A Golconda Story

Updated to version 7.

Mr. Houtchens was my science teacher last year he was the best.

A Golconda Story is a 500 page novel, which easily could have been broken in a trilogy of books. The story focuses on Patty Heron a journalist that stumbles into the world of the Kindred. Soon she is embraced and becomes one of the Kindred. The novel focuses on her coming to terms with what she has become. The novel takes us on her slow journey to find redemption and maintain her humanity. Eventually, her path leads her to Golconda the state of salvation for vampires.

The story is very entertaining especially the storyline involving Patty and her ghoul. The early part of the book, does suffer somewhat as most of the pre-becoming a vampire events seem very coincidental. Many of the supporting characters don't seem to have enough depth, especially the vampire elders.

The tabletop Gaming club overall enjoyed the novel. The quest for golconda is an aspect of the game/setting that is often overlooked by players. In many ways the book, had a 1st edition feel to it, which we...See more really enjoyed. The club recommends this book to any avid reader, who is interested in the vampire genre.

Review of Glenn Houtchens' A Golconda Story

By Aramis Thorn

Do not be fooled by the setting for this excellent novel. One need not be familiar with the world through which the story journeys to travel well through the tale rendered by the author. Anyone familiar with Vampire: The Masquerade will find great joy in this intricate and well thought out tale. The characters have depth. The story both satisfies one and leaves one hungry. The author respects the veteran White Wolf player and at the same time makes it easy for the story to stand alone for the uninitiated.

The story begins as all proper tales should with an amuse-bouche of intrigue and invitation. The author leads us into the tale with enough to keep us following his lead but keeping us hungry for the next page. He gives us enough history to get our bearings without bogging down the reader with lectures or pontification. As the tale unfolds the reader must choose sides and understand the burdens of his or...See more her choice. It is hard to say more without spoilers which I avoid at all cost. Acquire and read A Golconda Story, enjoy the journey, and beg the writer for more. I know I did and will.

I received a loaner copy of the book from the author, for review purposes. My reviews of commercially published books may be found on Goodreads, Amazon, and mixed in with personal stories on my blog.
Although I am not familiar with the worlds described in 'A Golconda Story,' this did not prove to be a difficulty. The author writes believable characters with depth, and describes them in situations which are realistic for the worlds they inhabit. In addition to the 500 pages of the text, there is supplementary material, such as character lists and glossaries, that I found to be helpful.
The main character, Patricia Heron, is compelled to enter the world of vampirism after her work as a journalist brings her too close to their secrets. There is no informed consent to her joining; she is first placed into a state in which she is not able to think clearly, and then offered blood as a life-saver.
This is a critical part of her story; she did NOT choose to walk away from her former life; she was dragged...See more into it. She is forced into becoming a member of the Kindred
I am not familiar with the vast majority of books dealing with the vampire mythos, and so I don't know how the conflict necessary for a good story is introduced into most books. My limited exposure has been through the works of Nigel Bennett and P. N. Elrod, and more recent works by Declan Finn, and much of the tension in the former stories comes from the ethical decisions faced by an immortal vampire living among transients. Here, however, the conflict is deeply personal for Patricia. She is immediately thrust into a society which is driven by social status and power, and she has neither. This shocks her, as she does not at first understand the reasons that senior members of the Kindred are behaving abusively toward her. In time, however, she realizes that the dynamics of the group are based on blackmail and intimidation, and that camaraderie is never going to be offered to her.
Her situation is revealed to be even more desolate, when she is informed that she is forever separated from God, and that the spiritual comforts formerly available to her are gone forever. In the initial passage revealing this plot point, the author manages to convey her sense of loss, while at the same time portraying the coldness and emptiness she feels, in place of a burning passion. It's quite nicely done.
The villains are appropriately villainous, and I thought that I would enjoy smiting them.
Although it's a lengthy read, I found it to be a very fast read. I was not put off by the occasional textual errors, which can take me out of the narrative if they are excessive; I did not find them to be so. In fact, it was such a fast read, that at one point I sat down for only a few minutes relaxation with the book, and when I decided to take a break a little while later, discovered I'd read a full fifty pages.
I hope the author decides to publish the book in Kindle (or some other eBook) format. There were many occasions when I wanted to take a look at the the geography he was describing, and that's so very easy to do with an eBook. This may be only the second hard-copy book I have picked up all year, and I think he would find great success if he publishes this as a Kindle Unlimited title on Amazon. I have read many, many books on that platform that did not have the story that was contained between these covers.
Finally, I can't help but point out that the kind of organizational bullying that is portrayed in this book is NOT an aberration of vampires. I've seen the analogue in at least three other environments, where true power is not obtained by proficiency and competence, but by relationships. The interplay reminded me of that in the third of C S Lewis' Space Trilogy, "That Hideous Strength," and he wrote about it elsewhere. There are also strong parallels in street gangs, something I'm aware of but have not experienced personally.
Very well done, indeed.

It's an entertaining enough story, but it does have its flaws. The exposition seems rushed and forced in some parts. And there are some liberties taken with disciplines and clan characterizations. That said, I did find myself really enjoying this one. A fine first attempt by a new CWoD author. Hope to see more soon.

The novel is over 500 pages (143k words) in a distinct but easily readable font, so it may take a short while to download. A Golconda Story is arranged into three acts, each with its own rising climax and denouement, so it could almost be thought of as a trilogy. It follows the template of the Hero's Epic Journey, made popular by Joseph Campbell. Matthew seemed to enjoy it very much. I hope you will as well. I am most pleased to present it to you, and I thank you for your consideration.