The Nosferatu Conspiracy: Book Two, The Sommelier

Nosferatu Conspiracy: Book Two, The Sommelier brings a new supernatural twist to World War I and reveals Kaiser Wilhelm’s true intentions: a desire for immortality and world domination. Apparently, the demi-demon, Elizabeth Báthory, is a major part of Kaiser Wilhelm’s sinister plan. However, Elizabeth appears to have been banished to Hohenzollern Castle toward the end of the Renaissance. Meanwhile, Hanne, a long-time student of witchcraft, plans to free Elizabeth and learn from her secrets to “return as the envy of her coven.”

From one heart-racing chase to another, Nosferatu Conspiracy: Book Two, The Sommelier advances in its dark, elaborate plot that includes creatively portrayed supernatural beings: demons, spiders, werewolves, vampires, and even infected survivors of vampire attacks called ustrel. Follow the untold story of Kaiser Wilhelm and Elizabeth Báthory as gunpowder and magic mix in the second installment in Brian James Gage’s Nosferatu Conspiracy series.

One element that stands out in Nosferatu Conspiracy: Book Two, The Sommelier is its impressively intricate, thoroughly developed world. It takes a high level of creativity to produce the concepts in the book, like the idea that when blades are plunged into the hearts of humans and their souls have been devoured, they become vessels for the demons’ resurrection. Yes, the story gets quite dark; thus, it would appeal particularly to readers who love the thrill of intense horror and the delight of shuddering through various hair-raising developments.

Prepare for vividly described action scenes as the story contains intense, gory fights and battles involving powerful supernatural beings. One of the many action-packed scenes depicts a character defending himself against an ustrel by holding a blackwood stake across his neck while the ustrel “chomps its fangs toward his jugular vein” and ends up getting hurt with a “glowing, greenish-gray smoke” rising from its fanged mouth after unintentionally biting the stake and missing its victim’s neck.

Unfortunately, I thought the largeness of the plot made it hard to feel a sense of familiarity with the characters and their goals. The great amount of information I received at several moments while reading the book reduced my chances of retaining much. Also, the characters appeared somewhat distant, and I wished to connect more with them and their emotions and goals. Their actions seemed much more apparent than their desires and fears.

In Nosferatu Conspiracy: Book Two, The Sommelier, you will discover several intriguing, spine-chilling characters and events that are sure to keep you up at night and make you feel alive like never before. However, its complex and fully packed plot might not be for everyone.