Review – Dark Nocturne by Hideyuki Kikuchi (3/5 stars)

This is the 10th novel in the Vampire Hunter D series. This novel is different from previous novels in that it is actually a collection of three novellas. I didn’t realize this when I purchased the book. It was interesting to read short stories about D; I think this material lends itself to a short story type format.

The above being said this was probably the worst installment in the Vampire Hunter D series yet. The first story (after which the book is named) is just off. D had a flippant attitude that is very unlike his normal stoic demeanor. In fact the character of D didn’t seem to be like D at all; for a second I thought Zorro had stepped in to take D’s place. All of the characters in this story were a bit off; the whole story was out of context and out of place.

The remaining two stories were more in keeping with D’s character; although D seemed to be a little more chatty than normal in the second story too. I was a bit disappointed overall because part of the reason I enjoy these books is the slow and reluctant unfolding of D’s character. These stories undermined that by changing D’s character willy-nilly and confusing me about who I was reading about.

The book was okay. The first story awful, the second two somewhat interesting. I am excited for the next book because that is supposed to go back to the original Hunter D format.