After enjoying book 2 of this series - which I thought at first was a standalone novel - I decided to obtain a copy of the first book despite having a sketchy idea of what had transpired from the book 2 backstory.

Briefly, James Asher philologist, Oxford lecturer and ex-spy, and his wife Lydia - a rich heiress who has managed to fight societal pressures in order to become a doctor and medical researcher in 1904 - are drawn into the affairs of the Undead when one of them approaches James, initially blackmailing him with Lydia's safety, to help with tracking down whoever is killing vampires.

Had I not known that certain characters survived until book 2, the suspenseful sequences would have been even more so, but they were so well constructed and written that it was still a very enjoyable read. I liked most of the main characters with the exception of Lydia although she wasn't quite so irritating this time around, mainly because she has less of a role in the story.

The only thing that held this back from a full 5 star rating was that although the characters are English quite a few Americanisms pop up, sometimes rather inconsistently - for example, the references to railroads in most places and then a switch to the correct railway - and references to garbage cans which in one place becomes the correct dustbins (given the frugal way of living most people of the time had to follow, the only 'rubbish' thrown away was the coaldust generated by domestic fires and hence the name dustbin which persists to this day- at that time, even rags and bones were sold for a small coin or two). As a UK reader these mistakes - despite correctly at one point describing the lowest floor of a building as ground rather than the American usage of first - were jarring and threw me out of the story's flow momentarily. But otherwise a very enjoyable read rating 4 stars. ( )

Creative and cunning take on Vampires!

I'd read this some years ago and picked it up recently on an e-book sale - I'm glad I did.

Hambly does a great job of creating an Edwardian setting with an Oxford don (who is also disenchanted ex-spy) being drafted (blackmailed, really) by a vampire to investigate who is killing vampires. Plenty of twists and turns, as well as fun world-building imagining the world and "life" of vampires. Happily a series with many episodes, too - I'm already on to the next one! ( )

I haven’t read a vampire novel in a while, and this was a good choice—atmospheric and original. Hambly’s descriptions were so vivid, I’m exhausted just thinking about all the time she must have spent researching this period.
James and Lydia make a great team, as do Simon and James, and I loved that there was no keep-the-wife-in-the-dark-for-her-own-protection foolishness in this plot. I loved Lydia’s medical interest and her perspective on vampirism.
Once the killer was revealed, the pace picked up considerably, but I was a little let down by the reveal. I certainly didn’t see it coming, but I’m not sure I liked it. His desire to make Lydia a vampire and his speeches that he would make her love him seemed kind of melodramatic.
I was excited to see how many books are in the series and that it’s still going. I’m definitely on board for more James, Lydia, and Simon. ( )

This is an outstanding novel. Unlike the slew of "popular" vampire novels, the ones James Asher has to work with or lose his beloved wife are very creepy and quite inhuman. Great setting, great worldbuilding, great characters, and a scary climax. What more could you want? I read the library ebook, the Kindle version is very well formatted. Highly, highly recommended. ( )

Not a new book, but I finally got around to reading “Those Who Hunt the Night” by Barbara Hambly. I quite enjoyed it, overall.

It takes place in mostly London during the Edwardian era, with the main character James Asher as a former spy and now Oxford don.

He’s coerced by one of London’s oldest and most powerful vampires, Simon Ysidro, into hunting down who’s killing other vampires during daylight hours. He quickly goes from believing vampires are merely myths to meeting several.

Asher’s young wife, Lydia, is a medical doctor and takes an interest in the medical qualities of the vampires, though Asher works to keep them separate from her, to reduce her risk.

The two soon move to temporary, safely separate, quarters in London so they can work on different aspects of the manhunt. Hambly gives the addresses and I found one of them on a map, remembering my own wanderings around the area when I had weekends free on an extended business trip to England. So that brought back some memories.

I was impressed by Hambly’s description of Lydia’s work sorting through public records, especially considering the character was doing it in 1908, while I imagined how I’d go about writing SQL queries on a computer in the now modern era.

Overall I enjoyed the story. I was a little disappointed with two aspects of the ending. I felt like Asher and Ysidro had bonded throughout the book, so I expected something more in terms of possible friendship between them once it was finished.

And I was disappointed at the culprit. I was hoping, I think, for something more along the lines of a Lovecraftian eldritch terror, so when the killer was revealed it was a little letdown. I had a bit of trouble suspending disbelief at who it was and how they went about it.

Now I’ll have to track down some copies of the sequels involving Asher and Lydia… ( )