Stalking Tender Prey

by Storm Constantine and storm-constantine

Book Overview

In The Grigori Trilogy No. 1, The Grigori are an ancient race. Powerful people, possessing abilities and senses humans do not have. They live among us, their presence clear to those who have eyes to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965834549
• ISBN13: 9780965834544
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Meisha Merlin Publishing
• Length: 484 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The most original, sensual book I have ever read

I have never read any other book like Stalking Tender Prey, so there is really nothing I can compare it to. Truly original. There are only two downsides to this book, so I will start with those. It took me a long time to get through because it lost me in the beginning (the first 60 pages or so) and again at the end (the last 30). The rest more than made up for it. Completely sucked me in and left me panting for breath. The other semi-negative is that it doesn't really end, it just sets up for the next instalment. So really, it seems the story is just beginning. Now, the good: EVERYTHING else. The characters are engrossing on every level, very few are shallow or one-dimentional or simply good or bad. They feel so real and tangable. Even though their lives are something few of us can imagine, you can understand their feelings and reasonings because you get to know them so well and get inside their hearts and minds. Storm has the gift of words and description without a doubt. Everything was sensual, everything. It was also very sexual, and while very small amounts were explictly descriptive, it was the most arousing novel I have read. While, there are many scenes and themes revolving around homosexuality (some of the best I have read), it is by no-means simply a gay novel. It deals with sexuality on levels that the everyday person/writer shys away from. Storm manages to make every scene shocking yet comprehendable and honest. The story line goes all over the place, and at times scans centuries. Once you catch onto the overall flow of the story, it is easy to follow. I can not wait to read the second novel of this series, which is out of print, unfortunately, but I am sure it will be worth searching for. While not for the faint of heart or the easily offended, it is worth taking a chance on. Jump on for one intense, unparalled adventure!

One of Storm's classics...

Well, JD, if you're a closet homophobe, this book is sure to rub you the wrong way, but that's no reason to give it one star. Storm has only written one weak book in her career, to my knowledge, and that WAS actually, in this series (Book #3 - Stealing Sacred Fire). Stalking, on the other hand, is one of her classics. I admit, the homosexual scenes are almost buffetingly strong, and extremely uncomfortable for those of us outside the lifestyle. But they are mind openeing. The closest comparison I can come to in this regard is Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel" trilogy, whose heroine, Phedre, is a sexual masochist and prostitute. When I read her first assignation I didn't know whether to cry, scream, or throw-up; but it definitely pushed my mental boundaries. So, I'm not going anywhere near a whip, or another man's, uh....pride; but I appreciate a book that pushes my buttons and keeps me thinking. Finally, your most absurd claim was that she was trying to sound like Clive Barker. Storm does NOT try to sound like ANYONE else, that's why she's Storm. Storm is a goddess because she is so unrepentantly herself. You shouldn't ruin a book's ratings just cause it rubbed you the wrong way.

Ah, Darkness, Sweet Darkness . . .

Can Storm Constantine's work be described as belonging to any particular genre? I don't think so, and that's one of the things that makes her stories so wonderful. However, if I had to pigeonhole her work, then "Stalking Tender Prey" would definitely fit the role of "dark fantasy." No captured princesses, no magical kingdoms, no elves and hobgoblins. This stuff is raw, in-your-face. The magic is delicously seamy, at times unsettling. You can't even tell who the good guys or the bad guys are here; all of the characters have their own demons (literally, in some cases), their own motives. They make no excuses or apologies for what they do. If you're a new intiate to stories dealing with the occult (like I was when I first read this book), then you might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but the read is no less enjoyable, simply because it's not stuff you see much in fantasy. And for those who enjoy Constantine's trademark sexual undercurrents, you won't be disappointed. So if you're a Storm Constantine freak, a stray from the mainstream, or just your average lover of good stories, pick up this book. But if you're a prude (and living in the Bible Belt, I know my share) then stay away, lest your god smite you. He can smite me all he wants, I'm still gonna read this book, and the other two that follow it!

Excellent Work

I loved the way Constantine uses the cliches of the English rural gothic novel to play with the reader's expectations. Innocent youngsters preyed upon by sinister stranger, small country village containing Terrible Secrets, etc. -- all these staples of the genre are presented early on only so as to trick the reader into a false sense of security in preparation for later wackiness.And simply put, Peverel Othman is the most diabolically seductive and utterly ruthless antagonist I've seen in print. The ambiguities of this character repulse and attract in equal measure (well, more repulse, actually, but still...). I think I spent more time, when I wasn't reading the book, thinking about his motivations than I did about the rest of the plot (the plot's good, too, though). Constantine's strong point in her novels has always been characterization, and she outdoes herself with Othman.

This is great-can't wait for the next in the series

Little Moor in Northern England is a quiet, serene place near a forest where rumor has it amongst the locals that ancient magic remains amidst the trees. However, something has finally changed to disrupt the delicate balance between the humans residing in Little Moor and the magic of the forest. Human twins, Owen and Lily Winter, behave differently because spirits seem to be calling them.Further change hits the small hamlet when a traveler, rare in these parts, Peveral Othman, comes but cannot explain even to himself why he has ventured here. No one seems to realize how influential the stranger is on the townsfolk except the twins, who wonder if Peveral is a member of the Grigori, a species of people who possess powers beyond that of Homo Sapien? Could Peveral be coming to his peopleís home in the magical forest? If yes, what does his return forebode for the obviously inferior humans?STALKING TENDER PREY is an incredible fantasy novel that is the equal if not the superior to the best of Anne Rice. The contemporary setting magically works even as an ancient race is described living within its environs. The Grigori are one of the best fictional races to appear in a novel in many years. Of particular enjoyment is the trouble the rebellious youths seem to cause for their elders. There is plenty of action to recommend this novel. However, it is Storm Constantine's precise use of interesting details that explain interrelationships (including homosexual love) between individuals that makes the first book in ìThe Grigori Trilogyî one of the top fantasy tales of the year. This is must reading for fans of the genre.Harriet Klausner