The Black Castle by Les Daniels
Book review
by John Goodrich

 

Rating:

 

The Black Castle is the first in a series of excellent vampire books by Les Daniels. In it, we are introduced to the mysterious and dark Don Sebastian de Villanueva, one of the most dark and frightening vampires that has been written in the last three decades. However, evil as the sorcerous Sebastian seems, he cannot compare to his brother Diego, the Grand Inquisitor. It seems that the two brothers have a compact; in return for relative peace and quiet, Sebastian is writing a book on sorcery for his brother � a book whose dark secrets will upstage even the terrible Malleus Malleficarum.

The Black Castle is a dark, brooding book. Terrible though Don Sebastian is, he is nothing compared to the horrors of the auto-da-fe; the carnival-like public punishment and execution of supposed heretics, Jews and Moors. Les Daniels has done his homework here, and his vivid depiction of the auto-da-fe is enough to send chills up any reader's spine, because of the terrible feeling that *this is how it really happened*.

Les Daniels lets us know that no matter how terrible the creatures we invent, the reality of humanity is still worse. Much worse. And yet, the book is handled with a deft, steady hand. The prose is strong and easy to read, and there are subtle layers to the whole story. It takes time to locate Don Sebastian de Villanueva; his books are not easily found, but once found, his books will change the way you look at vampires.