Fevre Dream? c1982, George R.R. Martin

Fevre Dream is a 1982 vampire novel written by American author George R. R. Martin. It is set on the antebellum Mississippi River, beginning in 1857, and has been described by critics and Martin himself as "Bram Stoker meets Mark Twain".

Abner Marsh, a remarkably unattractive but highly skilled Mississippi River steamboat captain, is grappling with a financial crisis in 1857 when he is contacted by Joshua York, a rich, soft-spoken gentleman.

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Gosh, this vampire story was long and winded the Mississippi it was set upon in 1857. Abner Marsh has a new business companion, a mysterious man named Joshua York. Together they buy a new steam boat, the Fevre Dream. Then we see Sour Billy and his master Damon Julian. They have overtaken a plantation in the South. What crosses the ways of all the characters involved? What do we learn about vampires here? Masterly crafted characters and slow storytelling at its best, for my taste a bit too slow. Martin definitely is able to reflect the time he's set the story in but overall this vampire story was a bit too tedious. For fans of winded tales and much time at hand definitely worth a look though.horror119 s Sean Barrs 1,121 46.5k

Abner March looks strangely George R.R Martin. They are both overweight men. They both have long beards and wear sea captain’s hats. I’m not sure who came first. Perhaps Martin modelled the character off of his own appearance or perhaps he d his creation so much that he was compelled to try the style himself. It’s a little bit weird really, though the book is still quite good even if the protagonist is somewhat laughable in his resemblance of his creator.

This is the French cover:



They just look very similar.



A tub full of blood

George R.R Martin Abner Marsh is a steamboat captain and he, quite naturally, longs for a majestic steamer that will outpace all others. But, he has no money. Conversely, Joshua York is a very, very, rich man who needs a boat to help him conduct his nocturnal lifestyle. He lacks the skills of the trade, so the two pair up. They provide the other with what he lacks though creating a mutually beneficial friendship. Abner gets his boat and Joshua gets his hideout; they both win.

Well, not entirely because Joshua has a dark past. His is a vampire. I think he is characterised superbly in this; he is strong and intense, but at the same time he is open and capable. With his dark powers he could carry out great evil, if he so chose, but he has transcended the limitations of his body and become a morally superior being in the process. He has devised a way to satisfy his thirst without harming anyone. He is a good vampire rather than the demonic blood sucking maniacs that infest this world. And when these said maniacs begin to sniff around Abner’s boat, the two friends have their dreams crushed. So much for a lovely steamboat adventure, the very walls turn red in the action.

A pointless bad guy



Now here comes the book’s massive hindrance. Its antagonist, Damien Julien, is an ancient vampire and his ethos is in direct contrast to Joshua’s. He loves blood and he doesn’t care who he tears open to get it. The man’s practically a god. He’s top of the food chain. He can have what he wants when he wants it. He is a typical vampire; he is dark and brooding, but he is also fundamentally flawed. He has no reason to exist. As he himself admits, he has no reason for anything. He just does it because he can. I think for him to be a more effective and dramatic opponent of Joshua’s, he needed to have a dark motive or a hidden evil that drove him. At the moment he has no reason to do anything.

I found him to be completely disappointing. He had no drive or passion even to do evil. He just does it. The character could have been so much more than he was. I’d rather he was just a basic evil architype than this. It would have been better if he just wanted to rule the world or something. At least that way, he would have a reason to get out of bed at night (see what I did there!) Joshua and Abner were well rounded characters whose actions actually had a reason. They saved the book in my estimation even if the final conflicts were a little bit flat. It should have been a battle of polar opposites.

A good three stars 3-star-reads darkness-horror-gothic fantasy102 s Reading Corner88 112

Fevre Dream uses a blend of historical fiction and mythology to create an exciting vampire story that deviates from the others.The protagonist, Abner Marsh,a renowned steamboat captain is approached by Joshua York who desires Marsh's help in creating the perfect steamboat.Of course Marsh agrees as his goal is to outrace the biggest and best steamboats on the river.However, his goal is stunted as York has plans of his which intertwine with his aims for his people, as he is a vampire.

The plot is riveting as I found myself asking a lot of questions and anticipating what was going to happen next.The setting was fascinating as the story mainly takes place on the steamboat and is where the historical element comes into the play.Parts of the novel were a bit weak where the plans were just incredibly dumb and obviously not going to work.Also, towards the end this got a bit annoying as their mistakes just became repetitive.

Most of the characters are well written,especially Marsh who is humorous and entertaining whereas York is intriguing and mysterious.The villain was a little overdone as he lacked cause for doing things and quickly became predictable.

As a whole the story is gripping and the writing is good.I haven't read many vampire novels but this one is definitely different to what I've watched and read.Fevre Dream is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of horror or paranormal.96 s Brittany383 19

To enjoy this book, there are some things that I honestly believe that you must possess.

1. A love of steamboats, because goddamn does this book go on and on about steamboats. The main character, Abner Marsh, is a steamboat captain with an obsessive love of steamboats, and as is typical of Martin's writing when he gets Really Involved with something, every single tiny facet of the boat is described...sadly leaving the actually interesting parts, mainly those regarding the pasts of his vampire characters, touched upon but lacking. Valerie in particular gets the short end of the stick, as all we learn of her is that she's very beautiful and, surprise surprise, in love with one of the other characters. Huzzah. Despite of course setting the framework for what could be a quite intriguing cast of characters, he leaves a lot of them really lacking and one-dimensional, which is especially a shame if you happen to read A Song of Ice and Fire before this book and are aware of how much better he could have done.

2. Absolutely no inkling of offense at the word "nigger". Everyone in this book, save for the vampires, uses that term to refer to their slaves. Yes, it's the 1870s, so there is a certain realism in it, but it gets trying around the tenth or so time that someone goes on a nonsensical tirade of nigger-this-nigger-that--and of course, all the people of color in this book speak Civil-War Deep South Stereotypical Black People, with the full on 'Yessuh/Nossuh' and so many apostrophes that you almost start to get dizzy from how often your eyes go up and down over the page.

3. Actually, no offense at racism whatsoever. It's used so often as an excuse to brutalize black people that if that kind of thing makes you upset, just...step back. (Blah blah historical realism yes we know, but if you're Really Offended at that kind of mindset...not a good plan to read this book.)

4. Patience. It took me far too long to get through this book. The gaps between the remotely interesting bits that I blazed through were much too long, and even when I finally did reach the Big Climax of the Novel, it left me really underwhelmed; perhaps because at that point I no longer really cared about any of the characters or what happened because it had been so long since any characterization had actually taken place outside of 'here is the enemy' and 'here are the good guys'.

At first, this book sounded an interesting read from an author I honestly enjoy--I picked it up because there aren't that many English-language books to choose from, and I actually rather vampire stories that refrain from romanticising the hell out of the vampire to the point that they're just Average People Who Happen to Have Inconvenient-At-Times Powers...but this was less about characters, and more an underdeveloped Moby Dick scenario with steamboats. So many steamboats. 93 s Mike's Book Reviews165 7,041 Read

This is a unique one because for the first 1/3 of it I was just saying out loud “Yeah, George, I Interview With the Vampire, too.” It really did just feel he was doing his version of Anne Rice. But from the 40% mark through the end I didn’t put the book down again.

Handling his vampires in an unusual way, George doesn’t exactly stick to the Bram Stoker rule book but he doesn’t stray too far. York is ever the intriguing lesser evil and Julian an all-time big bad. Sour Billy is that cockroach of a character you loved to hate and Marsh was the Everyman that did the right thing, consequences be damned.

It’s no surprise to me that GRRM can write, as I’ve been reading Song of Ice & Fire books since I was 20. But going back to this you could see the talent was definitely there and it was just the tip of the iceberg. Also, I now know a lot more about steamboats than I ever thought I would. 90 s BradleyAuthor 4 books4,324

The year is 1982 and while there have been a ton of traditional vampire novels floating about, the big twist in the vampire industry hasn't quite come about yet with Interview... or has it? Enter Fevre Dream, taking this our darkest mirror to our humanity and turning him into something tragic and noble and throwing him into a Mark Twain novel.

What? Mark Twain? Oh yeah, steamboats, 1857, we've got 15 mile an hour races and chases and deeply disturbing looks at what makes men monsters and what makes monsters into men. Hate being a cow or a slave? Hate being a slave to your baser instincts, and have you decided never to simply give into them, un so many others? How heroic. :) Of course, this came out a good deal before our current glut and, at least to me, it marks a sudden and fantastic development in the whole field.

Sure, we might have had some sympathy for the original Dracula, just as we have sympathy for the Devil, but the heroes were much more often outside of the curse. And up till now, Vampires were still just the expression of truly base humanity, not worth much redeeming.

So this human aspect is truly excellent in the tale, but don't let me downplay the real gem here: steamboats. Total immersion in the world. Totally cool. I never guessed that chugging along at 8 miles per hour could be so exciting! But of course, that's all due to a master storyteller. :) GRRM has been around for a long, long time, practicing a very fine craft. We really shouldn't forget that. :)2016-shelf horror87 s Apatt507 814

I almost gave up vampire fiction in the wake of Twilight. Stephenie Meyer wrote the novel to pander to a certain demographic without any familiarity or respect for classic vampire fiction of the past century. Unfortunately, the Twilight saga is very commercially successful and spawned many imitators, lame wishy washy vampire books, and the entire “paranormal romance” subgenre (?_?;). I don't know if good "proper" vampire fiction is still being written these days, but the great ones are still around and are well worth checking out if you are a horror fan. From Bram Stoker’s Dracula to King’s Salem’s Lot, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, Richard Matheson's I Am Legend and several others. This book, Fevre Dream is also one of the greats.

George R.R. Martin is, of course, best known for Game of Thrones (“A Song of Ice and Fire” series) but prior to that runaway success he has written several excellent sci-fi stories and novels. Fevre Dream was published in 1982, I read it at some point in the 80s and it has stayed with me to this day. The story is set in 1857 when steamboats dominated trade on the Mississippi River. Captain Abner Marsh forms a partnership with a mysterious stranger named Joshua York whose offer to build the captain’s dream boat to co-own as a business partner. It transpires that York is a vampire who is also something of a visionary or even messiah among his kind.

His life mission is to redeem the vampire rate and bring about peaceful co-existence with mankind, using a steamboat as his long-distance transportation of choice to facilitate his plans. Not an easy task because humans provide the basic sustenance for vampires, and are generally referred to as “cattle” among them. Worse still there is a master vampire called Damon Julian who lives on a plantation with his human and vampire underlings in New Orleans. Julian is something of a traditionalist and views vampires as the master race and humans as cattle. When the two mega vamps meet a very bloody struggle for supremacy begins.


All this and lots of steamboating!

Fevre Dream is a gripping and thrilling read, especially in the second half of the book where the pages just fly by. The type of vampirism presented here is what I call “sci-fi vampires”, similar to Octavia Butler’s Fledgling and Richard Matheson’s classic I Am Legend. Vampires in this book are simply a different species from humans, it is not possible to convert from one race to the other; garlic, crucifix, holy water etc. have no effect on them. Sunlight is still deadly to them, though.

Besides being a first race horror thriller Fevre Dream also partly a slave narrative, where the slaves are treated cruelly by both humans and vampires. The relations between human and the vampire race are also something of an allegory for slavery and exploitation. The main characters are very well developed, vivid and unforgettable. Interestingly both the good and the evil vampire has a human sidekick to help out with the daytime practical affairs and business. Martin makes an interesting contrast between a friendly partnership and a master and servant relationship built upon deception and false promises.

The prose style is based on the point of view of the human sidekicks from the good and the evil side. As such it is written mostly in simple colloquial style. The unly friendship between Captain March and Joshua York is quite touching and forms the moral bedrock of the entire book. The climax is really quite spectacular and unforgettable.

If you are in the mood for some fast-paced horror and have not been put off vampire fiction by Twilight this book is highly recommended.


_________________

Quotes:
“Cynthia embraced him by the alley, and gave him a lingering wet kiss. He thrashed and struggled but could not break free of her embrace. Her pale hands brushed the back of his neck, and long nails sharp and thin as razors slid across his veins. Her mouth and tongue swallowed his scream.”

“The night is beautiful, and we can hope to find peace and nobility in its dark splendor as well. Too many men fear the dark unreasoningly.”

“Within the hour I was out on the streets. I found an alley, waited. A young woman was the first to pass. Part of me admired her beauty; it burned in me a flame. Another part simply hungered. I almost tore her head off, but at least it was over quickly. Afterward I wept.”

“that roast you so enjoyed was once part of a living animal. Do you suppose that, if that beast could talk, he would consent to being eaten?”favorites horror66 s Overhaul371 1,005

Año 1857.

La cuenca del Misisipi bulle de actividad: los vapores señorean sus aguas en feroz competencia. Cuando Joshua York le ofrece sacar a flote su naviera a cambio de unas pocas condiciones, sencillas aunque misteriosas, el capitán Marsh ve realizado su sueño: ser el patrón del vapor más rápido del río.

Pero los sueños de ambos se verán infiltrados por una pesadilla que anegará de sangre los fondeaderos.

Para su segunda novela en solitario, Martin eligió el Misisipi como escenario histórico de la que ha llegado a consagrarse como una de las novelas de vampiros más celebradas de todos los tiempos.

Pues que queréis que os diga, ni fu ni fa..

Buena parte del libro está plagada de viajes en barcos de vapor, la descripción de ellos. Que está muy bien pero no es a lo que venía.

Y cuando finalmente llega el tema vampiros ni me ha soprendido, ni me ha gustado su historia ni me ha enganchado. Tiene ideas muy buenas no es el clásico vampiro. Pero tampoco me ha llamado lo más mínimo. He leído otros como a Lestat que aún siendo el vampiro clásico aporta frescor.

Aquí la idea de los vampiros está muy bien pero primero considero que el worldbuilding pesa más y segundo, que aún estando bien las ideas de Martin para crear a estos vampiros, ninguno de ellos como personajes me dijo lo más mínimo.

Este libro ha sido un leer por leer, fuera de mi interés por cómo terminase o la historia de los vampiros.. El resto se me queda absolutamente insípido.

Dada incluso la "reputación" que tiene de sangriento.. La verdad es que me ha resultado enormemente decepcionante incluso eso..

Me he aburrido como una ostra en buena parte del libro, muy bien escrito, mucha ambientación Misisipi, barcos, muy instructivo incluso, lo que queráis.

Pero me he aburrido, y llegada las partes que me importaban, nada del otro mundo y ni rozó siquiera lo que me esperaba de esta novela de Martin dada la reputación con la que cuenta y sus reseñas.

Las ideas están bien, el desarrollo no ha pegado conmigo.

Todo lo que me esperaba no me ha ni cautivado ni soprendido. Hay cosas que ni siquiera las vi como esperaba.. Ha sido una gran decepción.

Utiliza ficción histórica y mitología para crear una historia de vampiros que se desvía de las demás. Es lo que más me gustó pero hubo cosas que me fallaron. Varias.

El protagonista, Marsh, un renombrado capitán de un barco de vapor, es contactado por Joshua York, quien desea su ayuda para crear el barco de vapor perfecto.

Por supuesto, Marsh está de acuerdo ya que su objetivo es superar a los mejores y más grandes barcos de vapor en el río.

Sin embargo, su objetivo se ve atrofiado ya que York tiene planes que se entrelazan con sus objetivos para su gente, ya que es un vampiro.

La trama está bien, como he dicho las ideas son muy originales para un libro de vampiros, está muy lograda pero ha sido leerlo y es que no me interesó lo más mínimo.

Me faltó garra, faltó enganche y que las ideas fueran desarrolladas de una manera aún más oscura que honestamente me esperaba dada su reputación. Pero no la vi por ningún lado.

Ha requerido mucha paciencia por mi parte ya para que llegasen las cosas que me interesaban y luego viéndose interrumpidas por otras que ni fu ni fa..

Ha sido una lectura pasable siendo bueno que se queda en un gran sin más que pasará al olvido.

Demasiadas expectativas creo..

No me encontré haciendo muchas preguntas y anticipando lo que sucedería a continuación. No con ello estoy diciendo que sea previsible, para nada. Sino que no me interesaba más allá de las escenas de vampiros y su historia.

Para mi también sobra mucha página de barco y ambientación, que sí, le da el toque adecuado para la historia pero a su vez me pareció que sobraba mucho de ello.

Está escrito en un estilo coloquial simple. La improbable amistad entre el Capitán March y Joshua York forma digamos la base moral de todo el libro.

Pero no he ido leyendo y viviendo con mucho acercamiento, rara vez me pasa esto pero no me llamaron lo más mínimo para al menos como mínimo preocuparme y así preguntarme por el devenir de sus historias. El desenlace está muy bien pero llegado al final.. ni eso lo arregló..

La importancia de los barcos de vapor, los marineros, los sueños, la historia está muy bien todo pero esperaba muchísimo más, sobretodo en el ingrediente principal, los vampiros, y no sé me ha resultado a partes muy decepcionante y a partes que no cumple con su reputación.

Todos sabemos que para gustos colores e incluso los momentos de cada lector son importantes, si os gustan los vampiros y queréis un enfoque muy diferente a lo hoy planteado, algo que sí celebro de este libro, adelante.. y buena suerte.

Me temo que conmigo este libro se dirige a paso decidido e inevitable al olvido.. ??67 s Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*2,553 1,136


“Good and evil are silly lies, nonsense put forth to plague honest sensible men.”

Technology keeps improving but some parts of life and glory will be lost in the process.

Fevre Dream is a beautiful, multi-layered story that stands as a historical drama bordering fantasy and horror. It's more in line with Urban Fantasy because of the vampires that come out of the fog in our current world, the historical setting plays up on the atmosphere of the old steamboats and their glories, and - while not outright horror - there are chills and quietly disturbing scenes delivered in atmospheric misery. A wonderful mixture of genres that refuses to be strictly defined.

I fell in love with the hero of the book, Captain Abner Marsh, a man who lived for his life on the river. I can't say why he was so enamoring; maybe it was his enthusiasm and drive in life to live his dreams. He was suitably flawed, crass, crude, ill-tempered. His appearance was described often as awful and it was clear he'd long ago left aside any illusions of attracting people and living a life as a married man. Instead he married the river and never looked back.

In an end of the year reading survey, one of the questions is to name the favorite characters I discovered in 2015. One of them was Augustus from Lonesome Dove, and one of them was Abner Marsh of Fevre Dream.

The steamboats become characters of their own. I never thought much about them before, but this book brings to mind the joy that must have existed with them once upon a time. They were brought to a sort of life by the men who spent their lives building, dreaming, running, and racing these boats.

George R.R. Martin's writing style charmed me in this haunting tale. The man has a way with words that is as captivating as the magic he reminisces. Slower, sedate pace proves not to be a problem because the words are so gorgeous, the characters rich, the story enchanting.

This isn't the usual vampire tale - no sparkly vampires here, but really no actual vampires as we've known them before anyway. And that is okay, because it wouldn't make sense Martin would give us the typical, overdone fare. Some people only the cruel, demented, soulless creatures that started with Dracula lore and legend, but this is a refreshing and non-romantic, realistic look at another sort. I enjoy three-dimensional creatures over flat paper creations, so Joshua York fits the bill ideally, but just in case we do also get an insane and twisted enemy for him to stand against and beside.

The ending is sad but inevitable, leaving me with me with a depressed but contented feel. Bittersweet nostalgia and gripping wrap-up match the tone of the book. Abner starts as a man who has lost his world when his company dwindled, saw the chance to live again - and live he did, but as we all know good things don't last forever.

You would think a book of this length being spent mainly on a boat would have boring lulls, but that wasn't the case at all. I was as entranced with the book as the men who rode these were by the river. There was a dreamy vibe felt when reading it; I could almost smell and picture those foggy nights and riding under that moon he described. Stunning stuff, the feeling comes back as I recall the story.

Recommended as a different adventure into the mind of a fantasy legend.5-star a-own-book-form cover-love ...more51 s Vincent Ribaya21 3

I believe all authors have a certain piece of work that sadly doesn't get its due credit. For George R.R. Martin, that book would most probably be Fevre Dream.

I personally enjoyed this novel, and though preoccupied with a Transition Camp for medical school, I managed to finish it throughout my 2-night stay at that camp. The book was quite fast-paced, and there are a few parts in the plot which I think could've been longer - but it all worked out quite nicely.

Many would claim Fevre Dream was a feeble attempt made by George R.R. Martin to reinterpret the vampire novel just as the Children of the Forest was his reinterpretation of what would be Elves, or just as the Others was a reinterpretation of what would be frost/ice Sidhe from A Song of Ice and Fire. Though, just the Children of the Forest and the Others, I personally think the master of modern fantasy - George R.R. Martin - did his reinterpretation went quite well.

I find the book highly underrated. Many critics and reviewers gave the book relatively low ratings most probably because they were expecting something similar to A Song of Ice and Fire - but I'd to believe that good writers never tell two different tales in the same way (take C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, for example). The voice of Fevre Dream is definitely not that of a A Song of Ice and Fire. Fevre Dream is told in single-setting accounts rather than in separate point-of-views in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Others may have disd the book because of its theme and/or genre. Vampire lore is something I personally , but I know that the it's been "done to death" by movies and perhaps even "spoiled to the core" by books and reinterpretations Twilight. But that's what makes George R.R. Martin a genius in his work - he takes something that was once enjoyed by readers but has been recently "done to death" and repackages it in a way readers can once again enjoy them. Dragons, knights, and mysterious alien fauna have been mined to depletion by every high fantasy and science fiction book, movie, and game out there, but you see them repackaged nicely in works A Game of Thrones, The Hedge Knight, and Sandkings.

Though genre and voice may seem un-Martin- to those used to the high fantasy setting of Westeros, the tone is, in fact, very, very George R.R. Martin. I see no reason why Fevre Dream should be A Song of Ice and Fire, and within the context of taking it as a book on its own, I see no problem with it being a vampire novel - just don't recall any Twilight Saga events and see it as a reinterpretation of vampires Dracula or Nosferatu. Subtract the factors of it being "unfamiliar" or of it being "vampire", then you got yourself a really, really good book.

The book follows the tale of Abner Marsh, a struggling riverboat captain who has just taken in the mysterious and odd, but wealthy, Joshua York as a new business partner. Though York's offer of a cash and a new boat, the Fevre Dream, was one Captain Marsh just couldn't refuse, it doesn't take long 'til the seasoned captain realizes that the Dream he has just gotten himself into would turn into a quite adventurous yet fantastic nightmare.

George R.R. Martin fan, or not... Vampire fan, or not... Fevre Dream is a delightful read. In terms of genre, it's both quite unique, yet very familiar - probably a must-have in your personal library if you're into collecting modern fantasy novels, novels with historical fiction settings, or novels about paranormal creatures.fiction49 s Dirk Grobbelaar595 1,155


Yet another interesting spin on the Vampire mythos, Fevre Dream is a delightfully atmospheric historical horror-drama. It skirts dangerously close to the boundary between Horror and Urban Fantasy, but it still manages to stir up some legitimate scares. This is George R.R. Martin, after all, and one or two of the more disturbing scenes will ly echo with you for an uncomfortable space of time.

That night he dreamt. In his dreams he was dark and graceful, elegant and predatory. It was always night in his dreams, and he roamed the streets of New Orleans beneath a full, pale moon.

That said, it isn’t a scare-a-minute story this. There’s a lot of build up here. The characters are colourful and well presented, but there isn’t much in the sense of progression. You’ll find yourself more than a little frustrated when the protagonists fail to follow through on obvious solutions and when, a 100 pages or so later, the status quo is exactly the same. In fact, fully half the book consists of what can only be described as an impasse… or stalemate.

Through the dark he stalked them, gliding soundlessly over the brick sidewalks, hearing their frantic footsteps and their panting.

Fortunately, this isn’t an oversight on the author’s part. The frustration Martin generates with his story is integral to the plot, but it does make for some uneasy reading. There are also some parallels drawn between slavery and the Vampire “culture” (for lack of a better word). If this doesn’t make sense, you need to read the book.

The night was his, and all the nights forever, and the red thirst was on him.

The title of the book, which also happens to be the name of a Steam Boat featuring prominently in the story, is rather apt. The story has a feverish quality to it, as if everything is being filtered through your drug of choice. It’s good stuff, but it straddles a precarious line between Horror, History and Fantasy. I’m not sure whether this will appeal to everyone, but I will definitely recommend it.

I read the Fantasy Masterworks edition.

When he woke from the dream, he was hot and fevered, and his sheets were wet.


4 Stars
Read as part of the must-read agreement with my wife
ces-recommends horror must-read-in-2014 ...more47 s Don84 27

Being a massive fan of George RR Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire series, I wanted to check out some of his earlier work, Fevre Dream, the title itself is impressive, and the story involved strange vampires on big steamboats back in the olden days, I had to check this out.

The story is about an unly partnership between an ambitious Steamboat Captain (Abner Marsh) and the rich, charming Joshua York, who offers to fund Marsh's operations, Marsh wants to build the biggest, fastest Steamboat on the river, and with York planning to bankroll Marsh and build the boat, providing he accompanies him on the journey and asks him no questions about his peculiar behaviour, which does eventually attract unwarranted attention.

As the Fevre Dream sets sail, Marsh and York strike up a mutual friendship and respect, though Marsh is understandably concerned at the strange company and strange hours York keeps and how he is never present during the daylight, Marsh makes a disturbing discovery.

More alarming is the presence of York's old nemesis, Damon Julian, an old, ancient being who shuns York's offers and wants to stick to the old ways, aided by his odious right hand man "Sour" Billy Tipton, they seek carnage and destruction, much to York and Abner Marsh's dismay.

This book captures the atmosphere and adventure of the steamboats sailing away into the night, from one port to another, trouble never too far away, particularly with Julian and Billy Tipton appearing on the scene, and the protagonist of the story, Abner Marsh, invokes sympathy, an ambitious and determined man, he has devoted most of his life to the river and his fellow steamboatmen gave his life a purpose, uncomfortable around women, as well as his own appearance (known as the ugliest man on the ship) he has shunned any forms of romance, and the thought of losing his beloved Fevre Dream at the hands of Julian and Tipton, rushes him and York into action.

Well worth a look, a dark, gothic tale of vampires, friendships and steamboats, this is nothing GRRM's later work (A Song Of Ice And Fire in particular) but an interesting read and take on the vampire tale.
3.75 Stars, recommended.42 s Char1,746 1,615

Re-read finished on 1.24.13.
This books cements its spot as one of my all time favorite novels. Vampires on a steamship in the 1850's on the mighty Mississippi River. Not only is it a great premise, but Mr. Martin follows through and delivers one hell of a story to back it up.
Highly recommended!favorites42 s José482 266

Podés encontrar esta y otras reseñas en mi blog.

Catorce años de comenzar a destruir nuestros sueños matando a nuestros personajes favoritos de la saga de Canción de Hielo y Fuego, George R.R Martin publicó esta novela de terror que es bastante diferente a los libros que lo harían famoso tantos años después.

Sueño del Fevre es una excelente novela de vampiros ambientada en Saint Louis durante el auge de la esclavitud en los Estados Unidos.

Es un libro protagonizado por dos personajes muy interesantes. Por un lado tenemos a Abner Marsh, un veterano marinero devenido en empresario, bastante bruto y mal hablado, aunque extremadamente honesto y leal. Al comienzo de la novela, Marsh se encuentra en una situación económica bastante delicada, ya que a su compañía naviera no le va nada bien. Fue gracioso leer a este personaje porque su descripción física se asemeja a la apariencia del propio George R.R Martin (con la diferencia que Marsh es mucho más corpulento), al punto tal que imaginaba al autor protagonizando su propia novela.

Como contrapunto del brusco marinero aparece Joshua York, un misterioso extranjero que le ofrece a Marsh convertirse en su socio y comprar el barco a vapor más grande del río Misisipi: el Sueño del Fevre. De esta forma queda establecida esta inusual sociedad entre dos personajes muy peculiares, solo que el refinado caballero francés tiene otros planes para el barco.

Por otra parte, en una decadente plantación de Nueva Orleans, un vampiro que se hace llamar Damon Julian está cometiendo toda clase de atrocidades con la ayuda de Billy Vinagre, un humano que añora convertirse en una criatura de la noche y para ello cumple la voluntad del vampiro.

Como ya sabemos gracias a la saga Canción de Hielo y Fuego, el fuerte de Martin son los personajes y las interacciones entre ellos.
En «Sueño del Fevre» Martin también hace gala de su gran habilidad para crear personajes interesantes: la relación que se establece entre Marsh y York es excelente desde las primeras páginas de la novela y, lo más importante, son una dupla que no encaja para nada en los tópicos de las novelas de vampiros.
Damon Julian y Billy Vinagre tampoco se quedan atrás, son personajes que el lector llega a odiar con pasión, a pesar de que sus motivaciones son lógicas y hasta cierto punto comprensibles.

Esto último es otro elemento a destacar en esta novela: si bien es una novela con elementos sobrenaturales como los vampiros, Martin trata a estas criaturas de forma lógica y realista.
A pesar de que el autor toma una cantidad de elementos de los vampiros clásicos, les da determinados giros (que obviamente no voy a mencionar acá, sino para qué leer el libro) que le dan su cuota de originalidad a esta novela. Personalmente creo que esto es algo clave en una novela de este tipo, ya que al ser un género del que se ha escrito mucho es muy difícil salirse del molde y crear una historia novedosa. Sin embargo, Martin se las ingenia para presentar una historia que es fresca y original, en gran parte gracias a sus maravillosos personajes.

El escenario también juega un papel fundamental. Al estar ambientada en una época tan brutal como lo fue el auge de la esclavitud en Norteamérica, el autor se aleja de los escenarios góticos clásicos y de los escenarios de las novelas de vampiros contemporáneas, como el escenario urbano y (dios nos libre) vampiros que seducen adolescentes en la secundaria.
Si bien el autor no se explaya en los detalles históricos sobre la época, se puede decir que es un libro con ligeros toques de novela histórica porque menciona algunos eventos clave como la Guerra de Secesión y el fenómeno del Ferrocarril Subterráneo, episodio muy importante en la lucha contra la esclavitud.

Otro aspecto excelente relacionado con el escenario es que los personajes se comportan y hablan como gente de la época. En esta novela encontrarás desde personajes racistas que hablan con la jerga de los marineros, hasta personajes más refinados y elegantes.

Debo hacer una mención aparte para la prosa de George R.R Martin. Fue la primera vez que leí un libro de él en inglés y quedé fascinado con su forma de escribir: el juego de palabras y el uso de la metáfora que hace a lo largo de la novela resulta fenomenal.
Se puede interpretar la palabra Fever como una mala transcripción de la palabra fever que en inglés significa fiebre. A lo largo de todo el libro Martin utiliza metáforas que aluden al "sueño febril" de Abner Marsh de convertirse en el dueño del barco más veloz del río Fevre, pero al mismo tiempo a la "fiebre de sangre" que se apodera de los vampiros cada vez que están sedientos. Por eso recomiendo que, si tienen la oportunidad, lean este libro en su idioma original.

Si tuviera que destacar algo que no me gustó del libro es que por momentos se hace algo lento. El ida y vuelta entre Marsh y York me encantó, pero es verdad que en cierto momento de la novela como que se estancan en la misma discusión y la trama demora en volver a avanzar. Dejando de lado este mínimo inconveniente, estamos frente a una gran novela de vampiros cuyo final me estremeció y me emocionó al mismo tiempo.

Calificación 9/10 (?????)
Salvo por unos mínimos problemas relacionados con el ritmo de la novela, «Sueño del Fevre» es una excelente historia de vampiros protagonizada por una dupla muy simpática. Martin aborda el mito del vampiro desde una perspectiva lógica y a la vez clásica, aunque incluye giros muy interesantes que le dan su cuota de originalidad. La prosa de Martin y el escenario son los otros puntos altos de este gran libro y el final me pareció maravilloso. Tengan en cuenta que hay algunas escenas bastante sangrientas (o sea, es una novela de vampiros, tiene que haber sangre (?) y que pueden ser difícil de digerir debido a su crueldad.

Como dato adicional les comento que el libro también está disponible en formato de novela gráfica. Por lo que pude ver a partir de imágenes en internet los dibujos son bastante buenos, aunque se pierde la riqueza narrativa de George R.R Martin.en-físico-leído horror39 s Navid Honarjoo94 34

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