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Fevre Dream

By George R.R. Martin

(41)

| Hardcover | 9780575032552

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Book Description

Abner Marsh has had his wish come true – he has built the Fevre Dream, the finest steamship to sail the Mississippi. Abner hopes to race the boat some day, but his partner is making it hard for him to realise his dreams. Joshua York put up the money for the Fevre Dream, but now rumours have stContinue

3 Reviews

*** This comment contains spoilers! ***

Fevre Dream: brief personal opinion

Like most people, I'm glad to have few authors that I know (or at least, I like to think I know) whatever I read by them I'll enjoy it, and Martin is one of those authors.
After reading A song of Ice and Fire and Dying of the Light (both in spanish), I was looking forward to ge ... (continue)

Like most people, I'm glad to have few authors that I know (or at least, I like to think I know) whatever I read by them I'll enjoy it, and Martin is one of those authors.
After reading A song of Ice and Fire and Dying of the Light (both in spanish), I was looking forward to get Fevre Dream translated in a way which wouldn't scare people, but as it seemed to take an eternity, finally I tired and decided to get it in English. And thanks Gods I got it that way! For the steamboat old English slang&dialect is almost priceless.
For now, I'm not gonna explain the plot of it (for that's something anyone can easily get in a hundred websites) but the impression it caused to me.
The book itself chases the spirit of steamboating's kingdom, and despite the fact that one could not be used to river-life argot, that doesn't suppose any obstacles for a good development. From my point of view, that's one of the strengths of this novel: Martin creates such an atmosphere that people who, like me, dislike everything that has to do with aeronautic machinery and sea life ends the book loving ithem. I ended up just fascinated by the magnificence of Mississipi back at 1870's and its charming decadence which Martin recreates in such a splendid way.
The characters are also valuable things: from Abner Marsh, who everybody ends falling in love with despite any bad thing Martin says of him, to Joshua York, an odd vampire, one of a kind.
Moreover, Marsh is a godforsaken man who has had the misfortune to have all his business broken, but still chases his big dream: to own a steamboat such big and fast that can beat Eclipse boat (Mississipi's pearl great part of the book), and throughout all the misfortune that's still awaiting for him in the novel, he never loose the will to have Fevre Dream on his own and accomplish his dream. His strength and mankind which is revealed along the book makes Abner Marsh one of the most likeable characters, leaving a strong impression on the reader.
York needs his own explanation: he seemed to me a very ambiguous character from the start, maybe it's just me but almost first half book I was doubting whether he was the vampire that reviews told us we would find in Fevre Dream or not. He has a purpouse, a dream, as Marsh has his own, and he will do whatever is on his hands to accomplish that. Against York, I can only say that due to what literature has always tought about vampires, York sometimes seems too naïve, too good to be a vampire, and makes you wanna slap him and tell him to react. But he's also a likeable character, although I wouldn't have disliked a little bit more explanation of his childhood or youth, and that's for sure because I enjoyed a lot the reading.
The other characters are special themselves too, and except the very secundary ones, each and every single one has something which leaves a mark on you, chiefly Demon Julian, who embodies the darkest side of vampires, the beast itself, who even has escaped the thirst. I would have liked (as it happens with with York) a little bit more explanation about his early years, that story about being the best friend of a rich man's son and how he made this last one fall in love with him. Had it been longer, it would have told a lot about Julian nature.
And the last one, the silent main character of this novel, the Fevre Dream itself. When I first heard about Fevre Dream I thought Fevre was the name of the vampire and the story was about a dream of his, and I was a little bit upset when I found out that Fevre wasn't nothing more than a river which died into Mississipi, and Fevre Dream was the name of the steamboat. But then, after reading the novel, I understood that Fevre Dream was a character itself all along, the main character that rests silent along the story but also what triggers it all. She (as Marsh categorizes the boat) awakes different emotions on them all: for Joshua York is a mere instrument to reach his dream, while for Abner Marsh is the dream itself, and it ends abandoned and world-wide forgotten in wetlands due to Damon Julian hand, who merely doesn't care about her.
But the truth is that everyone appearing in the novel has some characteristic treat that makes you remember him for days, as the book itself makes you think of it before going to sleep and makes you wanna read more about steamboats and Mississipis and vampires, but that new kind of vampires Martin has brought us, not that teenage stuff. And the last lines of the novel are simply golden, the epilogue, one of the best I've ever read.
As summary, I really recomend Fevre Dream to everyone who wants to read an original and well-written story about Mississipi 1857's life and all it carries with it, about a new point of view of vampires, about friendship beyond differences and, basically, about the dream of achieving the own dreams.

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Lucky July said on Apr 27, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

One of the best Vampire novels you will ever read

Few book's about Vampires come along that have the the courage to redo the worn out feel of these night creatures. Fevre Dream is one such book, that places them in very different atmosphere from the norm with some very rich and deep characters. It reminds me of a harder version of "The Strange Ad ... (continue)

Few book's about Vampires come along that have the the courage to redo the worn out feel of these night creatures. Fevre Dream is one such book, that places them in very different atmosphere from the norm with some very rich and deep characters. It reminds me of a harder version of "The Strange Adventures of Jesse Hunter", another novel that dares to change the myth in a new and original way.

Is this helpful?

Bradley S. Hartman said on Mar 28, 2011 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

*** This comment contains spoilers! ***

Fevre Dream: brief personal opinion

Like most people, I'm glad to have few authors that I know (or at least, I like to think I know) that whatever I read from them I'll enjoy, and Martin is one of those.
After reading A song of Ice and Fire and Dying of the Light (both in spanish), I was looking forward for getting Fevre Dream transla ... (continue)

Like most people, I'm glad to have few authors that I know (or at least, I like to think I know) that whatever I read from them I'll enjoy, and Martin is one of those.
After reading A song of Ice and Fire and Dying of the Light (both in spanish), I was looking forward for getting Fevre Dream translated in a way that didn't scare people, but as it seemed to take an eternity, finally I tired and decided to get it in english. And thanks Gods I got it that way! Because the steamboat old english slang&dialect is almost priceless.
For now, I'm not gonna explain the plot of it (because that's something everyone can get in hundred websites) but the impression it caused to me.
The book itself chases the spirit of steamboating's kingdom, and though one could not be used to river-life argot, that doesn't suppose any obstacle for a good development. In my opinion, here is one of the strengths of this novel: Martin creates such an atmosphere that people like me, who dislike all that's about aeronautic machinery and life, ends the book loving it. I ended just fascinated by the magnificence of Mississipi 1870's years, its charming decadence that Martin recreates in such a splendid way.
The characters are also valuable things: from Abner Marsh, that one ends loving trough any bad thing Martin can say of him, to Joshua York, an odd vampire, one of a kind.
More extended, Marsh is a godforsaken man who has had the misfortune to have all his business break, but still chase his big dream: own a steamboat as big and fast that can beat Eclipse boat (the Mississipi pearl great part of the book), and through all the misfortune that's still waiting for him in the novel, he never loose the will to have Fevre Dream for his own only, and accomplish his dream. His strength and mankind that reveals along the book makes Abner Marsh one of the most likeable characters, leaving a strong impression on the reader.
York needs his own explanation: he seemed to me a very ambiguous character from the start, maybe it's just me but almost first half book I was doubting whether he was the vampire that reviews told us we will find in Fevre Dream or not. He has a purpouse, a dream, as Marsh has, and as this one, he will do whatever is in his hands to accomplish that. The only thing I find against York is that due to what literature has brought us always about vampires, York sometimes seems too naïve, too goo to be a vampire, and makes you wanna slap him and tell him to react. But he's also a likeable character, though I wouldn't have disliked a little bit more explanation of his childhood or youth, sure due to the fact that I enjoyed a lot the reading.
The other characters are special themselves too, and except the very secundary ones, each single one has something that leaves a mark on you, notabily Demon Julian, who embodies the darkest side of vampires, the beast itself, who even has escaped the thirst. I would have liked, as with York, a little bit more explanation about early years, the story about being the best friend of a rich man's son and make this last one fall in love with him could have been longer, it told a lot about Julian nature.
And the last one, the silent main character of this novel, the Fevre Dream itself. When I first heard about Fevre Dream I thought Fevre was the name of the vampire and the story was about a dream of his, and I was a little bit upset when I found out that Fevre wasn't more than a river which went to die to Mississipi, and Fevre Dream was the name of the steamboat. But then, after reading the novel, I understood that Fevre Dream was a character itself all along, the main character that rest silent along the story but also what triggers it all. She (as Marsh categorizes the boat) awakes different emotions on them all: for Joshua York is a mere instrument to reach his dream, while for Abner Marsh is the dream itself, and it ends abandoned and world-wide forgotten in a wetlands due to Damon Julian hand, who merely doesn't care about her.
But the truth is that everyone appearing in the novel has some characteristic treat that makes you remember him for days, as the book itself makes you think of it before going to sleep and makes you wanna read more about steamboats and Mississipis and vampires, but that new kind of vampires Martin has brought us, not that teenage stuff. And the last lines of the novel are simply golden, the epilogue, one of the best I've ever read.
As summary, I really recomend Fevre Dream to everyone who wants to read an original and well-written story about a the mississipi 1857 life and all it carries within, about a new focused point of view of vampires, about friendship beyond differences and, basically, about the dream of achieving the own dreams.

Is this helpful?

Lai said on Jun 27, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback