Of Masques and Martyrs is the third episode of a saga that started a while ago. Christopher Golden is also known in the science fiction area.

I'll summarize what I remember of the first two, as I don't have them and can't get to them right now.

As in every vampire story, every novelist has his or her own theory. The first book of the saga lays down Chris's Golden theory of where the Vampires comes from and shatters what we all, Vampires and Humans alike, believe. I won't give it to you, because it would spoil everything.

The second book is the fight between Good and Evil and the search for Peter Octavian, the leader of the so-called Shadows. Humans and Vampires are together until Hannibal, who has always wanted to crush Humans, starts his moves. Thus, the fight between Shadows, the good Vampires, the Mixed government and the Vampires, the bad ones who only think Humans are meat.

The third one is after the fight. When you have the two groups. The Shadows still lead by Peter Octavian never feed on Humans without their volunteering and certainly never killing them. Giving someone the gift is a choice and in his coven based in New Orleans, Shadows and Humans are on the same level. On the other hand you have Hannibal's coven, with the hierarchy of the Vampires where Vampires still believe in the old beliefs that silver, the Sun can kill them, that they can only transform in certain animals. And the fight is only just starting.

Rolf Sechs and Erika are waiting for the Vampires to follow them to the Hannibal's NY coven. They don't have to wait long before they see them arrive and attack some poor teenagers who had the foolishness to stay out after dusk. They follow them and enter the coven very easily. Too easily. Rolf is killed and Erika is in pain and she realized she cannot transform herself to save herself.

In the mean time, we follow Nikki Wydra to the place where she sings in New Orleans. After her gig is finished she walks up to a guy at the bar when hell breaks over and Vampires lead by Tsumi enter and go after Peter Octavian who has been coming to listen to Nikki for the past four nights.

That is how the book starts. The two clans are going on a civil war and the humans don't even know it.

I have to say that having just finished the book, I am still overwhelmed by it. It is a real civil war between two clans, with the same emotions as we humans have. Hannibal, the insane Vampire who only believes in power and Peter Octavian who only wants to live in harmony with humans and trying to make Shadows understanding it.

It is an excellent book and could be read without even the first two, but you would be missing on some stuff, that is for sure.

I finished the book and felt very sad for even though good won over evil, it came at a heavy cost.

My advice: read it, buy it, borrow, order via amazon.com and while you are it order the first two on Amazon.com.