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Post by franklinmarsh on Oct 19, 2007 20:35:49 GMT
The Black Castle - Les Daniels. Hamlyn, 1983: Scribners 1978. (Hardback, USA) Probably some SPOILERS. Sent my way by that paragon of taste Demonik - who I believe is a fan of Mr Daniels. The Spanish Inquisition circa 1496 have a few PR probs. Their Euro neighbours think of them as brutal murderers (while they themselves cheerfully torch witches willy-nilly). Grand Inquisitor Diego De Villanueva has a cunning plan. He's been transferred back to the place of his birth and is pretty sure that, if he can turn up a few witches, the Inquisition will get its ration of torture and killings (at present effigies and exhumed corpses are being used to increase numbers - your plain ordinary heretic being auto-de-fe'd out of existence) and other European nations will see Spain as just ordinary folks. Diego's other career move is to churn out a best-seller in the tradition of Malleus Maleficarum - but he's a bit lacking in supernatural nous. Fortunately his brother Sebastian, killed during the Moor wars, is on hand to assist. Owing to some Moorish sorcery Sebastian is - a vampire. He is penning Diego's tome (but including a few twists of his own) and occasionally slipping down to the Inquisition cells to put the wind up (or drain) recalcitrant heretics - it not only helps out his living bro - but is also his only non-dangerous (?) source of blood. Things get complicated - Sebastian knows that when he finishes the book, Diego will almost certainly have him staked - Diego turns up a witch that Sebastian is far more interested in - and some mysterious character has turned up laying claim to Sebastians ruined castle. Can't quite understand Dem's fondness for this (although he was - and possibly still is - big on vampires). It's a fine read - lots of history, action, and, as the end draws near, some wonderful imagery - such as a Diego dream where he floats down a river of blood in a coffin and three adventurers riding towards the castle in an artificially created rainstorm for a showdown with Sebastian. First in a series (of five?) vampire novels - all set during a different historical period. I'll certainly look out for the others! |
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Post by dem on Oct 27, 2007 9:08:23 GMT
Added a cover to brighten your post up, FM.
Really glad you reviewed this as I tend to get slightly effusive over the Don Sebastian series and it's good to have a more sober take on them.
The Black Castle is widely regarded as the best of the five books and I'd go along with that, but of the rest you should at least snap up Citizen Vampire (French Revolution) and Yellow Fog (Victorian England) if you see them around. Etienne Aubin's masterpiece The Terror Of The Seven Crypts is all very well, but there are scenes in Citizen Vampire so revolting and scary that Don Sebastian comes over as the only sane person in the novel - with the possible exception of de Sade with whom he strikes up something akin to "friendship").
Other than the terrifying antics of the Inquisition, Diego's nightmare and Tommy de Torquemada's cameo, what swung it for me was Daniels' gleefully bucking the trend of the "sympathetic" vampire, some poor, doomed soul who is really a very nice, sensitive person and would much prefer not to have to do all that nasty blood drinking lark (see Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's despicably nice Count St. Germain): Don Sebastian hates being a vampire, but he brought it upon himself with his Black Magic dabbling, and now seeks annihilation. As the novels progress, he becomes increasingly appalled at the behaviour of the human race (which he never had much time for to begin with) and his own actions grow increasingly unpredictable. He is more than capable of random cruelties but, once in a while, conscience gets the better of him, and he's dragged into the affairs of mortals despite himself.
Daniels was working on a sixth book, White Demon, which was to have been set in the trenches of WW1 but, sadly, indifference from his publisher coincided with his finally making it mega with his books on comix and graphic novels, and he's at pains to tell everyone that Don Sebastian will no longer be returning from the grave.
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Post by andydecker on Feb 10, 2018 20:38:09 GMT
Added a cover to brighten your post up, FM.. Daniels was working on a sixth book, White Demon, which was to have been set in the trenches of WW1 but, sadly, indifference from his publisher coincided with his finally making it mega with his books on comix and graphic novels. What would I give to read this
Daniel's series is seriously up for a re-read.
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Post by dem on Feb 11, 2018 20:56:55 GMT
Added a cover to brighten your post up, FM.. Daniels was working on a sixth book, White Demon, which was to have been set in the trenches of WW1 but, sadly, indifference from his publisher coincided with his finally making it mega with his books on comix and graphic novels. What would I give to read this
Daniel's series is seriously up for a re-read.
Can no longer recall when or where I read White Demon was to be "set in the trenches of WW1" but it seems likely my addled memory tricked me yet again. According to the man himself - Kyla Ward: An Interview With Les Daniels ( Tabula Rasa #7, 1995) - the proposed setting was Tibet just a couple of years after No Blood Spilled, i.e., shortly after the Indian mutiny. Leslie Daniels – The Black Castle (Sphere, 1980)  Alun HoodBlurb: DAMNED FOR ETERNITY!
In the shadow of the black castle the witches have met. And by sunrise their pagan rites and identities are known to the Grand Inquisitor. Soon a beautiful woman will be consigned to the flames of Hell.
For Don Diego, and his brother, all has gone according to plan. Don Diego has proved his faith to God. Sebastian has served his own dark master. The living and the undead have joined forces to spin a web of perfect evil.
Then, as the beautiful sinner’s life hangs in the balance, Sebastian conceives an unearthly passion for her body ‑ and her soul. Brother must fight brother in a terrifying struggle for control of the demonic powers housed within THE BLACK CASTLE.(Scribner, 1978). |
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Post by alienatedd on Sept 5, 2021 20:37:12 GMT
The Black Castle - Les Daniels. Hamlyn, 1983: Scribners 1978. (Hardback, USA) You will have a version in electronic form. Scanned? |
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Post by Middoth on Sept 6, 2021 10:52:23 GMT
I most curious about "The Silver Skull". Vampire and aztecs - what a cocktail it is !
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Post by dem on Sept 6, 2021 12:45:24 GMT
I most curious about "The Silver Skull". Vampire and aztecs - what a cocktail it is ! Can't remember much about it; not sure if it was my unfamiliarity with the Aztecs, but it was my least favourite of the five Don Sebastian's; The Silver Skull. |
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Sept 6, 2021 15:24:26 GMT
I most curious about "The Silver Skull". Vampire and aztecs - what a cocktail it is ! Can't remember much about it; not sure if it was my unfamiliarity with the Aztecs, but it was my least favourite of the five Don Sebastian's; The Silver Skull. I thought this might have something to do with the crystal skulls. But apparently it doesn't. They are fun objects, but all seem to be fakes from what I have read. |
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Sept 6, 2021 15:29:01 GMT
The Black Castle - Les Daniels. Hamlyn, 1983: Scribners 1978. (Hardback, USA) You will have a version in electronic form. Scanned? Yellow Fog by Les Daniels is available on internet archive. Vampire fiction. |
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Post by dem on Sept 6, 2021 15:41:59 GMT
Yellow Fog by Les Daniels is available on internet archive. Vampire fiction. is great fun. Don Sebastian does Victorian England. |
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Post by alienatedd on Sept 6, 2021 20:13:57 GMT
Yellow Fog by Les Daniels is available on internet archive. Vampire fiction. is great fun. Don Sebastian does Victorian England. Yellow Fog has already read it. This wonderful book is available in Russian. By the way, I'm from Russia  I would like to have scanned books so that I can translate them into Russian and popularize Lee Daniels in Russia. Maybe someone has scans of books? The Black Castle (1978) The Silver Skull (1979) Citizen Vampire (1981) |
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Sept 6, 2021 20:16:10 GMT
Yellow Fog is great fun. Don Sebastian does Victorian England. Yellow Fog has already read it. This wonderful book is available in Russian. By the way, I'm from Russia I would like to have scanned books so that I can translate them into Russian and popularize Lee Daniels in Russia. Maybe someone has scans of books? The Black Castle (1978) The Silver Skull (1979) Citizen Vampire (1981) I will do it in exchange for drugs. |
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Post by alienatedd on Sept 6, 2021 20:24:49 GMT
I will do it in exchange for drugs. Sorry, Russia is not Afghanistan, they don't trade like this here)) This is not legalized in our country. |
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Sept 6, 2021 20:35:57 GMT
I will do it in exchange for drugs. Sorry, Russia is not Afghanistan, they don't trade like this here)) This is not legalized in our country. Ok, nuclear weapons then. |
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Post by alienatedd on Sept 6, 2021 20:38:23 GMT
Ok, nuclear weapons then. I can only either vodka or a bear or a balalaika |
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I would like to have scanned books so that I can translate them into Russian and popularize Lee Daniels in Russia.