|
|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
Graveyard Dust (Benjamin January, Book 3) |
Product Guide |
|
|
Home: You are here: Books : Graveyard Dust (Benjamin January, Book 3) |
|
Graveyard Dust (Benjamin January, Book 3)  Rating: Rating:  - Historical New Orleans and a Voodoo MysteryBenjamin January, musician, doctor and free man of color, navigates the dangerous world of 19th century New Orleans. When his sister Olympe, a voodooienne, is accused of murder he knows that he will have to find the truth, because justice for the colored is hard to find. The risk to Olympe increases as yellow fever breaks out in the jail. And when January's life is targeted as well, by knife and by voodoo curse, he knows that time is running out. January's frantic search for the truth wanders through all levels of New Orleans society, from high class French Creoles, to the voodoo queen Marie Laveau, to a runaway slave village in the swamps. Hambly's obvious attention to detail and research is impressive and lends a gritty, believable reality to the New Orleans of 1834. The story is gripping, the setting is fascinating, and the characters are compelling. Hambly doesn't pull any punches in depicting the darker side of human nature and it is present in full force, not the least in the everyday injustices experienced by slaves and the free colored. But the good side of human nature makes enough of an appearance to mitigate the bleak outlook. January's budding relationship with Rose Vitrac is touching as is his friendship with fellow musician Hannibal. The action in the book is interspersed with a lot of soul searching by January as he tries to reconcile his Christianity with his sister's belief in voodoo. It's an interesting debate and it doesn't bog down the flow of the book. Some will find the descriptions of slavery and racism difficult to take, but Hambly in no way romanticizes the customs of the times. Rating: - Slow and deadlyokay, so i just picked something out of the library shelf..anything that had a good name. So i came upon this book. It is written very complicated, the way the words are arranged and the french. It is very slow, slow and boring. Yet i do not stop reading it, before i know it, im on page 50 and askin myself what just happened. You are grasped into a world of boring yet very interesting characters. The voodoo charm gives it the snakeskin that it needs to keep you hooked. The world is mysterious and frightining. a recommend Rating:  - Awesome as Usual!This is an excellent book and a great addition to the Benjamin January series. It's probably the darkest of the three in the series that I've read so far. The atmosphere in this book is so thick you can almost feel it. We are introduced to the whole world of voodoo as it was practiced in New Orleans during this era before the war between the states. The locale is exotic, but very, very dark, and we see more twisted human frailties than we have in any of her previous books. In this book January's sister Olympe is charged with murder for aiding a "high-yellow" woman to kill her husband. Olympe was supposed to have sold her the poison used to do away with him. It looks like Olympe is going to hang even though there was no body to be found. Benjamin sets out to find out what actually happened on the night of St. John's Eve. As he investigates he brings real danger to himself and his friend Hannibal. He is thrown into the underworld that the practicers of voodoo magic live in, and he uncovers human depravity like nothing he has ever seen before. A real smasher! Rating: - Voodoo and murder in old New OrleansThe third novel in Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January (Janvier)series, "Graveyard Dust" shows further development of her central character. A young "colored" sculptor, Isaak Jumon, has apparently died of poisoning, procured by his wife from January's voodoo sister, Olympe. Yet his body has not been found. Also, there is an issue with his father having left him an inheritance and his mother trying to claim him as a slave. Throw in an opium addict brother, a shadowy uncle and a demon of a grandmother and you have the makings of another southern gothic mystery set in old New Orleans. It's up to Benjamin January to find out what really happened to Jumon if he is to free his sister before she is hanged or taken with fever from the filthy jail, the notorious Cabildo. It's another steamy summer and Ben is still recovering from injuries he suffered in "Fever Season." Money is hard to come by, with the music season slow and Ben being unable to earn a living as a doctor. Yellow Fever, and perhaps even Cholera, are taking their toll on the population, and Ben must confront his deepest spiritual beliefs in a conflict of voodoo and Christianity. I liked the further development of January and found him to be an excellent observer of his surroundings. Although a man of deep moral conviction, he is full of conflict with his societal role, mourning for his dead wife, and challenged by the voodoo signs haunting his every turn. His main ally continues to be Oxford educated, opium-addicted, Irishman Hannibal, slowly descending with consumption. Rose Vitrac returns and their friendship continues to grow. The complex web of families continues to be fascinating. I would love a peek at Hambly's notebook detailing the genealogy of whites, blacks and colored, creoles and Americans, wealthy and poor, that she so aptly illustrates in her writing. Her writing is very descriptive and one really gets a full range of senses, from the smell of the gutters to the detail of a house in the swamp. At times, the detail can become overwhelming and drag parts of the story. Also, I still would like a "cast list" to keep all of these people straight, as there are so many names, both American and French, that I sometimes forget who is who. The sheer number of characters makes it difficult to keep them all straight. Still, I am enjoying watching the growth taking place with Ben January, and look forward to the next book, "Sold Down the River." |
Portions © Amazon.com, Inc.
