Judge Dee Relocates | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

SEVEN VAMPIRES: A JUDGE DEE MYSTERY by Lavie Tidhar begins with the Dee and Jonathan fleeing a fire in Paris, while churchmen hunt down vampires. The Judge has an escape plan in place, but his human companion is not crazy about traveling to England with a group of vampires.

Before they even begin their journey to a waiting ship, one of the vampires is already dead. More die along the way. The Judge is not working in his official capacity, but is determined to discover the motive.

Not nearly as dark as the first two, but more serious than the third, this short serves more as a transition story, providing a new setting for the next installment. While offering a few more details about the vampire world, I'm hoping for more backstory about Dee.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Bad Service | Short Story Review

SELFIES by Lavie Tidhar is very disappointing after reading the Judge Dee series. Trying to navigate the storyline felt like sorting through puzzle pieces. I didn't feel anything while reading this...no suspense, no terror. The concept is already a bit overdone in the sub-genre.

I recommend Tidhar's DRAGONKIN instead.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Sang Noir | Short Story Review | AstraDaemon

JUDGE DEE AND THE POISONER OF MONTMARTRE by Lavie Tidhar is a bit different from the previous Judge Dee stories. The other two are more sinister and intense, while this one features the lighter side of vampires, with more human moments among the undead, including flashes of dark humor.

I feel sorry for Jonathan though. The poor guy is usually the one providing the POV, but he seems so hopelessly detached from every aspect of life at this point. In the previous stories, he at least seemed to have moments happiness when eating. I don't know if the Judge is apathetic or clueless...in any case, he needs to pay more attention to the mental health of his traveling companion.

If you enjoy mystery and suspense in a supernatural setting, I recommend you read this mini-series of vampiric investigations.

As always,

AstraDaemon

The True Self | AstraDaemon

DRAGONKIN by Lavie Tidhar is a fantastic story which reminds me why I have loved folklore, mythology and fairytales all my life. This short is certain to speak to the souls of fantasy readers, but I am recommending this one to all fiction fans.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Fighting Over Inheritance | AstraDaemon

JUDGE DEE AND THE THREE DEATHS OF COUNT WERDENFELS by Lavie Tidhar is another short story centered on the vampire who serves as judge, jury, and executioner to make sure others of his kind are following their laws.

This time, the issue is more than one person claiming to have killed the Count in order to inherit his castle and land. Upon investigation, it appears the count did indeed die three different ways. Not finding a corpse is an issue, but the Judge is told he turned to dust. Meanwhile, Jonathan remains cold, hungry and clueless.

I highly recommend Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law, which explains Jonathan's relationship with the Judge in more detail.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Measured & Weighed | AstraDaemon

No vampire is ever innocent…

The wandering Judge Dee serves as judge, jury, and executioner for any vampire who breaks the laws designed to safeguard their kind’s survival. This new case in particular puts his mandate to the test.

JUDGE DEE AND THE LIMITS OF THE LAW by Lavie Tidhar takes readers into the social structure of vampires. Told through the eyes of Jonathan, a human companion to the Judge, the application of vampire law is observed.

A vampire calls for a judge to settle a dispute between two households. One claims his brother was murdered, the other claims self-defense. Judge Dee sees more than he hears, and does what he must to settle the dispute. Bloody fantastic ending.

I highly recommend this story to all genre readers, and I hope to see more of Judge Dee in future stories.

As always,

AstraDaemon