Widow's Weeds

Clan Novel: Tremere Trilogy, Book 2

By: Eric Griffin

Narrated by: Cathi Colas

A Deadly Game of Shifting Loyalties

Exiled from the communion of the Tremere Pyramid, Antigone Baines sheds the robes of her novitiate like a second and ill-fitting skin. In their place, she dons the Widow's Weeds—the formal mourning clothes, symbol of her solitary vigil over the restless dead. Alone she must unravel the riddle of the Conventicle, discover the identity of the prince's would be assassin, and carve out her own place along the treacherous precipice between the worlds of the quick and the dead.

Meanwhile, within the shelter of the Chantry of the Five Boroughs, Regent Aisling Sturbridge faces the fight of her unlife—a fight all the more deadly for the fact that her adversary is the very order that she is pledged to uphold. Faced with determined Inquisitors from the Fatherhouse in Vienna, Sturbridge finds herself standing trial for the Sins of the Father.

Here the haunting story that began in Widow's Walk unfolds like a flower of glass and flame. As Antigone and Sturbridge are about to discover, no one—no matter her station—is immune to its deadly caress.

©2001 Paradox International (P)2025 Paradox International

The Chill Rippling Mirror Eats Itself

A vampire mystery thriller with turncoats of different kinds requiring our heroine (herself labelled a turncoat) to deduce the culprits. The deduction elements sometimes felt teasing carrying over elements from the first book (Widow's Walk, which you should definitely read 1st) - these feel drawn out. At times the play off developments in the first is satisfying but sometimes lingers too long. It's got twists on twists following the twists within this book and from the first; the uncertainty and turning is the plot and character definition is the main development here (the adversary is a bit shadowed sometimes even former friends so the conflict is atypical which is clever but belabored - like the whole plot is a gunman in the shadows). This is written at epilogue after a Sabbat conflict (I think, not being as familiar with the lore) and sometimes feels like epilogue of epilogue in search of a direction (or trying to redefine the masquerade for a future). It centers on the remaining fractions and their power struggles. I've listened to four Vampire the Masquerade books now and there are still some elements I dont have a firm handle on, this text does little to contextualize the power plays. Narrator Cathi Coles continues her charming venture into this stuff with a moist grandmotherly style that makes me want to ask she tuck me with warm milk in after the story. Mid plot too self indulgent with the lore and slow for my taste but well performed. hopefully the third book in Clan Treme trilogy returns because the ending here feels not entirely satisfying on it's own.

Widow's Weeds, Tremere trilogy bk 2

Again Cathi Colas turns out a delightful performance, hitting beats reminiscent of Gillian Anderson in Thatcher mode and James Spader. Vampire politics is always complicated and the Tremere are even more so. Looking forward not to just part 3 of the trilogy, but the Tremere book in the Clan Novels series, also from Crossroad Press, which apparently is related to this trilogy. (I'd be looking forward to the Clan Novels but it's 13 books and I don't have *that* much free time.

Great

Widow’s Weeds by Eric Griffin is a great horror fantasy. Cathi Colas did a great job with the narration. The story is horrifying, engaging, entertaining, interesting, thrilling, and more. Widow’s Weeds is the second book in Clan Novel: Tremere Trilogy. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. highly recommended