James Lyon (1)

On the whole, this is the best account I've yet read about the Austrian invasion of Serbia in the early days of World War I, and how the Serbs won a hard-fought victory. Very much coming from a Serbian perspective, Lyon doesn't engage in running down the Austrians anymore than necessary (though it was really their campaign to win), or overlooks the Serbian issues of disjointed internal politics and military exhaustion after the Balkan Wars. However, there is no denying that the Serbian military leadership played a weak hand with flair, and there is no denying that the Austrians squandered their many advantages due to bad strategy, bad operations, and a failure to play up their best virtues. Highly recommended.… (more)

I have been waiting to read this book for a long time.There was no disappointment. My family hails from that region of Europe where this story takes places. There is some kind of haunting ancestral memory here. Something genetic. I feel a strong desire to go off on an actual trip and visit the cities and places in this story. They are real. And thats the strength of this book. The history, the places. You cannot deny them. I am not sure if one can deny the existence of vampyres. I am now convinced that Nicolae Ceaușescu (of Romania) was a vampyre. Its all there. If you choose to jump into this story, I am positive you will find them as well. The vampyres.

If vampyres aren't your thing, don't let the subject matter dissuade you. It has a great espionage feel to it. Maybe you will find the secret police.

And if none of that grabs you, read it for the great history lesson. I would love to sit in Mr.Lyons classroom. We all need a good teacher.

I also have heard a rumor of a second book. That folks would be a beautiful thing.… (more)

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2149146.html

unites a vivid impression of living in Belgrade as an American expat during the opening months of the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s with some well developed vampire mythology, drawn from the lore of the region rather than from the twentieth century's elaborations of Bram Stoker. The plot has sinister forces within the Serbian regime attempting to exploit an occult investment laid down centuries before by the Austro-Hungarian empire, with the central character a young American researcher trying to make sense of it all (and also to work through his feelings for two different Serbian girls). It's all very smartly done, and entertaining, and clearly leaves enough unresolved threads for a sequel or two.… (more)