As always there will be spoilers, so if you don't want any please don't read the review.
I recently read the kindle version of Artful by Peter David. I've always liked his books, especially his Star Trek novels, so I knew this would be well written and entertaining. The book is written in the style of the original Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and the reader should have read that novel before reading this one. There are many references back to the original Dickens novel and it would be a shame to miss them. The main difference between Dickens novel and David's humorous continuation is the addition of vampires.
The basic premise is the story of the Artful Dodger after the end of Oliver Twist. Now, at the end of Oliver Twist it is implied that the Dodger is sent off to Australia, which was a prison colony at the time. In Artful, he avoids that fate and stays in England. The reader also discovers that Fagin, who was hung in the original novel, survives his fate also. This is due to the fact that he is a vampire. Dodger meets up with several interesting characters including; the future queen of England, Van Helsing, Mr. Fang (a magistrate and vampire), and several lesser-known but important government officials.
Mr. Fang and his vampires have a plan to rule England by turning the royal family into vampires. As the young princess has sneaked out to explore the city around her, the vampires close in to grab her and change her into one of them. All that stands between the vampires' plans of ruling England is the Artful Dodger.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The writing was smart and entertaining. The characters were well-developed and likable. The plot was smart and tense enough to keep you turning pages the whole way through. If you liked books like Pride and Prejudice and zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter this is similar to that kind of blending of old literature and humor. I would recommend it.
I recently read the kindle version of Artful by Peter David. I've always liked his books, especially his Star Trek novels, so I knew this would be well written and entertaining. The book is written in the style of the original Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and the reader should have read that novel before reading this one. There are many references back to the original Dickens novel and it would be a shame to miss them. The main difference between Dickens novel and David's humorous continuation is the addition of vampires.
The basic premise is the story of the Artful Dodger after the end of Oliver Twist. Now, at the end of Oliver Twist it is implied that the Dodger is sent off to Australia, which was a prison colony at the time. In Artful, he avoids that fate and stays in England. The reader also discovers that Fagin, who was hung in the original novel, survives his fate also. This is due to the fact that he is a vampire. Dodger meets up with several interesting characters including; the future queen of England, Van Helsing, Mr. Fang (a magistrate and vampire), and several lesser-known but important government officials.
Mr. Fang and his vampires have a plan to rule England by turning the royal family into vampires. As the young princess has sneaked out to explore the city around her, the vampires close in to grab her and change her into one of them. All that stands between the vampires' plans of ruling England is the Artful Dodger.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The writing was smart and entertaining. The characters were well-developed and likable. The plot was smart and tense enough to keep you turning pages the whole way through. If you liked books like Pride and Prejudice and zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter this is similar to that kind of blending of old literature and humor. I would recommend it.
