20 years on, and the book doesn't hit walls anymore.

Around 20 years ago, when I first read Gherbod Fleming's first entry into the Clan Novels, Gangrel, I wound up throwing it against a wall several times. In hindsight, much of this had to do with the fact that the clan of beasts is the one I played the most often in Vampire chronicles, and this particular book, in a departure from the rest of the series, didn't focus on an important vampire of the clan at the center. I mean, there were more than a few Gangrel in the overall plotting that could have been focused on in this, but no, we get Ramona, who's only been a vampire for two years and has no idea what she's doing. Her discoveries of her powers are almost Bard-like, in the "Hey, I killed a kobald and wow look at this!" kind of way.

Ramona is currently in Sabbat controlled New York City with two other friends who ran from Los Angeles in the past year. Neither of them have defined clan traits, so one can assume they're Caitiff, aka clanless. Ramona has something of a ward she's looking out for in Harlem, whom she rescues from attackers early on. Zhavon, on the other hand, has a bad habit of becoming a plot hook, getting kidnapped by a suddenly resurgent Leopold.

Speaking of Leopold, the Eye of Hazimel is giving him visions of his muse, and leading him to upstate New York, where Zhavon the plot hook has been sent by her mother to be raised by her aunt. He stakes Ramona, and takes Zhavon at the urging of the voice in his head. Ramona's creator (sire, in game terms) comes along and unfortunately unstakes Ramona before the sun rises. Ramona grabs her might as well not have been named friends and leads an assault on Leopold's cave hideout, where we find out the eye has given the Toreador a few new powers, like Vicissitude. Both Caitiff friends wind up dead, and Tanner, Ramona's sire, leads her away, and tells her to stay until help arrives. Several of the Buffalo Gangrel answer the call, including one Cherokee Gangrel who teaches Ramona Auspex, I think. She basically sees the spirit world after the stereotype finishes his ritual with her.

So then Xaviar shows up with Tanner. Xaviar being the Gangrel's Justicar with the Camarilla. Who laughs when they find out the prey is Toreador, not Tzimisce as the Vicissitude would suggest. they all laugh, then proceed to get their butts kicked by a Toreador with Vicissitude and some kind of Earth control. In the end, just about everyone is dead but Ramona and Xaviar, who wants Ramona dead for witnessing his failure.

If you can't tell, this still is probably my least favorite in the series. (We'll see if this remains true when I hit Tremere, which has Aisling Sturbridge going on about the children in the well for eternity.) While it didn't fill me with the rage it did initially, I still feel that the plot and the main character deserved more attention.