Dark Ages: Lasombra is the fifth in the series of clan novels set in the Dark Ages. Detailing the political machinations of several Lasombra, along with those of other clans affected by their actions, its main draw for most readers will be the presence in it of signature character Lucita. However, the book has far more to entice readers to it than her presence, though it does have its share of problems as well.
The stand-out feature of this novel is the way the author handles the political maneuvering of the characters. Vampire is considered by many to be a game primarily about politics, with intrigue and smart thinking making up the various bids for power. However, over the years every attempt I have seen at a political story (whether in published books or in individual campaigns) in Vampire fell into the category of "Watch how I use my kewl vampire powerz to advance myself in the power structure" or "See as I use amazing amounts of brute force to advance in the power structure." This book, however, would be a perfect textbook for those wishing to run (or write about) a political game that avoids both of the aforementioned styles.
Make no mistake: both the mystical might of the vampire and plain old violence do play a factor in the bids for power in this novel. However, they are not the only method of advancement in this tale, and indeed play a relatively minor factor. The author has gone to exquisite detail when it comes to the political aspects of the novel. The Kindred's control of mundane affairs and groups is well-detailed, explaining the powerbase each has and why they would want to hold onto it. Similarly, the personalities of characters are well-described, and the way characters play off one another's flaws in order to garner more power is a joy to read. I honestly find myself lacking the proper words to describe how much I enjoyed this aspect of the novel. Perhaps the best way I can sum it up is that I recently ran a Vampire campaign that was to have been a political game, which quickly degenerated into the two categories I described above. If I ever restart the game I plan to make all of my players read this novel, to understand what a game of political machinations is all about.
A surprising feature of the novel, and one most welcome, was the fact that no particular character steals the show. In previous novels in the series it felt as though one character would dominate each book, despite coverage being given to other Kindred in the tale. In the case of this novel the author has done an excellent job of giving equal time to all the vampires in the novel, even those not of Lasombra lineage. While this may disappoint Lucita fangirls who read the back cover and thought the tale would be all about her, in the end it makes the novel much more enjoyable to read.
The inhuman aspect of the characters is also well-detailed, with even characters who have appeared relatively benevolent in other novels showing the beast within them quite well here. I was impressed by the way the writer included this in such a way so as to not knock the reader over the head with the idea that the vampires were all evil, but did so in a way that was gradual and made sense.
Also of note is the continuity between this volume and previous books in the series. For the most part the book can be read as a stand-alone tale, though there are several references to past books (some rather veiled) and a continuation of a main plot thread from the first volume.
The book does have its flaws, one of the main ones coming from spelling and grammar errors. I've read many White Wolf books over the years, and this book ranks in as one of the top two for such problems. My biggest complaint comes from the overuse of the comma. Rather than starting new sentences the author frequently goes on and on about a subject, throwing in a comma every so often, as though that makes it okay. As I read the book I flashed back to my second grade class when we were learning about writing sentences. About half of the class decided that figuring out when to start a new sentence was too hard, and so would throw as much as they could into single sentences, using commas to break up the different ideas. I felt like I was back in second grade as I read parts of this book. I even read an example of this comma fetish to a friend over the phone, and after I was done he replied "And this is a professional work?" Conan McKegg commented in his recent review of the Abyssals that White Wolf seemed to have a problem with using commas in that book as well, so I'm not sure what to make of this situation.
Continuity problems also show up, with one character being misnamed twice and another having information she never actually learned. The remains of an unidentified Kindred are totally forgotten about, even as the characters interrogate two men they found near the remains for everything they know. A Kindred acts somewhat out of character simply to set up the finale of the book. My favorite bit came after a pair of vampires show off their inhuman nature to a group of mortals, who are apparently unaware of the existence of Kindred. These humans retreat, muttering about a mysterious power that will get vengeance for them. This pair of vampires are mysteriously attacked later, and at no point does it ever occur to them the humans they toyed with earlier might be responsible. Also, while talking with another character he literally just met a vampire spontaneously starts talking about something that he has no reason to bring up with the other person, save that the revelation sparks a major plot point.
My other major complaint comes from the fact that on several occasions on reading this novel I was left wondering what the author was trying to say. Literally I had no idea what the author was trying to convey about the situation or what the characters were supposed to be saying. It only happened perhaps five times in the novel, but I found it extremely irritating. For example, at one point there is a battle (which is strangely lighter in tone than the rest of the novel) which is described as leaving one combatant running several feet in the air after crashing into his opponent. I have no idea what that entails, but apparently it's enough for both the air-running fellow and his companions, all mercenaries, to flee as fast as they can.
Being a part of a series of novels, there are certain scenes that are obviously going to be tie-ins to later novels. I accept that fact, and that sometimes certain scenes won't make a lot of sense until later books are read. However, there is one scene that occurs "off-camera," with the reader learning of it because of a character's recollection of what she saw. That would have been fine, save that this unwitnessed scene sets into motion events and the introduction of characters that play a vital role in the novel. Why the author felt this sparking scene was not important enough to detail beyond a brief summation is beyond me.
Lucita herself is another problem in the tale. The story is set at a time when Lucita even describes herself as being little more than a fledgling vampire, yet she is still the ever-in-control, never outmatched uber-hottie she's been depicted in other books. I was really disappointed by this, as part of my interest in reading the book was to see her portrayed at something less than the munchkin character she appears as in modern-day stories.
I also can't refrain from mentioning the oddities that occur in this novel regarding bits that are rather unique to the World of Darkness version of vampires. I understand the idea that the writers of the novels are allowed to take leeway with the rules that are set up for the RPG. However, not only does this book make alterations with the rules from the RPG, but it also changes things that are established early on in this very novel.
For example, we're repeatedly told how hard it is for vampires to stay awake as dawn approaches, and how hard it is to fight off the weariness that comes with the rising of the sun. However, when the plot calls for it, two vampires are able to wake up during the day, fight off attackers, and stay alert the rest of the day with no problem whatsoever. Animals are shown over and over to have no problem dealing with Kindred, but toward the end of the novel a Kindred character suddenly has trouble with his horses (which he had no problem with moments before), just so another Kindred can be suspicious of his true nature. It seems as though every Kindred has at least the rudimentary grasp of Protean and Auspex, given the number of times inhuman levels of senses and red eyes are mentioned; this omnipresence of the Disciplines made some later events seem very odd, since certain things that should have been noticed with these powers go undetected. Vampires seem to have some sort of ghoul radar, allowing them to notice such beings instantly whenever they come across them. And there's one part which I can't go into detail without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say I think the author decided to take one aspect of White Wolf's vampire lore and use it because he thought it would allow him to write a cool description, not stopping to think that it caused a later scene to be pretty much impossible as he wrote it. It's only a minor point in the novel, and an area I've grown used to White Wolf authors not agreeing upon, but I still found it annoying. There's more, but I think you get the idea.
In the end, I do recommend Dark Ages: Lasombra if you've been following the clan novel series already, or if you are looking for an excellent depiction of political battles among the undead. Those of you who don't fall into those two categories, however, might be well advised to save your money for another title. My scores of 3 in both Style and Substance reflect the fact that the very good portions of the novel balance out the very bad, leaving it an average book in my mind.
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