A friend is currently reading this book which made me think about it again. I thought I had written my thoughts down about the book when I first read it when it came out. If I did I can’t find where I did so I have to start from scratch.
I’ve stated several times that this book is easily one of the best books in horror that has been released in the past 10 years. Hands down. Golden and Mignola have put to paper a story that reminds me of MR James and storytelling around a fireplace on a cold winter’s night before modernity creeped into our lives.
And the best part of this book is that Golden and Mignola are able to tell the story of Lord Baltimore without Lord Baltimore.
Let me explain:
Much like The Third Man where Harry Lime is a huge part of the movie but he doesn’t make his screen appearance until late in the final act, Golden and Mignola use this same technique in telling the story of Baltimore through others and we don’t meet the protagonist until late in the final act. It is a brilliant way to tell this story.
We learn about Baltimore from his companions in his quest to destroy the Vampire that killed his family. We learn of his obsession with his hunt but we also learn different sides of the man. Each storyteller has his own take on Baltimore and since everyone sees different facets of our life, we get often conflicting stories about the man Baltimore is. This, however, does not hinder our outlook on who Baltimore is. We know, since all the underlying stories told by our dinner companions all include the obsessiveness of Baltimore and his single minded quest to hunt down and kill the Vampire.
Mignola and Golden weave a story that so enthralled me and I even emailed Chris to see if he plans on doing more with this character and story. I hope they plan to do more with this wealth of material, even if it isn’t a novel. And they have plenty of material to mine with future projects if they choose to. Baltimore, Or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire
