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The Ouroboros Cycle

The Ouroboros Cycle, Book Two: A Cautionary Tale for Young Vampires

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The year is 1888 and a madman is terrorizing the East End of London. But Doctor Varanus Shashavani has far more pressing concerns to worry about than a lunatic in Whitechapel. Her charitable hospital is under siege by gang lords, her English cousins are threatening to steal her inheritance, and her best friend has become obsessed with Gothic novels. To make matters worse, her son Friedrich is associating with an American who talks endlessly of wellness and yoghurt, while her bodyguard is pestering her to return home to Georgia, half a world away. It seems that everyone--friends, enemies, and "Saucy Jack" alike--have conspired to interrupt her work. But Varanus did not obtain immortality just to have mad killers and distant relations get in the way of scientific progress. Though supernatural conspiracies and all-too-human monsters confront her at every turn, Varanus will stand firm against all odds. After all, she is accustomed to fighting for what is rightfully hers.

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

282 people want to read

About the author

G.D. Falksen

40 books265 followers
G. D. Falksen is the author of "The Secret Life of Kitty Granger" (Carolrhoda Lab, 2021), "Maiden of War" (Audible Originals, 2020), "Doctor Cthulittle" (Insight Studios, 2018), "The Transatlantic Conspiracy" (Soho Teen, 2016), and "The Ouroboros Cycle" series (Wildside Press, 2013 to present), and has been a contributor to the award-winning anthologies "Mine!" and "Cthulhu Fhtagn!". He is also Chairman of the Advisory Board of Writers and Artists Across the Country, a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating author visits to underserved schools. Falksen’s "Ouroboros Cycle" series is currently being developed for television.

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5 stars
111 (43%)
4 stars
94 (36%)
3 stars
41 (15%)
2 stars
11 (4%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Nikki.
5 reviews5 followers
April 22, 2014
A completely spoiler-free review of The Ouroboros Cycle: A Cautionary Tale For Young Vampires!





"Chapter One/ Two”





"Froufrou, bustles, and boiled eggs."




Charity house and yoghurt.




Skeletons and crypts.




Luka.




JARS!






Iosef!




Christmas Eve.







Ekaterine and Friedrich.




Family relations.





Balcony. Late December.







END OF THE BOOK.





Waiting (im)patiently for the third one!



OBVIOUSLY there are a lot of things in between these .gif reactions, but without spoiling anything, you get the gist. The amazing and absolutely MUST read gist.
Profile Image for Trevor.
16 reviews3 followers
March 2, 2017
GD Falksen is now entrenched as one of my favorite authors. His writing is a seamless blend of Austinesque propriety and supernatural intrigue and bloodshed. His writing is an absolute pleasure to read, the stories highly engaging, and I find myself very invested in the characters, and cheering for a cup of tea when the bad guys get whats coming to them.
i found this book every bit as entertaining as the first, and thank god I still have two in the series to read. hopefully by the time i have finished them Mr Falksen will have finished another. Thank you Mr Falksen
Profile Image for James.
212 reviews4 followers
May 6, 2014
For a vampire novel of any sort, the vampiric tendencies of its characters were surprisingly subtle. That was definitely a nice feeling while reading. You got to know these characters as normal people because they always felt normal, except for the fact that they have more wit than the average human being.

While I've given 5 stars to both this and the first novel, I enjoyed this much more. There was a nice balance between focusing on the characters and advancing their stories and the story the book is about itself. I did appreciate the fact that while I know the books will continue, there was no sort of forced ending leading into another story. 'Tis a much nicer feeling to wait patiently for another book than to wait impatiently because you want the cliffhanger to be resolved.
Author 19 books9 followers
December 11, 2015
The Ouroboros Cycle is easily one of my favorite series of books out there. It's an incredible edition to the modern take on a Victorian horror novel genre. The heroine is an amazing lady who manages that difficult balance between being strong and being a male character who happens to be called 'she'. I love it.
Profile Image for MKF.
1,415 reviews
June 20, 2025
I struggled with this one a bit because it's a lot longer than book two and has a lot of things happening at once. This book is broken into different points of view from different characters that were introduced in book one. It's a bit of mess and wasn't as good as the first time reading it.
Profile Image for Eva D..
159 reviews1 follower
April 3, 2015
I need to stop falling in love with fictional characters. I really, really do. BUT KORBINIAN!!
Profile Image for Laura.
200 reviews
August 19, 2017
Sono stata tentata di mettergli due stelle per il semplice fatto che gli ultimi capitoli erano totalmente slegati dal resto della trama e, per me, senza il minimo senso di esistere.
Profile Image for Will.
185 reviews
Read
October 13, 2021
Not a DNF but I wasn't as hooked on the events of this book as I was with the first. I think I'll have to leave this for now and come back to it later.
Profile Image for Stephanie May.
2 reviews2 followers
January 1, 2019
Another winner!


Fallen is an engaging storyteller. Captivating and witty from beginning to end. I am looking forward to book number 3.
Profile Image for Searska GreyRaven.
Author 14 books18 followers
June 3, 2014
Fantastic story, save for one small point--if Korbinian could throw his sister off that balcony, why couldn't he help Varanus in the mad doctor's lab? o_O I feel like I'm missing something here...

Other than this, it was a wonderful story. ^_^
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Amy Braun.
Author 34 books351 followers
May 5, 2015
Really loving this series! Charming, exciting, and surprisingly action packed! I liked the separate accounts of other characters, especially Luka, and found the twists to be welcome and unexpected. I can't wait for the next book! So much more has to happen!
Profile Image for Sarah.
12 reviews2 followers
May 12, 2014
As great as the first one, I read the whole thing in one sitting and gladly lost a night of sleep over it.
Profile Image for Kat Davis.
9 reviews
August 16, 2015
A good continuing saga

I real-time the characters and enjoyed following their adventures. I found this an interesting continuation of the first book. Can't wait to read the next.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
29 reviews
January 6, 2015
Fantastisch!! Fun and very clever...a bit heart wrenching towards the end. I can't wait for book 3!!!
Profile Image for Jenn Mccranie.
8 reviews1 follower
March 10, 2015
Although it had a bit of a slow start, it was overall very entertaining and at some parts quite shocking. Looking extremely forward to Book Three!
Profile Image for Tabitha.
26 reviews
March 19, 2015
Surprisingly enjoyable. Of course, I love historical drama.
Profile Image for Rosemary.
410 reviews
June 18, 2015
Some delightfully gothic elements, but still manages to be realistic (well in terms of the genre) and engaging, with a well thought out universe for the action to play out in.
154 reviews20 followers
August 21, 2016
I wasn't sure how the second book would turn out, but it's absolutely excellent. A great follow up to the first in the series and a good standalone book as well.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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