George R. R. Martin – Fevre Dream (Sphere, 1984)
Blurb:
‘What kind of story are you tryin’ to tell me?’ asked the steamboat captain.
‘A vampire story,’ said the pale man, with a sly smile.
Welcome aboard the Fevre Dream, the newest, most sumptuous sidewheeler on the whole Mississippi. Wander along her elegant decks and through her staterooms, and admire the ornate carvings and the polished marble, the glittering mirrors and the twinkling chandeliers. She looks good and she can travel fast – when they open her up she glides over the water like the devil himself was after her.
Yes, the Fevre Dream is no ordinary steamboat. And those who travel on her are no ordinary passengers. For they emerge from their cabins only when darkness falls when the bloodmaster calls them to do his bidding, and the red thirst surges along the river as irresistibly as the ebbing tide..
‘It’s great, one of the best. Martin’s tale slowly unfolds its horrors like the petals of some corrupt flower.’ – City Limits
‘Frightening, moving, haunting – a powerful tale of supernatural terror’ – Ramsey Campbell
Sordid Spheres! 