- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books (25 Aug 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0765304570
- ISBN-13: 978-0765304575
- Product Dimensions: 23.3 x 16 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 950,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Dark Shadows 2: The Salem Branch
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Review
Praise for "Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch"
"Inspired by the 1970s television show "Dark Shadows", Parker writes a layered story that catalogues not only Collins' marital misgivings after falling for mysterious flower child Antoinette but also a large subplot dealing with one of Collins' ancestors during the infamous Salem witch trials."
"--"Cinescape.com
"Fans of "Dark Shadows" have long awaited this second book by Parker. Parker has done her research. She takes us effortlessly from Collinsport in 1971 to Salem Village in 1692 and does a wonderful job of capturing the history of both periods. Her spellbinding plot and descriptive prose will please those who love a supernatural romance. She has captured the characters, the dialogue and the spirit of the show perfectly." "--""RT Book Reviews" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Inspired by the 1970s television show "Dark Shadows", Parker writes a layered story that catalogues not only Collins' marital misgivings after falling for mysterious flower child Antoinette but also a large subplot dealing with one of Collins' ancestors during the infamous Salem witch trials."
"--"Cinescape.com
"Fans of "Dark Shadows" have long awaited this second book by Parker. Parker has done her research. She takes us effortlessly from Collinsport in 1971 to Salem Village in 1692 and does a wonderful job of capturing the history of both periods. Her spellbinding plot and descriptive prose will please those who love a supernatural romance. She has captured the characters, the dialogue and the spirit of the show perfectly." "--""RT Book Reviews" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
In "Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch", Barnabas Collins, the vampire hero of the series, has recently become a human again through the efforts of his devoted descendent Dr. Julia Hoffman. He is living in current day Collinsport, Maine, trying to adjust to normal life. Although engaged to marry Dr. Hoffman, Barnabas falls in love with a mysterious woman named Antoinette who has bought the ruins of "the old house" on the Collins estate and is restoring it while living with a band of hippies in the woods. Antoinette settled in the area because her daughter is being treated in a nearby mental hospital. Her daughter suffers from flashbacks of her previous incarnation as Miranda du Val, who was burned as a witch in the Salem witch trials. One of the judges who condemned her to death was a Collins-Barnabas's ancestor. Barnabas is desperate to win Antoinette's love - and to protect her and her daughter from the new vampire that he suspects is attacking the inhabitants of Collinsport.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
While Dark Shadows fans may overlook all flaws, this book is less well-developed than it's predecessor. The previous novel about Angelique featured good period and atmosphere, where this novel is a complete derivative of the TV show. Other readers interested in witchcraft may enjoy this, but it was a letdown from the first book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
42 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Not your usual "My name is Victoria Winters" DS fare
2 Jun 2007
Format:Paperback
A great read from Angelique herself. Lara Parker is becoming a stronger novelist in this her second novel. While at times her pacing and chronology seem a tad awkward and clunky, her prose is vivid, alive with all the passion and eroticism you'd expect from the woman who played Angelique in her various incarnations. The use of the early '70s Love Children is so fun and so right for this milieu. Barnabas the Human is still as charming; in fact, moreso as he struggles to deal with human limitations. The maturing of David Collins is also handled with sensitivity and humor, minding all that he's been through at so young an age. It's just a delight to encounter all these beloved characters again. This book could serve as an introduction to the world of DS including the DVD collections of the shows, all the Marilyn Ross novels, the comics, Lara Parker's first novel, ANGELIQUE'S DESCENT, and Rainey and Massie's DREAMS OF THE DARK. Fans of course, already know all that and this will just be a new pleasure.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Parker's valentine to her old show.
17 July 2009
Format:Paperback
For it's time, the daytime gothic soap "Dark Shadows" was quite a phenomenon, spawning comic books, comic strips, spin-off movies, joke books, and over thirty original paperback novels by Marilyn (W. E. D.) Ross...and, later, a prime-time series, web sites, retrospective memoirs, and even more original novels. It wasn't above lifting storylines from Stoker, Shelley, Lovecraft, Poe, Henry James, and Oscar Wilde; and it wasn't above using time travel, parallel realities, flashbacks, flashback-within-flashbacks, actors that played multiple characters, and extended dream/hallucinationary fugue states. Keep your flow charts nearby. "Dark Shadows" however mostly dealt with the trials and tribulations of vampire Barnabas Collins as he protected his ancestral home and family.
Lara Parker played multiple characters on "Dark Shadows"; her most famous being Angelique, and has written several "Dark Shadows" novels with "The Salem Branch" being a direct sequel to "Angelique's Descent" I think. Here, Barnabas is taking treatments to cure his vampirism (which was caused by a curse from Angelique)from long time character and doctor, Julia, and it is this transition that is causing him problems.
His rocky road acquires more bumps in a typical "Dark Shadows" manner when a woman who seems to be Angelique but is now called Antoinette moves into the Old House and begins to restore the burned out husk. Soon, a new vampire is loose, a band of cultish hippies are camping out in a nearby woods; and a there's a deadman that won't stay dead. So while Barnabas tries to protect the Collins family; find out who the new killer is, and what Antoinette/Angelique is up to, he ends up time traveling, getting high (!), and having to unravel the mystery behind Jacqueline, who may or may not be an even older witch than Angelique.
The problem is that most of these plotlines are never really developed to their needed extent, we flit from one to the other; Antoinette is never really developed--seeming to wander in and out of the novel providing angst for Barnabas--and while the rest of the "Dark Shadows" cast makes cameos, nothing is ever really done with any of them, excepting David, and to some extent, Julia; and the ending will certainly bring many fans up short.
On the positive, Barnabas is well delineated, and about half of "The Salem Branch" takes place in 1692 Salem (as two parallel stories are woven together) and it is here that Parker really shines. The 17th century scenes, concerning the trial, persecution, and execution of a witch, could have been a novel on their own, as this storyline seems to inspire Parker the most, allowing Parker to make some contemporary social commentary.
This is not an extreme or graphic horror novel, it's a mild paranormal romance with a sixties flavor with even the vampirism seemingly more of a sub-plot than anything else. And, yes, this novel has some inconsistancies with the old tv series, and yes it is cluttered with too many unneeded characters from the tv series, but...if you are a "Dark Shadows" fan, this fan fiction novel is for you, and you will probably raise the rating a star or two. If you're not a "Dark Shadows" fan however, "The Salem Branch" will be of no interest.
An earlier and slightly different version on this review appeared in "Cemetery Dance" #59. Thanx Bob.
Lara Parker played multiple characters on "Dark Shadows"; her most famous being Angelique, and has written several "Dark Shadows" novels with "The Salem Branch" being a direct sequel to "Angelique's Descent" I think. Here, Barnabas is taking treatments to cure his vampirism (which was caused by a curse from Angelique)from long time character and doctor, Julia, and it is this transition that is causing him problems.
His rocky road acquires more bumps in a typical "Dark Shadows" manner when a woman who seems to be Angelique but is now called Antoinette moves into the Old House and begins to restore the burned out husk. Soon, a new vampire is loose, a band of cultish hippies are camping out in a nearby woods; and a there's a deadman that won't stay dead. So while Barnabas tries to protect the Collins family; find out who the new killer is, and what Antoinette/Angelique is up to, he ends up time traveling, getting high (!), and having to unravel the mystery behind Jacqueline, who may or may not be an even older witch than Angelique.
The problem is that most of these plotlines are never really developed to their needed extent, we flit from one to the other; Antoinette is never really developed--seeming to wander in and out of the novel providing angst for Barnabas--and while the rest of the "Dark Shadows" cast makes cameos, nothing is ever really done with any of them, excepting David, and to some extent, Julia; and the ending will certainly bring many fans up short.
On the positive, Barnabas is well delineated, and about half of "The Salem Branch" takes place in 1692 Salem (as two parallel stories are woven together) and it is here that Parker really shines. The 17th century scenes, concerning the trial, persecution, and execution of a witch, could have been a novel on their own, as this storyline seems to inspire Parker the most, allowing Parker to make some contemporary social commentary.
This is not an extreme or graphic horror novel, it's a mild paranormal romance with a sixties flavor with even the vampirism seemingly more of a sub-plot than anything else. And, yes, this novel has some inconsistancies with the old tv series, and yes it is cluttered with too many unneeded characters from the tv series, but...if you are a "Dark Shadows" fan, this fan fiction novel is for you, and you will probably raise the rating a star or two. If you're not a "Dark Shadows" fan however, "The Salem Branch" will be of no interest.
An earlier and slightly different version on this review appeared in "Cemetery Dance" #59. Thanx Bob.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Magical....
25 Jan 2010
Format:Paperback
The Salem Branch is the second novel in Lara Parker's Dark Shadows series and is a direct sequel to her 1998 novel Angelique's Descent and takes places roughly six months after the former ended. The re-construction of the old house which had previously burned down and the land sold to Antoinette Harpignies, who bears more than a resemblance to Angelique, is nearly completed.
Barnabus is both shocked and amazed at the accuracy of the reconstruction of the old house and become suspicious of Antoinette and her motivations. Weakened by the cure which Dr. Julia Hoffman continues to administer in hopes of ridding him of his vampirism, Barnabus fears that Antoinette is the reincarnation of Angelique and has come to destroy not only him but his family as well.
Making matters worse, Barnabus learns that in his absence another vampire has entered his domain and is making a play for control of Collinsport. Out of a sense of nobility, or guilt, Barnabus puts his own life in danger to protect his extended family members whom has grown to love, as well as a group of hippies which Antoinette has allowed to set up camp in the woods on her property.
Like the previous novel, The Salem Branch moves back and forth between the present (1971) and the distant past of the 17th century (circa 1692). The second story involves the fate of Miranda Duval, a woman living in Salem Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Hunts. It is revealed that Miranda was born with special gifts and had been kidnapped by Indians during a raid of her village when she was very young, resulting in the death of her parents. Living among the natives, Miranda's gifts were allowed to blossom and flourish...until she was rescued and brought back to Salem village. Here she became an indentured servant to a branch of the Collins family where she must hide her gifts or be branded a witch.
In The Salem Branch, Lara Parker shows that she has definitely grown as a writer since her first novel and has a talent for turning of phrases which are at times very poetic. She does an excellent job of faithfully portraying the characters we know from the Dark Shadows series without making them seem stale and two dimensional. Whereas some readers criticize Barnabus' drug use in this novel, they fail to point out that both times this occurs he was naively tricked into ingesting them. The scenes describing the fear and ignorance of the Salem Witch trials were fairly accurate in my opinion.
As stated before, the story moves back and forth between the 17th and the 19th centuries and I often found myself wondering when the two storylines would intersect. When the connection between the past and the present finally presented itself, it seemed rather confusing as well as when the identity of the vampire was revealed.
I felt that the ending needed to be cleaned up a bit to sort out the events which transpired and the motivations of the people involved. There were also a few plot points that went unexplained, such as who stole Quentin's painting and why? Is Antoinette, whose surname is the same as that of Angelique's mother, a descendent of Angelique or her reincarnation?
All in all, I The Salem Branch was a pleasant read despite a few rather confusing points and I would recommend it to anyone who was a fan of the show and who felt the urge to re-visit these characters one more time.
Barnabus is both shocked and amazed at the accuracy of the reconstruction of the old house and become suspicious of Antoinette and her motivations. Weakened by the cure which Dr. Julia Hoffman continues to administer in hopes of ridding him of his vampirism, Barnabus fears that Antoinette is the reincarnation of Angelique and has come to destroy not only him but his family as well.
Making matters worse, Barnabus learns that in his absence another vampire has entered his domain and is making a play for control of Collinsport. Out of a sense of nobility, or guilt, Barnabus puts his own life in danger to protect his extended family members whom has grown to love, as well as a group of hippies which Antoinette has allowed to set up camp in the woods on her property.
Like the previous novel, The Salem Branch moves back and forth between the present (1971) and the distant past of the 17th century (circa 1692). The second story involves the fate of Miranda Duval, a woman living in Salem Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Hunts. It is revealed that Miranda was born with special gifts and had been kidnapped by Indians during a raid of her village when she was very young, resulting in the death of her parents. Living among the natives, Miranda's gifts were allowed to blossom and flourish...until she was rescued and brought back to Salem village. Here she became an indentured servant to a branch of the Collins family where she must hide her gifts or be branded a witch.
In The Salem Branch, Lara Parker shows that she has definitely grown as a writer since her first novel and has a talent for turning of phrases which are at times very poetic. She does an excellent job of faithfully portraying the characters we know from the Dark Shadows series without making them seem stale and two dimensional. Whereas some readers criticize Barnabus' drug use in this novel, they fail to point out that both times this occurs he was naively tricked into ingesting them. The scenes describing the fear and ignorance of the Salem Witch trials were fairly accurate in my opinion.
As stated before, the story moves back and forth between the 17th and the 19th centuries and I often found myself wondering when the two storylines would intersect. When the connection between the past and the present finally presented itself, it seemed rather confusing as well as when the identity of the vampire was revealed.
I felt that the ending needed to be cleaned up a bit to sort out the events which transpired and the motivations of the people involved. There were also a few plot points that went unexplained, such as who stole Quentin's painting and why? Is Antoinette, whose surname is the same as that of Angelique's mother, a descendent of Angelique or her reincarnation?
All in all, I The Salem Branch was a pleasant read despite a few rather confusing points and I would recommend it to anyone who was a fan of the show and who felt the urge to re-visit these characters one more time.
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