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Fevre Dream

By George R.R. Martin

(41)

| Paperback | 9781857983319

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Book Description

When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something’s amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.
Marsh meant to turn down York’s offer. It was too full of secrets that spelled danger. But the promise of both gold and a grand new boat that could make history crushed his resolve—coupled with the terrible force of York’s mesmerizing gaze. Not until the maiden voyage of his new sidewheeler Fevre Dream would Marsh realize he had joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare...and mankind’s most impossible dream.
Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire’s quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman’s dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river.
◆兩個異族夥伴的情誼，一段順河流浪的冒險。狂野的蒸氣輪船之旅，最精彩的吸血鬼小說。
◆一次【世界奇幻文學獎】、兩次【星雲獎】、四次【雨果獎】、十一次【軌跡獎】得主。奇幻文學大師喬治．馬汀（George R. R. Martin），代表傑作！
◆蒸汽船時代的背景描述媲美馬克吐溫，重塑18世紀50年代的密西西比河風光，媲美一流的歷史小說。
◆《華盛頓郵報》、《洛杉磯前鋒論壇報》、《波士頓新聞文摘》、《世界先鋒報》、《科幻小說評論》、《科幻小說編年史》等各大媒體一致熱烈推薦！

白日與黑夜，相隔著一條鮮血之河......
夜晚總是血腥與恐怖，而白晝又如此無情

　　十九世紀，密西西比河上，梭巡著所有行船人夢想中的蒸汽輪船，夜霧中的她仿如幻象。

　　量身打造的烈夢號，極致的奢華與船速將可賽過所有船隻，是馬許船長的驕傲。但俊美蒼白的約克，真的只為一圓作在密西西比河上徜遊的船長夢就砸下重金？又為何他只在入夜後才登上船板，眺望那在絲絨般河水上下搖曳的點點星空……

　　約克種種神祕的行為讓馬許感到懷疑，終於得到那血腥答案的同時，危機也襲上了烈夢號。血之領主與船隻所有權的爭奪，考驗這段跨越種族的友情。

　　《熾熱之夢》有如密西西比河上的月光，敘事優美又懸疑、細膩且動人，是一部讓人讀興盎然的小說。氣氛扣人心弦、鮮明活躍的角色、流暢痛快的節奏，融合了動人的情誼、黑暗的冒險與真實的歷史，再加上精彩萬分的劇情，這本書超越所有的吸血鬼小說。

　　《熾熱之夢》的冒險既新奇又令人想細細品味。

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.

Is this helpful?

Lucky July said on Apr 27, 2011 | 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 | Add your feedback