Emma Newman’s historical fantasy novel The Vengeance is subtitled The Vampires of Dumas. In this respect it overpromises and underdelivers. While it is apparently the first book of a series of vampire novels set in revolutionary France, and does set up some potentially interesting threads, it feels complete in and of itself and fails to invite a repeat visit.
The Vengeance of the title is a pirate ship. Captain of this ship is the dread pirate Anna Marie assisted by her crew and feisty and fierce daughter Morgane. Anna Marie has a vendetta against a particular trading company but while attacking one of their ships she is mortally wounded. On her death bed Anna Marie reveals to Morgane that she is not her mother but her aunt. Morgane then discovers that her mother is still alive, is living in France and has been searching for her. Morgane heads to France to find her mother. But when she arrives finds that things are more dangerous and complex than she imagined. Luckily she has some skill to handle herself.
The Vengeance is very much a picaresque tale in the style of Dumas. It has secret parentages, revelatory birthmarks, stolen children, revenge quests, sword fights and masquarades. It also is a little bit modern, with a sapphic romance at its centre. But it is also laboured. Morgane is incredibly naïve and, no matter how many times she is warned, bumbles into dangerous situation after dangerous situation. That said, there is some fun to be had in her narrow escapes.
But the biggest disappointment of The Vengeance is that Newman leaves all of the major reveals, including (finally) the appearance of vampires, to about the last fifty or so pages. Overall, while a fairly fun read, the structure and pacing of this book is off. The book may be the first of a series but feels like a standalone and does not do enough to ensure that too many readers will to come back to this world.
The Vengeance by Emma Newman
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