"The Ancient Ones: A.R.C." is a retelling of the origins of vampires. The story interweaves historical events with the fantastic world of blood drinkers and gods. The protagonist is David, one of the oldest vampires. We accompany him as he tells his life story to a new and mysterious acquaintance. And it becomes clear that there is more to the myth of the vampires than expected. Overall, I found the book very good. The characters were well-written and the world has some interesting twists and turns. The broad span of the story contains the most exciting passages, but also one of my criticisms of the book. Experiencing David's path was something that the author implemented very well, but the many leaps in time meant that it sometimes felt more like things had to be told afterwards than they had to be seen firsthand. This also had the consequence that character developments sometimes took place outside the pages. I often had the feeling that I had to get a connection again to David and the situation, before I could really concentrate on what was happening. And that had a rather negative impact on my emotional bond with the characters. Perhaps it would have been better to tell David's story through two books.Another point of criticism is that the ending felt very rushed.
Why do I give four stars despite the criticism?
Because I found the passages that you witnessed to be really well written. And basically my review also says that I would have liked to read more about the characters and their changing relationships over the decades, because I liked it.
I admit that if it were possible I would have given it a 3.5, but on this scale the book is definitely more of a 4 than a 3. I'm looking forward to the continuation.
Stars: 4/5
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