Feehan, Christine

Feehan, Christine

(pop culture)

Romance writer Christine Feehan is the author of the Dark series of novels about a vampiric race called the Carpathians. Through 2009, some 18 titles appeared. Feehan was born Christina King, in California, where she also grew to adulthood in a large family. She married Richard Feehan. He first novel, Dark Prince appeared in 1999. It was the first of her Dark novels which together form about two-thirds of the novels she has written.

The “Dark” series centers on the lives, struggles, and adventures of a people known as the Carpathians, who in the novels are an ancient race of hominids that live unnoticed within the human community. Live traditional vampires, they live on human blood and have extremely long life spans. They can shape shift and have considerable personal strength. Carpathians attempt to feed on humans in such a way as to not kill them and begin to arouse the world to their presence.

In the present, the Carpathians have a problem. In recent centuries, they have been unable to produce children who can survive their first year. It is also the case that it has been more than 500 years since a female has been born. Meanwhile, if unable to connect with a lifemate, male Carpathians lose both their ability to see in color and to feel emotionally. They are only moved emotionally by the rush that comes from killing, however, the price of killing is their transformation into a soulless monster, and a close resemblance to the traditional monster as an undead vampire. Vampires unable to find a mate often commit suicide by walking into the dawning sun. The dilemmas faced by the Carpathian males provides the majority of the material to be explored in Feehan’s different novels, most of which center on the story of one particular individual. More recent novels will bring back fan-favorite characters for updating and encores.

Feehan has yet to announce any conclusion to her Dark series. In 2007 her novel Dark Hunger was adapted as a manga-style comic book. She maintains an Internet site at http://www.christinefeehan.com/.

Sources:

Feehan, Christine. Dark Prince. New York: Love Spell Books, 1999. 314 pp.———. Dark Challenge. New York: Love Spell Books, 2000. 390 pp.———. Dark Gold. New York: Love Spell Books, 2000. 312 pp.———. Dark Magic. New York: Love Spell Books, 2000. 358 pp.———. Dark Desire. New York: Love Spell Books, 2001. 390 pp.———. Dark Fire. New York: Love Spell Books, 2001. 390 pp.———. Dark Guardian. New York: Love Spell Books, 2002. 369 pp.———. Dark Legend. New York: Leisure Books, 2002. 394 pp.———. Dark Melody. New York: Jove Books, 2003. 384 pp.———. Dark Salvation. New York: Jove Books, 2003. 341 pp.———. Dark Symphony. New York: Jove Books, 2003. 341 pp.———. Twilight Before Christmas. New York; Pocket Star Books, 2003.———. Dark Destiny. New York: Love Spell Books, 2004. 383 pp.———. Dark Secret. New York: Berkley, 2005. 383 pp.———. Dark Celebration: A Carpathian Reunion. New York: Berkley, 2006. 372 pp.———. Dark Demon. New York: Jove, 2006. 209 pp.———. Dark Hunger. New York: Berkley, 2007. 208 pp.———. Dark Possession. New York: Berkley Hardcover, 2007. 368 pp.———. Dark Curse. New York: Berkley Hardcover, 2008. 416 pp.———, and Marjorie M. Liu. Dark Dreamers. New York: Leisure Books. 2006.———, Susan Grant, and Susan Squires. The Only One. Leisure Books: New York, Reissue edition, 2003.———, Maggie Shayne, Emma Holly, & Angela Knight. Hot Blooded. New York: Jove Books:, 2005.

Female Vampires see: Women as Vampires