Lara Parker did a wonderful job portraying the witch Angelique on the gothic soap opera “Dark Shadows,” but she’s also an accomplished writer. This is the second book in her series.
Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch brings back all the characters fans grew to love when the show ran in the sixties and seventies. Parker captures their essence with well written prose. It should satisfy those who thirst for more tales of the vampire Barnabas. The book can also be enjoyed by those who are not familiar with the show but enjoy paranormal stories.
After years of trying to rid himself of his curse, vampire Barnabas Collins is cured by the family physician, Dr. Julia Hoffman. He’s residing in Collinsport, Maine and trying to live a normal life as a human, and enjoy his engagement to Julia.
A strange woman, Antoinette, buys the old Collins house and begins to restore it. She moved to town to be near her daughter, Jacqueline, who is in a nearby psychiatric hospital, suffering flashbacks of a previous life as Miranda du Val, a witch, burned at the stake in Salem.
Antoinette looks like Angelique, the spurned witch who cursed Barnabas and made him a vampire, and yet he’s attracted to her. He finds unsettling connections between her and his family. When he visits her house and discovers a workman who has been the victim of a vampire attack Barnabas takes it on himself to protect her and the group of hippies she allows to live on her land. He finds it difficult to help them in his human form and he laments the loss of his power.
Parker laces her story with supernatural elements, witchcraft, time travel, romance and betrayal. She does a credible job alternating between 1971 and 1692. The scenes of witchcraft and references to the trials in Salem are well researched. Her characterization is good. Readers see Barnabas’ struggles from his viewpoint as he tries to deal with being human and missing his immortality.
While the writing is vivid and descriptive, I found the plot sometimes weak and implausible, especially the scenes dealing with the hippies. Barnabas getting high was a bit off character for me to believe. And I didn’t feel the mystery and gothic atmosphere of the TV show. Despite its flaws it’s an entertaining read, especially for fans of the TV show “Dark Shadows.”
Publisher: Tor Books (July 2006)
ISBN: 978-0765304575
Pages: 288
Price: $13.95
Dark Shadows - The Salem Branch by Lara Parker
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