Although I’m a fan of Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker novels and Swords novels, I had somehow missed the fact that some of his novels dabble in the Drakulya mythos. Indeed, A Question of Time seems to have been the seventh in a series of novels where the vampire known as Dracula appears. Still, readers expecting Bram Stoker’s Dracula will be disappointed. Saberhagen’s version of the classic vampire touches base with the legendary Dracula in that Mina makes a cameo appearance at the erstwhile home of Charles Darwin, no less. And though Saberhagen’s Drakulya plays an important role in the solution of the major problem in the novel, he is not the protagonist nor the antagonist of the novel.

A Question of Time is built around parallel disappearances. One disappearance from a Civilian Conservation Corp camp in 1935 doesn’t make a ripple. Another disappearance gets considerably more attention because it concerns a wealthy young woman who has disappeared. Wrapped around these two disappearances is an impossibly old and brutal character who enslaves both the living and the dead in trying to control life. In the same way, he has discovered a pocket in time that allows him to enslave and exploit his slaves and experiments. All of this takes place in the beautiful setting of the Grand Canyon.

Unfortunately, for my enjoyment of the novel, I can’t figure out who the protagonist is supposed to be. The mysterious old and brutal character is the antagonist, not the protagonist. Jake Rezner, who disappears from the CCC camp, starts out a protagonist but ends up as a supporting player. Bill Burdon and Maria Torres can’t be co-protagonists because they simply don’t do enough in the novel. Joseph Keogh seems to be in charge of the investigation (as he apparently has been in several novels), has a lot of the right ideas, and even gets injured in the course of his efforts, but he isn’t the proactive protagonist I would expect.

Perhaps, my take on this novel is harsh because it is part of a series and I haven’t read the others. Maybe some of these characters have more depth if you’ve seen them develop in the series. Yet, I found these characters very two-dimensional. Despite a number of entertaining twists and revelations and despite a clever premise, A Question of Time was a question of spending too much time to read it. It was okay, but it’s not a series I will seek out in the future.
fantasy1 JimAuthor 7 books2,057

It was OK, not as good as some of the others in the series. We've jumped forward in time from the mid-1970's to 1991. Saberhagen came up with a nifty gimmick for this one. I felt a little too much was left as a mystery, though - maybe not described or wrapped up in detail well enough. There were several situations that were resolved, but they were mentioned as done deals without really describing them after we'd spent a lot of time working through them. Disappointing. Still, it was a good read.1paper 2fiction 3series ...more1 Vakaris the Nosferatu880 18

all in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu

About the Book: A missing child becomes a lead Dracula has no intent on losing again, for it seems it leads to someone he once knew. Possibly a friend back in the day, now an adversary this old vampire must stop for the greater good of all. For somewhere there, in the depths of Great Canyon, among the twisting paths, caves and tunnels, and rifts in the earth as old as time itself, there lies something his kind was never supposed to touch…

My Opinion: The idea is there, and it’s good. Rifts in the stone, layers of time, and this here vampire seems to have learned to manipulate it by tapping into what he calls Planet’s Life, essence the one that keeps us alive, but not, per se, as literal as blood is. But the writing is dully complex, with attempted twisting that leads no where, as it either isn’t fleshed out, or just falls flat without reaching the full potential. A tale of various characters walking various paths, and pointing at things that could, possibly, indicate what time period they are in right now. Said characters so dull and lacking of personality, that I couldn’t provide names if I wanted to. Kieran McAndrew2,195 13

A fissure in the Grand Canyon causes Drakulya to face an old foe who has apparently kidnapped an innocent child.

Saberhagen's saga meanders through some interesting ideas and while these are good, they do not necessarily serve the plot well. Also, the problem here is that Drakulya seems to take more of a back seat to the main villain.1 Velvetea478 17

To quote a line from the book’s final pages:
“Acceptable if not entirely satisfactory.” Steve162

This novel read very quickly up until the ending which got somewhat confusing. Possibly, because this was the seventh book in the series, it may be helped by reading earlier books in the series.i-own Richard112 1 follower

Saberhagen has gotten his mojo back with this book. The last one had an ending that felt rushed but this one came together nicely. A fine addition to the series. Dharia Scarab3,253 7

Yet another switch in writing styles, this one more Dominion. And as has happened in this series from book three on, the story drags on and on and then suddenly, as if the author has grown bored, there is a rush to the ending with little to no explanation. The reader is left with gaping plot holes and though the book is over, no true feeling of resolution.

I have one more book left in my possession to read, a return to Sherlock Holmes and Watson, and I hope it will be a better endeavor than 3 through 7.


Since I don't normally write unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-revie Bert EdensAuthor 4 books29 Want to read

Read several books in this series when my older son (who was born in 1993) was in NICU immediately after birth. I read the books out loud to him, and it was fun hearing the nurses tell each other at shift change what had happened in the story :)

Anyway, I've read all the books in the series and want to go back and re-read them.vampire-fiction Joene224 5

Another in the Dracula series, quite interesting and includes more about the vampires and their interactions with people.paranormal Jay Bolling42

What kind of ending was that??? Jeesh! Dale Rosso668

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