The Show is About to Begin…When a mysterious ballet theatre surfaces in Paris, people are drawn to the stage productions with a magnetic force. Captivated dancers hastily audition for the grand creations with a sheer disregard for the terror which is rumored to reside within the theatre. A sense of dread permeates the company as the lines between illusion and reality are obscured, when one of the performers is thought to be a danseur de la crypt…a nefarious villain who carries out justice for the immortals.
As the company prepares for the spellbinding production of
Les Ballerines de la Crypte, members of the company start to disappear. Rumors of “The Crypt Dancer” soar through the performers, and throughout the world, as an increasing amount of immortals are banished to “coffin sentences” for centuries; tormented in crypts, bound in chains with beating hearts, fully aware of the darkness and solitude which surrounds them.
At the center of the story is Ramiel, an alluring immortal from Rome, raised in Italian culture and Catholic traditions. He travels to Paris to pursue his artistic dreams, and after, to America, to fulfill an immortal doctrine, The Code of the Immortals. In America, he finds fellow immortal, Antoine, struggling as his sector is in turmoil, overrun by a coven of witches whose true purpose is shrouded in secrecy.Ramiel must return to his past…back to the days when he performed the Ballet of The Crypt Dancer…to raise the immortals back to their renewed strength.
A.L. Mengel returns to the enigmatic world of The Tales of Tartarus with a tale of phantoms and masquerades, voodoo and witchcraft, juxtaposed with the enigmatic impression of immortality.
EDITORIAL REVIEW (Five Stars)
"Heavily drenched in drama and action...out of this world!"
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
Ballet of The Crypt Dancer: From the Tales of Tartarus Crypt Dancer Edition by A.L. Mengel is a supernatural thriller with a twist. Heavily drenched in drama and action, the story follows Ramiel, an immortal with a very colorful past. Originally from Rome, Ramiel has seen the world, but he is now in America where he meets Antoine. Antoine has troubles with a coven of witches, and he has no idea what they want. But things are even worse in Paris. A strange theater has surfaced where performers are going missing. People start talking about The Crypt Dancer who is locking the immortals up for centuries. No one is better equipped to look deeper into this situation than Ramiel. He is ready to figure out why people are disappearing, and who is behind all this. Can he figure it out before he becomes a victim of the Crypt Dancer too?
Honestly, this fantastic story took me by surprise. I am a quick reader. I breeze through novels and cannot wait to start a new one. However, with this one, I wanted to savor every word and lose myself in the pages. The author transports the reader right beside Ramiel. The imagery and descriptions are breathtaking. Initially, it was the promise of intense suspense that really drew me in, but as the story progressed, I realized this was far more than just a supernatural novel. Ramiel is complex, he is demanding, and he has a story to tell. He never holds back, but he is not reckless. He is like the calm before the storm that shakes you to your core. The narrative is powerful yet simple enough to grab your attention. A.L. Mengel divides Ballet of The Crypt Dancer into three parts to mark the development of Ramiel. He propels the story forward and entices readers to come closer for more. Out of this world!
