Sunday, January 31, 2010

Discussion Question: Vampire Mythology

Vampire mythology varies from book to book as authors create their own unique world. In Rush of Wings, Adrian Phoenix calls her vamps Nightkind and they all possess a basic skill set. Dante is a little different from the others because he does not remember his past and when he tries too hard to bring the memories back he gets migraines. He also has a few unusual skills that come from his Fallen heritage, but that aspect isn't covered until later in the book.

Mind to mind communication is used throughout the novel as a way for Nightkind to connect, discuss, and problem solve. Dante, Von, Lucien, Simone and all the other Nightkind can use this to 'speak' even over great distances, as if their minds are connected with an invisible cord, and they all have shields to keep others out, and hide, if necessary. Dante and Lucien seem to do this the most as a way to protect each other, but Dante doesn't always understand Lucien's reasoning for shielding and hiding.

Other Nightkind talents are the ability to 'move' quicker than the eye can process and they can heal a great deal of damage to themselves in a short amount of time. They feed in the traditional sense, meaning straight from the vein, and they need Sleep during the day. In a couple scenes Dante is awake during the daylight hours but his strength and focus is greatly reduced.

I liked the depth of these abilities and found them to be consistent throughout the book. Dante tweaks these rules but that is part of being Fallen as well as Nightkind. I also appreciated that the mythology wasn't laid out in one quick chapter and we had to follow the story and learn as we went. Did you like learning all the vampire mythology for this book? What ability would you want? Were you intriqued by the Nightkind and Dante? Did you want to know more about the Fallen aspect of his nature?

4 comments:

Cyd said...

We were learning the nightkind as Heather was learning it, I rather like author that show rather than tell us the world mytho.

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

Like Cyd, I like learning as I go along. It makes the journey more interesting. I enjoyed Adrian's spin on vampire mythology. My favorite aspect was the telepathy and mind to mind communication. It would be so much easier getting out of awkard situations. ;) I was definitely intrigued by Dante and the Nightkind. What most surprised me was how close they all were. I know that several authors write about groups of vampires as 'hives' but I don't think I've ever seen them written as a family unit. One of the reasons I'm running out to pick up the next book is to find out more about his 'extra' abilities.

Gypsy Jane said...

I really like the vampire's terminology in this book - Nightkind, pere de sang...
(and that there was a glossary in back).

I enjoyed the revealing of their nature as Heather learned.

Anonymous said...

I loved that the book has a glossary in back. Usually I stumble along when it comes to languages and this time I was able to find the meaning and remember it the next time I encountered the words. Way cool.