REQUIEM VAMPIRE KNIGHT book 2 review

REQUIEM VAMPIRE KNIGHT Book 2 : Dracula and The Vampires Ball

Writer: Pat Mills

Art: Olivier Ledroit

Published by Panini Books

Review by Stewart Loud

Oh my God, it gets worse!....Or maybe better….. It depends how you look at it. Either way, the first book was bloody marvellous and this one's just as good!

The second book in Pat Mills mind bendingly good, Requiem series expands the wicked world of Resurrection he introduced in the first book. We see a lot more of the political landscape of Resurrection as we're introduced to various factions within the ruling elite as well as other countries and nations of creatures within the savage hell dimension and treated to some truly awe inspiring and stomach turningly brutal battle scenes between them and the vampire forces led by Dracula. Again I was surprised by the series' ability to actually give me a physical sensation of unease with how unrelentingly nightmarish it is.

More details of Heinrich's human past are revealed and it becomes more and more clear that he was not the sensitive lover or courageous war hero his grief roasted mind had fooled him into believing he was. At the same time more is revealed about Heinrich's friend Otto's life before Resurrection and how he is linked to the other characters. The plot indeed thickens.

I struggled to believe it was possible but the art looks even better in this volume than the last with Ledroit, outdoing himself page after page with more wonderfully Gothic cityscapes, machines and demonic vessels.

I half expected not to enjoy this one as much as the last after getting over the initial shock of how twisted and original the series is but this book delivers everything the first did and more. More incredible landscapes and locations. More devilishly evil characters and frightening creatures. More intriguing ideas and plot developments. More depth. More atmosphere and more visually and mentally stimulating bang for your buck than anything else I've read this year.

SCORE 10/10

Click these links for my other Requiem reviews

Requiem Vampire Knight book 1

Requiem Vampire Knight book 3

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