Nature of the Beast (Anthology)

Nature of the Beast is an anthology with historical vampire stories by Hannah Howell, Adrienne Basso and Eve Silver. They take place in Scotland, Wales and London and all are about 100 pages long.

Howell's story, "Dark Hero," which takes place in 1512, was fascinating. It featured a hero and heroine who both have their secrets, and their mysterious nature is slowly and masterfully revealed. There is action, emotion and interesting secondary characters, all very well done especially considering the short length of the story. Sometimes novellas feel rushed or like they are missing something, but this feels just right. I'd rate this story 8 out of 10.

Basso's story, "Bride of the Beast," is the weakest of the three, but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable. It takes place in Wales in 1220. The heroine is amazingly brave and the hero appropriately tortured, but the characters didn't entirely come alive for me. There is a lot of action and the pace of the story moves right along, but the prose seems stilted at times. I'd rate this story 6.5 out of 10.

Eve Silver's story, "Kiss of the Vampire," takes place in 1839 London, much of it in a hospital for the poor. Silver creates such a dark and dreary atmosphere you can almost hear the moans of the patients in the wards and smell the blood. The story has a somewhat spooky feeling--you know something is going to happen, and you're sure it won't be good! The vampire hero is wonderfully mysterious and honorable and so lonely you will want to comfort him. The heroine is brave and smart and easy to sympathize with. An excellent story and one that will leave you wanting to read more of Silver's work. I'd rate it 8 out of 10.