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. ( )

Instead of one novel, this volume is three novellas, "Dark Nocturne," "An Ode to Imagined Fall," and "Legend of the War Fiends." I have my usual complaint: I wish they'd gotten a better writer to translate the stories. Kevin Leahy's translation remains murky, monotonous and wooden. I find myself re-writing the prose in my head as I read. If it weren't Vampire Hunter D, I'm sure I wouldn't be reading these novels. I wish my Japanese were good enough to read them in the original. I'm half-tempted to get hold of one of the novels in Japanese and attempt to translate it myself, and see how it reads.

Anyway, the usual complaints aside, I liked these three shorter works. It's interesting, in a postscript, Kikuchi says that he would prefer to write short stories, but there's no market for them in Japan, for horror or science fiction short stories especially. So he writes novels instead. I think he's better suited for short fiction. I often feel that his novels drag, and would work better as short stories. It's too bad the market won't allow him to do what he's good at. ( )