In Print: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans by Greg Cox

I'm a huge fan of the Underworld tales. To me, this was the first story about vampires, werewolves, and the things that go bump in the night seriously in quite a while. In fact, the concept of the spore being spread through blood as a virus was more logical and believable than any old thoughts of mysticism. So, after the first movie, I got all the versions of the DVD, the novelization of the movie and dug in.

That novelization was written by Greg Cox, the author of several other books in the genre. Cox put out a book shortly after being a two layer prequel: one being the events that led to what happened in the first movie, and the other layer about the start of the war between vampires and lycans. The second movie came out a couple years ago, re-energizing my interest in the Underworld. Cox again wrote a novelization for that movie.

In a couple weeks the third film in the Underworld comes out: UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS. The official movie novelization, again by Greg Cox, came out a week ago, and I got it, and read it.

This is a fast paced, well written story. Being a film novelization, it's not hard to visualize what he's describing. I found the book thoroughly enjoyable, and it kept me turning the pages. I didn't want to put it down until I finished it mere days after getting it, and I am a slow reader!

If you can' wait for the movie, do what I did, read the book. It's great, and gives you a better background and understanding of what's on the screen when you do see it.

More on the official website:

http://entertheunderworld.com/

On IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0834001/

Get it on AMAZON.

And now, MOVIE SPOILERS!!! Do NOT read on if you don't want to know any details before reading the book or seeing the movie.

• If you thought this would be based on the book BLOOD ENEMY by Greg Cox, sorry, it's not. Almost completely different.
• If you saw the movie posters and noticed Kate Beckinsale on them, you are mistaken. That's Rhona Mitra. She plays Sonya, and she DOES look a lot like Kate. That's the reason why Viktor ultimately makes Selene a vampire. Just not in this movie.
• Amelia and Marcus do not make any appearances.
• This takes place in "Castle Corvinus," the castle on top of the dungeons that help William all those many years.
• Kraven does NOT make an appearance either, which is ponderous because he had a lot of inside knowledge, which was to become sealed. There's no way he should've known about such things.
• Lucian is the first born LYCAN. Previously there were the creatures that were created from William and his spawn. Being naturally born, but in human form, not wolfen, he was the first of his breed who was able to change shape from human to werewolf and back.
• Again, there is a fundamental difference from a werewolf to a lycan. Werewolves REMAIN werewolves until death, when they revery to their human form. Lycans can change from human to wolf and vice versa. Silver and death will force the lycan back into human form.
• Lucian was over 200 years old before the war broke out. He worked for the vampires as a blacksmith and was Viktor's personal "pet" lycan.
• It's shocking how much Sonja (Rhona Mitra) looks like Selene (played in the other movies by Kate Beckinsale)which helps reinforce why Viktor sired her as a vampire.
• Raze is introdiced in this movie. He's made into a Lycan during this instalment. He's about 200 years younger than Lucian. He's loyal to Lucian because he saved him from a pack of ravaging werewolves.
• The vampires have a group of nobles who pay the vampires tribute for protection from the werewolves. They provide the silver that the vampires use against the werewolves and lycans. Obviously the lycan slaves couldn't be used to mine silver due to their "allergy" to the metal.
• The vampires have refelctions.
• Viktor is suspicious of his daughter's actions. He finds out about the affair between Sonja and Lucian from her blood memories. Yes, he drinks her blood and reads her memories.
• Viktor was willing to spare his daughter the death sentence dictated by the covenant until he found out she was pregnant. He could not get past the abomination that grew within her womb.
• Sonja is imolated by the sun for her affair.
• Lucian was twice whipped during the course of the book. The second time in the same chamber Sonja would be cremated in. Once by Soren, who would end up the leader of Kraven's guard detail.
• Lucian had learned his silver extraction trick during this film.
• After Sonja is killed, Lucian changes into his wolfen form, takes Sonja's pendant, and attempts to escape the castle but is stopped by Death Dealers. He wails in torment which causes escaped Lycans and feral werewolves storm the castle to help. The horde lays waste to the castle and all the inhabitants. It implies that Soren should've died. I can't see how anyone could've survived the onslaught.
• Viktor and Lucian fight a sowrd battle to the death at the end. We already know neither dies, but the battle goes strangely in Lucain's favor, nearly killing the elder. How a blacksmith is able to do battle with a vampire elder and keep up is quite beyond me.
• If you like Tannis, he has a major role in this movie. The exiled historian from Underworld: Evolution is the court scribe and documents everything that goes on. He helps Sonja visit Lucin during his encarceration. He aids Lucian in his escape. Later he saves the slumbering Amelia and Marcus from the attack on the castle. He also assists a severely wounded Viktor to head to the estate in Buda.
• The movie ends with the injured Viktor vowing to build a new army of Death Dealers to destroy the lycan menace.