I'm about to discuss the book in fair detail, giving away some major plot points, so don't read on if you haven't read it and want to remain spoiler free.
Still with me? Cool.
I finished the book yesterday, thoroughly enjoyed it, thought Carole was one of the most interesting characters Paul has ever written, and loved the sheer badass nature of the vamps.
Now, I hadn't read the novellas, but I'm trying to figure out what came from what. Let me have a go, and if someone can tell me if I'm right or wrong then that'll be much appreciated y'all.
Now I've seen the movie Midnight Mass, so I'm thinking the whole Father Joe and St. Anthony's liberation was the plot for that one. That was easy. BTW having now read the inspiration for the film I must say they did a pretty faithful job of recreating it. Still not sure about the atheism angle versus judaism, and the overacting just drags the whole thing down, but kudos to them for staying fairly close to the story.
So, Good Friday. It seems obvious that this is Carole's flashbacks to when the vamps first arrived at Lakewood, but the flashbacks seemed quite short and worked so well as flashbacks I'm doubting myself. I'll stick to it though.
Which leaves The Lord's Work. I'm gonna have to go with Carole's endevours against the cowboys, but where that ends I'm not sure. Does it go so far as to killing Gregor? Is the issue of GetGuards broached in any of the above shorts? And if this is the case, which came first, Good Friday or The Lord's Work? And did Father Joe and Sister Carole know one another in the short stories? Did The Lord's Work, or more specifically Carole's role in it, finish in the same way the novel Midnight Mass does?
It was a great book and all the more so considering the individual stories were melded so well together.
Is a sequel needed? No. Could there be one? Yes. I'd love to read more about the cattle farms, about Joe's place in the world, about why the cross and catholicism (sp?) is so entwined with the vamps. Maybe one day Paul will honour us so, but not before the Keep Prequel
Thanks Paul.
Dave