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gwaevalarinI'm about half way through "Unholy Night" by Seth Grahame-Smith, and I'm loving every second of it.
Basically it is the story of the three Wise Men. You know the ones. Gold, frankincense and myrrh and all that. Except they are not as much wise men as thieves who just escaped king Herod's prison and certain death by execution. The very last thing they need is being slowed down by a young mother who claims she is still a virgin, and her very credulous husband.
Their leader and the main character is Balthazar. Try imagining him as anyone else but Sebastian Roché, even after he has been described as a olive-skinned, dark-haired 26-year-old.
Here is why you won't succeed: Balthazar is a thief, has been since he was a young boy. He is witty, he is sarcastic, and he is smart, and if he can flirt his way close to some gold, hey, why not? He tries to avoid violence, prefers to sneak, or run, or con his way out of every bad situation, but if he has to he can and will kill to stay alive.
He only looks out for himself, doesn't do partners, or altruism, or any of than nonsense except... when he sees a bunch of soldiers slaughter innocent children for some ridiculous prohpecy, he finds himself unable to just turn his back and walk away. The thing is, he isn't a bad guy, not really. And for someone who claims he doesn't care about anyone, he cares an awful lot.
Balthazar used to have a family. So far, it hasn't been clearly stated what happened to them - his mother, his two sisters, and his little brother - but I have this strange feeling that is was horrible, and tragic, and heartbreaking, and that it will haunt him for the rest of his life. I very much doubt that he just left them behind. If there is one thing about his past that is painfully clear it is that he loved his little brother more than anything in the world. Want to guess what shade of blue his eyes have in my mind?
Basically it is the story of the three Wise Men. You know the ones. Gold, frankincense and myrrh and all that. Except they are not as much wise men as thieves who just escaped king Herod's prison and certain death by execution. The very last thing they need is being slowed down by a young mother who claims she is still a virgin, and her very credulous husband.
Their leader and the main character is Balthazar. Try imagining him as anyone else but Sebastian Roché, even after he has been described as a olive-skinned, dark-haired 26-year-old.
Here is why you won't succeed: Balthazar is a thief, has been since he was a young boy. He is witty, he is sarcastic, and he is smart, and if he can flirt his way close to some gold, hey, why not? He tries to avoid violence, prefers to sneak, or run, or con his way out of every bad situation, but if he has to he can and will kill to stay alive.
He only looks out for himself, doesn't do partners, or altruism, or any of than nonsense except... when he sees a bunch of soldiers slaughter innocent children for some ridiculous prohpecy, he finds himself unable to just turn his back and walk away. The thing is, he isn't a bad guy, not really. And for someone who claims he doesn't care about anyone, he cares an awful lot.
Balthazar used to have a family. So far, it hasn't been clearly stated what happened to them - his mother, his two sisters, and his little brother - but I have this strange feeling that is was horrible, and tragic, and heartbreaking, and that it will haunt him for the rest of his life. I very much doubt that he just left them behind. If there is one thing about his past that is painfully clear it is that he loved his little brother more than anything in the world. Want to guess what shade of blue his eyes have in my mind?
