Fevre Dream, George R. R. Martin

Publishers: Orion Books

Pages: 390

Main Characters:

Abner Marsh, Joshua York, Damon Julian

 

Fevre Dream is the amazing fantasy novel written by the amazing fantasy author George R. R. Martin. The novel is set in 1857 along the great Mississippi river and follows the tale of Abner Marsh and Joshua York. Marsh is a fiery steamboat captain who is down on his luck. His once great steamboat fleet was destroyed during the ‘ice jam’ of the previous winter. After receiving a mysterious letter from an unknown sender, Marsh’s luck returns as he is introduced to Joshua York, an aristocratic Englishman who wants to pay over the odds to become part of Marsh’s steamboat company. The deal sounds too good to be true to Marsh but there is one condition from York, that Marsh minds his own business and does not interfere with York’s work. Nonetheless, Marsh is more than happy to do this, as York gives him the means to create his perfect boat, the Fevre Dream.

However when the voyage of the Fevre Dream begins, Marsh finds keeping his promise to York hard to maintain. This is because of York’s eccentric behaviour. He sleeps throughout the day and lives through the night, his friends seem to come and go at odd hours of the day and York himself disappears for days at a time, slowing down the schedule of the Fevre Dream’s deliveries. Eventually Marsh forces a confession out of York and discovers the real aim behind the Fevre Dream’s voyage and York’s work. York is a Vampire who is on a mission to unite all Vampires under him. He believes himself to be their King, as he has created an elixir that stops them wanting to drink human blood. York believes the last few Vampires are somewhere along the Mississippi and therefore needs a steamboat and a steamboat Captain to find them. York convinces Marsh to keep his secret and help him find his fellow Vampires.

York finally manages to find the group of Vampires he has been tracking. He discovers that they are under the leadership of an old and powerful Vampire named Damon Julian. York needs to overpower Julian to unite all Vampires under him. But York misjudges the power of Julian and becomes his servant. Julian forces York to take the Fevre Dream on a killing spree further down the Mississippi. Meanwhile, Marsh manages to escape the grasp of Julian’s evil followers and must find a way to get back to York and retake his Fevre Dream whilst destroying Damon Julian.

I’m just going to come out and say it straight away… I loved this book! It is just another epic fantasy novel from an epic fantasy writer! Ever since Twilight I have been put off any book that has been advertised as a ‘Vampire novel’.  This is because many Vampire books since Twilight have just jumped on the ‘bandwagon’ and always seem to be aimed at teenagers and young adults. This book was so much different! I know it was written well before Twilight but I thought it was so unique when compared to other books in the Vampire fantasy genre. It mixed fantasy and historical fiction together (which I loved). Much like Martin’s Game of Thrones, it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through and I just thought the character of Marsh was brilliant. He was the unlikely hero that I love so much! He is old, fat and ugly but he had so much heart and love for his boat, enough for him to take on Julian and all his followers.

This was a brilliant book! If think you liked Game of Thrones and want to read something a little different you should definitely read this book! I would also say that if you are like me and have lost faith in Vampire novels, this book will definitely bring you round! So give it a try.

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