The series's engagement with Christian themes continues in this book, as Sita and friends search for the eponymous veil that Veronica ostensibly used The series's engagement with Christian themes continues in this book, as Sita and friends search for the eponymous veil that Veronica ostensibly used to wipe Jesus's face during His Passion. The book offers an alternative narrative to this, and that is not the only thing that may raise many a Christian eyebrow. There's a whole chapter that actually features Jesus as a character, and while his portrayal is not orthodox, I can't say that it's awful. Yep, there are religious depictions here that might shake strict Catholics to the core. But I've always felt that if your faith is redoubtable, you shouldn't mind encountering divergent renditions of church tenets since it won't affect you anyways. Except maybe if you're an evangelist who worries about impressionable folk.
This volume mirrors the last third of Thirst 2, which was the final book in the original series. In no way does this story supersede it, although some events there were passed off as Seymour's faulty "recollections" of Sita's adventures. Still, there are many similar elements that thankfully didn't give the game away: extraterrestrial spiritual guides, legendary Christian artifacts, the use of time travel to redress history-changing mistakes, monstrous evil assuming human guise to partake in unholy tortures, etc.
But the greatest of these are the epilogues. What an ending this book could have had! I was frustrated by how it winded up on such an inconclusive note. It's the shortest volume in the series, but even if the main conflict in the story was resolved, it shouldn't have ended in that cliffhanger. Especially since it's been eight years since this book was written, with no sequel in sight. Make no mistake, the author already has plans for the final books in the series. In his Facebook page, he did say that he already has a draft for Thirst 6 and knows how the entire saga would end with Thirst 7, so there's that. Unfortunately, with other projects on his plate, he admitted that he has no idea as to when they are going to be published.
Anyway, the previous volume was so action-packed that even with the de rigeur jet hijackings, kidnap+torture scenes, and daring rescues, this one seemed positively unruffled. This may be due to the frequent use of lengthy flashbacks, which naturally impeded any momentum the current storyline tried to gather. It's still an enjoyable read, even if the drop in the pace was noticeable. I did relish the portrayal of historical characters like General Patton; General Grant, who was supposed to be his past incarnation; and Reichsführer Himmler, who also figured in another Pike book - The Wicked Heart.
The Thirst series is something fans of retro YA horror absolutely should not do without. It's obvious why so many regard this as Pike's masterpiece. One doesn't have to wait until he finishes writing the entire thing before taking the plunge - it's solidly entertaining and satisfying enough as is. I'm looking forward to re-gobbling the whole enchilada once the final volume hits the shelves.
While I did enjoy the previous book, I still thought that it won't have mattered that much if the original sextet has never been extended. It is only While I did enjoy the previous book, I still thought that it won't have mattered that much if the original sextet has never been extended. It is only with this volume that Pike made a great case for the resumption of his Thirst saga.
Don't fret if it seemed to plod initially. At first I was mighty discouraged that the whole affair will end up a sentimental, by-the-numbers Manichean war, but oh how wrong I was. The plot began to rev up after the first third, and aside for a couple of chapters, it goes full throttle after that.
The battles here are freakin' blockbuster. At its heart is a fight to the death between two powerful monolithic organizations, one ancient and genocidal, the other maverick and just as ruthless. But even this all-out war pales in comparison to the real game being played, where Sita locks horns with the most worthy opponent she has ever challenged.
I dont know how Pike manages to keep upping the ante as this series progresses. It's like a coloratura soprano who awes you with the high notes she can reach, and then jolts you when she goes even higher, then leaves you even more thunder-struck as she barrels up glory notes you never new existed. I can only lick my lips in anticipation of the finale in the next book.
I relished the Hindu mythological influences in the first three volumes, but for the first time the author dips into an age-old Christian legend - (view spoiler)[that of the fall of Lucifer (hide spoiler)]. The thing is, Pike managed to include all these disparate religious lore in a melange that works really well. He's such a good storyteller that he managed to create a gem where others would have ended up with some messy claptrap. As I previously pointed out, yes there may be some conceptual contradictions here, but would you really be bothered by these while you're held utterly spellbound?
But well - some of them are admittedly rather strange. Like: isn't the idea of a final place of judgement, of ending up either in heaven or hell depending on your virtues and vices, contradictory to the notion of reincarnation? The latter presupposes that you'll keep being reborn in an endless cycle until you reach enlightenment, at which point you can either ascend or return back to the earth as a bodhisattva to guide other souls. How can both co-exist in the Thirst universe?
On this note, I was puzzled at how Sita's katabasis seemed a tad overlong. Pike plopped it in the thick of intense action near the climax, so its length and ill-advisedly ponderous pace did dampen the excitement. That the series's idea of the afterlife is modeled on those of ancient Egyptians/Greeks with its Charon-like guides and Maat-ish scale is just to be expected. Again, this book seemed like a roll call of the most outré subjects that, slathered together, somehow made a most appetizing stew. Ouija boards, scientific astrology, life after death, body snatching, ESP, mind control, demons and alien familiars who delight in torture and gore, fallen angels, transcendental meditation that leads to communion with heavenly powers - did I miss anything?
With a potent storyline and gripping high-octane action, this book merits a strong five stars. However, in its climax it featured (view spoiler)[a massacre of kids that our heroes tried to rationalize away. Yup, some of them may have been cold and maybe even psychotic, but like Seymour I believe that many may still have been redeemed. The top honcho of the IIC even escaped unscathed. I mean, what the heck? (hide spoiler)] I was just plain sickened. So yeah I'm dropping two stars. Yeah, it's just how I roll. I'm still going to read the next book though, where hopefully the author won't spring that sort of tripe again.
I admire how adroitly Pike shook off the neat bow he previously wrapped this series in. (view spoiler)[By the end of Thirst II, Sita went back in timeI admire how adroitly Pike shook off the neat bow he previously wrapped this series in. (view spoiler)[By the end of Thirst II, Sita went back in time to curtail Yaksha's birth, preventing vampires from ever plaguing humanity in the first place. This meant that she only existed during her short but fulfilling life five thousand years ago, and that all that's left of her adventures were those that poor Seymour recorded. (hide spoiler)] Pike wove a highly believable and creative ruse to get out of this. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised - this should be peanuts to anyone who can imbue his heroine with the necessary cunning to survive the considerable scrapes he put her through.
The events here occur fifteen years after the conclusion of the previous book. If you haven't read the prequels then do yourself a favor and gobble those up before digging into this. While they are not exactly necessary to make a coherent story out of this one, the context they provide will guarantee that you'll enjoy it more. They're also better reads than this book, though that's like saying rich truffle torte is better than dark chocolate. All three are mucho satisfying.
Here, we get to be acquainted with new characters who are likable enough, but are just not as fun as the old gang. The latter are still here of course, but I miss the parts when Sita was more or less a lone wolf figure, relying only on Seymour for tactical advice and Krishna for spiritual guidance. Right now, she is facing two monolithic institutions who can't decide whether to strong-arm her into joining their side or simply dispatching her, so I guess she will need all of the support she can get.
The distractions from the main story are quite puzzling though. I mean, delaying Sita's looming confrontation with the Telars by segueing into Teri's Olympic venture seems quite unnecessary, though it does move the action forward.
It also seems strange that in this series, male vampires can beget children but female ones are always barren. I think the first point was introduced only in this book while the second has been established since the very first. Maybe the author just wants to be consistent?
One thing that I found very interesting are the plots of the stories that Alisa authored (!). That he made them win the Hugo and Nebula awards were pure chutzpah on Pike's part. They are somehow reminiscent of the pieces in his Tales of Terror anthologies.
I take back some of my religious criticisms in the previous book. Here, even if Sita sometimes surmises that Krishna and Jesus may be reincarnations of the same person, she's not 100% certain of it even though that idea was confirmed by the Suzama texts. She also states time and again that she isn't even sure if Krishna is God, so I guess those with Christian leanings won't fault it with blasphemy now. For what it's worth, Pike has a very positive view of the Catholic faith and especially of Jesus.
But really: that ending was just whack. Ugh. It's a good thing that the blurb of the next book was able to block any spoilers, though I still plain dislike it. I guess we should just see how Pike would run with it.
I was initially wary of this series revival because I thought that the original Last Vampire sextet already did a bang-up job in closing Sita's story. This is a step in the right direction though, and I can't wait to read the rest. I feel like we have barely scratched the surface here.
Well! Sita's back, and this time as a mortal human through her Renaissance paramour's alchemic genius. What's more, she finds out that the love of herWell! Sita's back, and this time as a mortal human through her Renaissance paramour's alchemic genius. What's more, she finds out that the love of her ultra-long life has escaped what was then an almost-certain death. It seems like after all the trials and agonies of the first book she was finally given the breather that she so deserved, achieving that which her heart has subconsciously yearned for in the span of fifty centuries. She's now ready to start a family, be a wife and mother again, to relive the idyllic life that was mercilessly wrenched from her by her demon swain Yaksha. And yet - we don't really think it will all just turn out roses, do we?
There's a lesson here about how the granting of boons, which is a staple trope in Indian mythology, is not all that it's cracked up to be. Sita's maternal desires were so intense that she willingly sacrificed her immortality to have a shot of fulfilling them again. She was vouchsafed this wish, but at a truly terrible price.
Now listen to my song. It dispels all illusions . . . When you feel lost remember me, and you will see that the things you desire most are the very things that bring you the greatest sorrow.
As is the case with its predecessor, this has action in spades (or backhoes, more like). Killing rape-murderey drunks in one chapter; going straight from the initial trimester of pregnancy to full-blown childbirth in less than a week; etc. It still doesn't feel rushed though - her life just marches furiously, inexorably, to fulfill a bitter karmic fate that the murderess of tens of thousands deserves.
I noticed that in all of the six parts making up this book and the first, Sita either turns a human into a vampire or hybrid, unwittingly or not, technically upending her very oath to Krishna time and time again. And yeah, I don't really buy that "love" clause because it's such a cop out. By that reasoning she should have been allowed to turn the hundreds of lovers she amassed over time, which should go very much against Krishna's admonition. I'm willing to make an exception for Ray, but the others were quite ridiculous.
No wonder that for the first time in her long history, she seems to have lost Krishna's grace and protection. She always ends up in these terrible scrapes, which do admittedly make for some great reading. She has faced her demon sire, a crazed vampire thug, and even the full might of a secret military base. But nothing quite prepared her for the challenges she faces now. Because what she'll come up against are beings far more ancient and wily than those three. There will also be an encore of a battle against a powerful sorcerer that she's supposed to have beaten in the past. Time travel, anyone?
Sita is growing on me by the page. I like her spunk and the way she gives attitude instead of whining/mewling when the going gets tough. I guess you can't be an apex predator for millennia without developing this much confidence. At least she has humor and sass to alleviate her bloodthirstiness.
Pike's works almost always have a spirituality to them that has a distinct Hindu flavor, but I feel like I must warn strict Christians about certain passages here that may smack of blasphemy. A scholar character here posits that Christ has been born before, with one of his first incarnations being the Lord Krishna. That sounds pretty strange seeing how Vedic scriptures state the latter as just one of the nine avatars of Vishnu the Preserver, the second of the prime trinity of the Hindu pantheon. The same academic also declares that He has been reborn again at the time of the book's events in California. Even if one is reminded that this is a merely fictional book, these plot points/ideas are bound to ruffle some feathers. To be fair though, in his books Pike has nothing but the most positive things to say about Jesus, so at least there's that. He's quite sympathetic towards Christianity, and views it as a force for good, overall.
This is a worthy read with a deeply resonant ending. Guess some wishes do come true after all.
I have read almost all of Pike's YA books before but his magnum opus, The Last Vampire series, has somehow eluded me. I remember reading only the secoI have read almost all of Pike's YA books before but his magnum opus, The Last Vampire series, has somehow eluded me. I remember reading only the second of the original sextet and liking it a lot, but aside from that, nada. A few years ago I came upon an even more updated set repackaged as the Thirst series, complete with three more books that Pike wrote during the resurgence of the vampire craze in the late noughties. I thought I'd save it for when I have more leisure time to savor the entire thing.
Recently I came across the iconic white covers while browsing my shelf and thought: well, the start of a new decade is as good a time as any to devour the whole lot. After finishing this very first volume, I realized that I shouldn't have waited too long.
I'm glad that the vampires here are not inordinately hyperpowered or it won't be much fun. Yes they are very strong, graced with preternatural healing, lethal reflexes and inhuman speed. They're not crippled by many of the traditional vampire weaknesses and although sunlight does drain them, they can still function and sometimes even fight in daylight. However their hearts are vulnerable to stakes, and remarkable trauma in that region will usually kill them. Decapitation also works, which would explain Sita's abhorrence of Madame Guillotine, and I surmise bazookas and grenade launchers would also get the job done. They're highly formidable, but strategic concerted action by trained mortals who are apprised of their weaknesses can finish them off.
I was thrilled by the brazen audacity of the methods with which Sita dispatches superior opponents. Crates of dynamites, high-powered ordnance, exploding oil trucks, exploding helicopters, the requisite axe in a freezer - oh my. Some of her schemes do seem so unfeasible as to be unbelievable, but by the time you get to that point you're just there for the ride.
I also like how Sita in her usual droll voice recounts various anecdotes of her extremely long life. Fifty centuries, imagine that. The Ancient Greek lecher-doctor who accepted her for who she was; her noble Scotch lover, an ugly thane who loved painting her in the nude; a 13th century Florentine Franciscan priest whose mastery of alchemy led innocents to doom; diverse unpleasant experiences with the French aristocracy including during the Reign of Terror; etc. These are woven seamlessly in the narrative so they seem neither awkward nor irrelevant.
Religiously devout people may have some problems with the text. I mean, most readers do enjoy reading about the pantheon of different mythologies. Who has read the Homeric hymns and failed to thrill at the shenanigans of the immortals of Olympus? But when a text, however fictional, theorizes how another deity, like Krishna in this book, may actually be the one true God with a capital G, then I see how some might be put off. There are also some outspoken views on the Catholic Church of early Renaissance Italy so be forewarned.
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