Do not waste your time.
It was the worst book I've ever read This book began all right, but degraded into meaningless jumble of offensive sex and devil worship. I was looking for a good book, and the cover compared it to Interview With the Vampire, by Anne Rice. Interview being one of my favorite books, I started this one with high hopes. It was terrible!! The plot is this: David Bathory, heir to the family control of vampires. From there, it trailed off into describing (in extremely offensive detail) the sex he has with his uncle and his sister. I didn't care to finish the book.
The author should be sued for false advertising, comparing his book to one of today's top writers. I gave this book one star, but only because I couldn't give it less. To anyone not interested in literary pornography, don't even bother picking up this book. Read Anne Rice if you are looking for well-written vampires.
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