Catalyst, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Tachyon Publications, 2006)

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Sometime in the future, on the far-off, newly-colonized planet of Chuudoku, a teenage boy makes one of the most amazing discoveries possible. While fleeing from the predatorily-sexual advances of a cybernetically-augmented girl named Histly, Kaslin stumbles into an unexplored cave, which marks the beginning of a truly unusual First Contact situation. Trapped and transformed by the alien beings who dwell there in hiding, Kaslin and Histly are unwillingly linked in a struggle for survival and understanding. Can they learn to work with one another as they realize their new place in the deadly ecosystem of Chuudoku? And can they trust each other long enough to deal with the interference of well-meaning parental figures and greedy corporates who could destroy everything? Catalyst is a sensual story of tactile discovery, adolescent exploration, and alien communication, as told by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, who excels at merging the fantastic and the mundane.

It’s honestly hard to know what to make of Catalyst. It’s a dramatic change from Hoffman’s usual urban fantasy fare, and a quantum leap forward (and sideways) in terms of tone, style, and language. Her people (especially Histly) are almost stranger than the aliens, while the setting is definitely alien and unfamiliar in feel. The way our protagonists interact with one another is enough to make a reader at least distantly uncomfortable. “Kaslin saw Histly and thought, yum. Histly saw Kaslin and thought, prey. After that first day, Kaslin saw Histly and thought, run.” And despite this bizarre dynamic set up at the beginning, they nevertheless join in a dysfunctional relationship that’s sure to raise a few eyebrows. It’s not that they hate each other, or that Histly is necessarily bad, but . . . dissecting the aspects of their interaction would take more time and space than I have.

And that, I’d say, is how one can approach just about all of Catalyst. For such a short book (less than 200 pages), it certainly packs a lot of meaning and subtext into its space. On the surface, it’s about a boy, a girl, and an alien race, and how they all learn to work together towards a greater understanding. Underneath the surface, the story teems with sexuality, texture, growth, change, and discovery. I’m absolutely sure that it’s pushing boundaries; I’m just not sure which ones, yet. Time will tell if this book will be singled out for its innovation, or rejected for being too strange. It certainly deserves some attention, and Hoffman’s to be saluted for venturing into such strange territory.

Kushiel's Scion, by Jacqueline Carey (Warner Books, 2006)

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In the god-touched, sundrenched land of Terre d’Ange, where people “love as thou wilt,” there is no one person with as significant a heritage, or as portentious a destiny as Imriel de la Courcel. His parents were the greatest traitors the land had ever known, his mother a master manipulator of the highest order. His adoptive parents are the land’s greatest love story: one an avatar of Kushiel, who finds pleasure in pain, the other a knightly warrior who left his order in the name of love. Imriel himself has had quite the life, stolen away and sold into slavery at a young age, forced to suffer all manner of degradations and perversions before he was rescued. Now he’s a Prince, third in line for the throne, and all eyes are upon him as he reaches his teenage years and begins to come into his own. But which way will he turn? Towards the throne, or towards the deceptive path of his legendary birth mother? Also faced with blossoming dark urges as his body matures, Imriel is at a crossroads, unsure of where to turn, and which path to follow. To that end, he leaves Terre d’Ange, determined to study abroad in as much anonymity as he can muster, so that he might learn how simply to be . . . himself.

Unfortunately, this new path leads into revolution, unrest, and war, as Imriel’s new friends come with some strange baggage all their own. From the scholarly courts of famed Tiberium, to the wartorn city of Lucca, Imriel will be forced to grow up in a hurry. He’ll be tested by the bonds of friendship, family, and love, and by the dictates of honor and loyalty, and in the end, he might just come away with a greater understanding of himself. Or he might find himself mired deeper than other in a game that runs beneath the political structure of the world, a pawn moved around the board by a cabal so secretive, even Phedre no Delauney knows nothing of them.

Kushiel’s Scion is an interesting continuation of the Kushiel’s Legacy series, and it greatly expands areas of the world not touched upon in the previous books. It explores the legacy of the infamous Melisande and the legendary Phedre, and it looks at how their entwined influences have created something entirely new. Imriel is neither saint nor sinner, angel nor demon, but a conflicted, complex, flawed hero in his own right, and watching him grow into his destiny and his own tastes is half the fun of this book.

I did find Kushiel’s Scion to be slow-going at points, hard to get into and rather dense in places. Imriel’s tendency to brood and angst is somewhat frustrating at times, making him less than ideal as a sympathetic hero. One starts wishing he’d stop with the inner monologuing, and just do something about the situation. Luckily, he’s surrounded by friends of exceeding loyalty, and allies of interest who make up for his shortcomings.

Oddly for the Kushiel’s Legacy series, this book takes a rather drastic turn into the supernatural/magical side of things about halfway through, when one character is afflicted with a fairly major change that lasts for much of the rest of the story. In general, this series’ claim to fantasy has rested more on the unique take on an idealized, alternate version of our own world, mixing and matching various historical periods to achieve the desired effect. (Terre d’Ange would appear to be something of a medieval-mixed-with-Rennaisance version of France, while their version of the British Isles is drawn from centuries earlier, invoking the era of the Pictish warlords. Tiberium is a take on Rome that seems inspired by classical Greece mixed with post-Roman Empire. Let me just note that as a historian, I’d make a great bicycle repairman, but there’s definitely this sense of mix-and-match going on, with each region in the series based on real historical settings, only strongly idealized to fit the story and the setting. Thus, we get something entirely new, yet hauntingly familiar, like a dream, and that’s where a strong part of the fantasy “feel” comes from in this series. Otherwise, what we’ve seen is limited to hints and subtle manipulations (save for the outright magical machinations and abilities of the mythical Master of the Straits) So to have such a blatant presence of magic in this book comes off as startling, to a degree, especially given how well the story works without the overt magical influences that most fantasies rely on.

I really did enjoy this book. It’s beautifully written, and the way Carey approaches many of the concepts and themes is quite well-handled, touching upon dark desires without wallowing in them. The book occasionally verges on erotic, but rarely does it go all the way into soft (or hard) porn like many recent erotic fantasies do. And for me, that makes it easier to take the actual story, that of a young man trying to find his own place in the world, a lot more seriously. Ultimately, I’d recommend this book to fans of the original trilogy, but I wouldn’t blame them for waiting for the paperback; it’s a pretty hefty read as a hardback. I’ll definitely check out the second volume in Imriel’s saga to see what happens to him next.

Hex and the City, by Simon R. Green (Ace, 2005)

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In the Nightside, London’s rotted, blackened heart, it’s always 3 a.m., and the nightmares are out to play. In the Nightside, everything has a price . . . and a cost. In the Nightside, ancient Beings play out forbidden games and blasphemous plots, while lesser creatures scheme and move in mysterious ways. In the Nightside, killers and saints share the same table in forgotten pubs, while superheroes, aliens, monsters, time-travelers, adventurers, explorers, and much, much more pursue their goals. The Nightside is home to people such as Julien Advent, the Victorian Adventurer; The Lamentation, better known as the Saint of Suicides; Eddie, Punk God of the Straight Razor; Sandra Chance, the consulting necromancer; and Deliverance Wilde, style guru to the Unseelie Court of the Fae. But no one has as varied and ominous a reputation as John Taylor.

John Taylor, private detective. Hunted since birth by the relentless nightmares known as the Harrowing. Born of a mortal man and an unknown woman, and haunted by an unspeakable destiny. Capable of finding — anything — imaginable with the power of his mind, and alternately worshipped and reviled for something that will come to pass in the future. Marked for death, yet used by everyone. Five years ago, he fled the Nightside for fear of his life, and attempted to leave a normal life in the mundane world. But the Nightside has ways of bringing a man home. Since his reluctant return, John Taylor has dealt with horrors unimaginable, and survived some major players in the game, including an assault by angels and demons alike. But now he’s about to learn that it was all the prelude to the most significant case of all.

Hired by the Transient Being known as Lady Luck to investigate the very origins of the Nightside itself, John’s payment is the one thing above all he’s always wanted to learn: the identity of his mother. Against all warnings, despite all common sense, he accepts the case. Gathering together allies in the form of a lunatic capable of altering reality, a man cast out by Heaven and Hell alike, and a succubus, John sets forth to delve into the greatest secrets of the Nightside. Secrets that people would kill to preserve or possess.

Their quest will take them to the deepest, darkest, oldest depths of the Nightside, where they’ll consult with fallen gods, ancient beings, and creatures with unthinkable power. They’ll alternately ally themselves with, and fight against, some of the Nightside’s worst killers and most dangerous guardians. The Authorities of the Nightside, as represented by their agent, Walker, want John Taylor off the case, and this time, they’re willing to kill if need be. But it takes a lot to kill John Taylor and his companions, and ultimately, the Nightside’s origins will see the light of day, and Taylor’s mother will be revealed once and for all. This may very well be the beginning of the end for the Nightside . . . .

Simon Green writes like the hooker who mugs you during sex. One minute he’s whispering sweet nothings, the next he’s kicked you in the groin and made off with your innocence and valuables. He writes with a certain over-the-top flamboyance, a hearty gusto, thoroughly embracing every visceral image and exaggeration he can think of, creating an atmosphere where imagination runs wild and nothing is too extreme. His style is unique, stylized, and addictive, every action and every scene writ larger than life. Part of the appeal for this series lies in how unashamed Green is to play with characters that anyone else would find absurd, and make them fit into the setting. Sinner. Madman. Pretty Poison. The Lord of Thorns. Count Video. Bad Penny. Larry Oblivion. In the wrong hands, these sorts of names and characters would be laughable; with Green, they’re all part of a setting that wholly embraces the extreme and the sublime. Everyone is the best / scariest / nastiest / fastest / most powerful at what they do, and there’s always someone better / scarier / nastier / faster / more powerful still waiting in the wings. In Green’s universe, the dial starts at eleven, and escalates from there.

While Simon Green is very much an acquired taste — either you love his stuff, or you hate it — there’s no denying that he brings something unique to the urban fantasy field. His Nightside series may not be the best stuff he’s done, but it possesses a powerful, entertaining charm all its own, and it’s obvious by now that Green has a master plan and is plunging towards the culmination of everything with an inexorable steadiness, much like a car with its brake lines cut.

If you happen to like urban fantasy with a splatterpunk attitude, a noir sensibility, a pulp sense of style, and a horror undercoating, this is the perfect series for you. Fans of Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Neil Gaiman, John Constantine, Laurell K. Hamilton, Rachel Caine, Glen Cook, Kim Harrison, or Fritz Leiber will all find something to enjoy in the Nightside series. While you can read Hex and the City on its own, I really suggest you read its predecessors (Something from the Nightside, Agents of Light and Darkness, and The Nightingale’s Lament ) first, just to properly appreciate the buildup of pressure and hints across the series. (Also, be sure to check out Simon Green’s Nightside story, “The Nightside, Needless to Say” in the Powers of Detection collection (Ace, 2004)).

Go on, before something eats you. Really.

Dragon's Eye, by James A. Hetley (Ace, 2005)

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The tiny Maine town of Stonefort hides many secrets. A haven for the unusual and the strange, it has long been home for two very special families. On the one hand, there’s the Morgans, a clan of smugglers, rogues, thieves and con men, magically empowered by an ancient being they know only as the Dragon. In every generation, one Morgan is chosen to serve the Dragon, and with the death of his father, Gary Morgan now has to embrace his destiny and master his newfound powers, before the Dragon is stolen and corrupted.

Luckily, he has allies. The other unusual family is the Haskells, a matriarchal group of women who have always been witches and healers, their place of power a semi-alive edifice called the Haskell House, a place where women have gone to find shelter and safety for generations. The current Haskell witch, Alice, and her friend/sometimes lover and jack-of-all-trades/cop Kate Rowley will turn out to be valuable allies in the war that’s brewing. For ruthless forces from out of town, including a drug lord with potent magical abilities, have come to Stonefort, and made an alliance with an unscrupulous family of smugglers. Don Antonio will stop at nothing to claim the powers of the Dragon and the Haskell House, and control the drug trade of the area. Gary, Kate, Alice, and their other family members and allies will have to use every trick and resource they collectively possess to foil this fiendish plot, while still coming to terms with generations of secrets, surprises, and mistrust. If they can’t work together, they’ll definitely fall separately.

For such a simple plot (out-of-town villain seeks to steal local magic, local heroes and anti-heroes band together to stop said villain), there’s a lot going on here. Hetley expertly weaves together the multiple threads of the story to follow a fairly substantial cast. Gary has to deal with his mysterious uncle, Ben. Kate has to deal with her rebellious teenage daughter. Kate and Alice struggle to define their relationship. Caroline Haskell has to cope with her own relation to the various main characters. And there’s a sentient house, and an ancient magical creature of unknown origins to keep in mind. Hetley’s certainly created an intriguing setting with tons of potential for future stories here, and I hope he’ll continue to explore it. Lord knows there’s plenty of room for mystery and adventure up there in the wilds of Maine.

This may very well be Hetley’s best book to date, just in terms of complexity, originality, and fast-paced excitement. As I’ve said, the plot may be simple but he really fleshes out the trappings that give it life and color, making for a fun read. In his previous books, Hetley drew from Celtic myth primarily. Here, he seems to be blazing his own trail, and doing a damn fine job. I highly recommend Dragon’s Eye. It was one of those books I just couldn’t put down once I started reading.

Dead As A Doornail, by Charlaine Harris (Ace, 2005)

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Y’know, life for Sookie Stackhouse just keeps getting more and more complicated. It’s hard enough being a telepathic barmaid in a small Louisiana town, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In the past year, she’s been forced to deal with vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches, maenads, fairies and vicious cultists. Now her own brother is exploring his new status as a werepanther, courtesy of an accidental bite sometime back. Worse yet, there’s a mysterious sniper on the loose, targeting the werecreature community, and no one’s safe from their night-time attacks. When Sookie’s shapeshifting boss is put out of commission for a few weeks, she’s forced to ask a favor of her friend/lover/ally, Eric, who heads up the vampires of Baton Rouge, which naturally puts her in even deeper with that crowd.

As if that wasn’t enough, Sookie’s friend Tara is hanging out with a particularly nasty vampire called Mickey, Sookie’s ex-boyfriend Bill (another vampire) is back in town, there’s a struggle for dominance in the local werewolf pack, and someone might just want Sookie herself dead as well.

I told you her life was complicated.

Now Sookie has to juggle obligations and ties to half a dozen different supernatural communities, only some of which (the vampires) are actually known to exist by the public, while keeping her own life in order. She has to clear her brother of any suspicion in the shootings, try not to get shot herself, navigate through the complicated dealings of the werewolves, balance debts and favors with the vampires, and still find time to shop for new shoes. What’s a girl to do?

I’ve been saying it all along: there’s no way that a southern vampire murder mystery/romance with a telepathic cocktail waitress should work, and yet the elements manage to come together rather nicely. Harris has an ear for dialogue and a way with making the storylines flow together, and the world she’s presented certainly has room for all the disparate elements involved. I continue to be intrigued by the fact that in Sookie’s world, the vampires have gone public (complete with vampire groupies, clubs, synthesized blood, and anti-vampire hate groups), while other supernatural races (such as werewolves/werepanthers/werefoxes/etc and fairies) hang back to see how it goes before deciding whether to reveal themselves or not. Sookie’s one of the few to know the truth about most of these things, whether she likes it or not. In fact, it’s her own ability (though many prefer to call it more of a disability) that makes her so useful. Sookie’s use of telepathy continues to move things along, as much a plot device as a character flaw.

But as much as I love this series (and I read Dead As A Doornail all in one day), there’s something that just doesn’t sit right with me. In this book alone, Sookie has to deal with interest from not one, not two, but FIVE guys. Whether she’s snogging one in the closet, fending off marriage proposals from another, rebuffing an ex-boyfriend over here, or playing hard to get with another, it seems as though she can’t turn around without someone else sidling up for a little action. I think I can say that this series has officially turned from “Southern vampire romance mystery” to “Southern vampire soap opera mystery” I hope things calm down later in the series, because right now, Sookie herself occasionally casts doubts as to her desirability, and when the point of view character has no idea why these men are sniffing around her . . . well, you start to wonder. So Sookie, please make up your mind, and use this baseball bat to firmly convince the others to back down. It’s pretty clear who you want, so act on it already.

I might also quibble at how quickly things seemed to wrap up at the very end. The resolution of one major subplot at an earlier point definitely felt rushed, as did the resolution of the other major subplot. Things hum along quite nicely, and then blam. I think Harris could have stretched it out a tiny bit longer.

Those are minor complaints. On the whole, Dead As A Doornail is another excellent installment to a highly enjoyable series. Charlaine Harris is one of those authors I recommend in the same breath as Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, and Laurell K. Hamilton.

Agents of Light and Darkness, by Simon R. Green (Ace, 2003)

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John Taylor, the Nightside’s scariest private investigator and finder of lost things that really, really want to stay lost, is on the case once more. This time, he’s been hired by a man named Jude, a representative of the Vatican, to recover something that’s gone missing. The Unholy Grail. The cup Judas drank from at the Last Supper. A blasphemous, evil artifact of pure nastiness. Even the merest whisper of its existence is enough to make the mystical beings that inhabit the Nightside, London’s seedier, uglier, crueler, magical side, close up shop and head for the hills. All it takes is a single misplaced hint, and the forces of Heaven and Hell are in town, and not a one of them cares who gets hurt or what gets in their way.

Everyone wants the Unholy Grail, and they all want John Taylor to find it for them. Or they want him dead so he can’t find it for the other side. Really, they’re not picky. For a job this big, John’s going to need help. Help like Shotgun Suzie, the nastiest bounty hunter around, too hard-core for Kali cultist and too violent for impolite company.

Now John and Suzie just have to bust heads and take names as they carve a swath of destruction of their own through the Nightside, before Heaven, Hell, or the Nightside’s own Powers That Be decide to pull the plug on the whole operation. They’ll cross exiled demons, the world’s most dangerous boy band, Nasty Jack Starlight, Razor Eddie, Nazis, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, the infamous Collector, and their own worst fears before the job is over and done with, and the Nightside may never fully recover.

Pure and simple, Agents of Light and Darkness is another Simon Green adventure of over-the-top action, mad concepts, and good old-fashioned mayhem. Written like a campy horror-action movie, fast-paced and high-octane, it’s the perfect way to spend a couple of hours. The characters are outrageous, the ideas are brilliant in their throwaway oddness, and the plot has just the right balance of gruesome seriousness and dark humor. Look closely, and you’ll even see lines connecting this series to some of his other works, including Shadow Falls, Drinking Midnight Wine, and the Hawk and Fisher series. I can’t recommend Green’s work enough.

Callahan's Con, by Spider Robinson (Tor, 2003)

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The Callahan’s crew is back once more for another wild adventure from acclaimed author Spider Robinson. It’s been ten years since Jake Stonebender, his wife Zoey, their daughter Erin, time-traveling genius Nikola Tesla, inveterate punster Doc Webster, organ-playing Fast Eddy Costigan, the talking dog Ralph Von Wau Wau, and all of the other freaks and lunatics of Callahan’s Bar moved to Key West and opened up a bar known simply as The Place. Oh yes, and ten years since they saved the universe from certain annihilation. Given a track record like theirs, which includes multiple world saves, can anyone blame the gang for settling into a nice rum-soaked retirement? Pity it can’t stay that way.

Maybe the trouble starts when the Florida Board of Education finally decides to investigate the details behind now-teenage (and teleporting, time-traveling supergenius) Erin’s home schooling (in a bar that’s also something of a commune?). Or maybe the trouble starts with health issues for one of the Place’s most beloved members. Or possibly, it starts when Tony Donuts Jr., would-be Mafioso and very bad man, chooses to make The Place one of the first places on his brand-new and ill-advised “protection” list. Trouble always comes in threes, it seems. And if Jake and friends want to save the day, they’ll have to get creative. And this is all before Zoey winds up seconds away from death, somewhere in orbit around Jupiter….

I’m of mixed opinions where Callahan’s Con is concerned. On the one hand, it ‘s got plenty of rich characterization, bad puns, fast adventure, wacky ideas, brilliant social commentary, and fascinating interactions. On the other… it’s something of a train wreck. And I mean that only because I’m such a fan of the series, I hold it to a high standard. There are a few glaring plot holes having to do with missing characters, one major plot device hinges upon an apparent contradiction of something we saw in its original appearance decades ago, and part of the magic is just plain missing. Jake, who we used to be able to identify with as the Everyman, has, by his own admission, become so inured to the unreal and surreal that he has trouble thinking in terms of mundane solutions. The absence of certain popular, much-loved characters has left a void, one filled by new characters who, for the most part, don’t add very much to the mix. A trash-talking Key West deer? A merman with a skin condition? Not one, but two men suffering from rare speech disorders? These are the sort of characters that used to have entire Callahan’s stories devoted to them. Now they’re just sort of there, possibly as long-term setups for godawful puns.

Finally, the death of a major character seems to change the entire tone of things, and not quite for the better.

While I love the Callahan’s series, and can’t recommend the first few books in it highly enough, I think we were better off when the story ended with Callahan’s Key. I desperately fear that the series has jumped the shark when the title character can’t even find time (literally!) to make even the briefest of appearances. Fans of the series may very well enjoy this book; for everyone else, I strongly urge you to go read The Callahan Chronicals, a collection of the original stories, first.

A Brooding of Vampire Books That Aren't Sparkly

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Shards, by Bruce Baugh (White Wolf, 2002)
Shadows, by Bruce Baugh (White Wolf, 2002)
Sacrifices, by Bruce Baugh, (White Wolf, 2002)
The Madness of Priests, by Philippe Boulle (White Wolf, 2003)
Agyar, by Steven Brust (Tor, 1993)
Darkest Heart, by Nancy A. Collins (White Wolf, 2002)
Lady Crymsyn, P.N. Elrod (Ace, 2000)
Cold Streets, by P.N. Elrod (Ace, 2003)
Dhampir, by Barb and J.C. Hendee, (Roc, 2003)
The Ultimate Dracula, edited by Byron Priess (iBooks, 2003)
The Best of Dreams of Decadence, edited by Angela Kessler (Roc, 2003)

As I write this, it’s late April, and in the U.S., Tax Season has once again passed. And perhaps coincidentally, that got me to thinking about a different, more classical, sort of bloodsucker. Looking around my desk, I realized that somehow, a few vampire books had piled up. I swear, they probably bite other books and turn them into vampires when I’m not looking. I can see it now. In the dead of night, when I’m upstairs sleeping the sleep of the innocent and dreaming of those halcyon days when I read without reviewing, as a simple shaft of moonlight arcs over my desk, the books … come to life. They sprout fangs and bat wings, and take to the ceiling. There, they confer in the sound of rustling pages. Finally, without warning, one of Laurell K. Hamilton’s books dives down, seizing some poor misshelved Tolkein ripoff, and drinking deep of its ink. In the morning, the book is gone, but in its place sits another vampire novel, freshly reborn….

Pardon me. I got carried away. The fact remains, I found, without even trying, no less than eleven vampire novels of assorted inspirations and lineages, and thought it might be prudent to “deal” with them all at once, before they could convert any more hapless romances or reference books to their evil cause. And believe me, they do come from a variety of sources. Almost half of the list were published by White Wolf, which made its name for itself as a gaming studio with the popular Vampire: The Masquerade. Of these, three books are inspired by the main line, and another by its spinoff, Victorian Age Vampire. Another two books come from P.N. Elrod’s long-running Vampire Files series, about 1930’s-era private investigator-turned-vampire-turned-nightclub owner Jack Fleming. To round the list out, there’s one not-so-traditional fantasy, and a pair of anthologies. All in all, it’s a nice roundup. And on with the blood-sucking show.

In Lady Crymsyn, the eighth book in P.N. Elrod’s Vampire Files series, the year is 1937, and Chicago’s a dangerous place to live. If you don’t believe it, ask Jack Fleming, vampire private investigator. Thanks to some “business” in previous books, he’s come into enough money to finally open up that nightclub he’s always dreamed of. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, when, during the remodeling of the speakeasy he’s acquired, a body is discovered in the basement. A body in a distinctive red dress, handcuffed and walled up. Whoever this woman was, whatever happened to bring her to this place, she clearly died horribly. And Jack Fleming, P.I., vampire, and knight in tarnished armor, dedicates himself to solving the mystery of the woman. Who she was, who killed her, and why. It’ll take all of his powers and wits to solve a mystery that’s been closed (or walled away) for years, especially in a city like Chicago, which already has its fair share of skeletons in the closet. Good thing Jack’s got friends. He’ll need them. Toss in a pesky ghost, trouble with the mobs (as usual) and even a vampire may find himself in danger.

In Cold Streets, Jack’s back and business is booming at his nightclub. Thanks to some influential friends in the mob business, and his own vampiric powers of persuasion, he’s turned it into a place to be proud of, where everyone’s happy and the drinks are flowing. Unfortunately, that white knight streak of his is about to get him in trouble. When he helps to foil a kidnapping, he becomes the target of a nasty blackmail attempt, by someone willing to expose his secret to the world. Meanwhile, a new player from New York’s in town to take over for Jack’s friend, Gordy, who runs the local mob. “Hog” Bristow has no respect for the niceties of negotiation, or for the supposed neutrality of Lady Crymsyn. Between blackmail and gunfire, Jack and his partner, Escott, will be working overtime. But will Jack lose his grip on humanity once and for all, when things turn ugly?

Elrod certainly has an interesting thing going here. I’m reminded a bit of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, in that the main character is a supernaturally-empowered P.I. with too much honor and not enough common sense for his own good. The books are atmospheric, and she really makes the time period and setting of late ’30s Chicago come alive, playing up the culture and historical backdrop. However, while the main character might be a vampire, it doesn’t really give off that vampire vibe. Jack wholeheartedly uses his powers to vanish, and to hypnotize, and even play around with strength and speed, but he has too much of a grip on his human self. There are times when he feels more like a mortal with special powers, than a romantic, bloodsucking figure of the night. I’m not so sure that the juxtaposition really works with him. He does hardboiled detective wonderfully, Jack does, but he doesn’t make the most intriguing of vampires.

It’s a shame I’m dissatisfied with that aspect of the series, because the two books I’ve read were compelling and complex, and quite enjoyable. They’re about 95% accessible to readers who haven’t seen the first seven or so in the series, which is good since it’s not easy to find the earlier books in the stores I’ve checked. Admittedly, there are interpersonal relationships, and events early on that influence how things unfold now, but the astute reader will catch up in no time. So all in all, Lady Crymsyn and Cold Streets are both wonderfully-written, dark (even noir) novels that are worth checking out if you like the supernatural P.I. subgenre (like I do), but as vampire novels, they come off a little weak in comparison to some of the others on my list.

Where the Jack Fleming books come off as a bit too familiar in terms of the vampire main character, Nancy Collin’s Darkest Heart, the newest Sonja Blue novel, treasts the vampire as something truly alien and monstrous. Sonja Blue is an unwilling vampire, possessed by a creature she calls “The Other”, a bloodthirsty beast that tears apart its prey, and does horrible things in the name of existence. Sonja exists in a world of restraint and self-loathing, slaying her fellow vampires and denying The Other its urges as best she can. Her world is a darkly supernatural funhouse, with demons and werewolves and much, much worse dwelling in the shadows.

For the sake of love and her humanity, Sonja is willing to die. But she’s not that lucky. Her attempt to chain The Other once and for all is, ultimately, a failure, and Sonja is forced to walk once more. There’s another vampire hunter out there, and his path is set to cross hers. Together, they’ll take on an ancient vampire and his assorted dark minions, unholy abominations and things that shouldn’t exist. They’ll challenge the boundaries of life and death, and Sonja will risk everything to atone for her mistakes.

Nancy Collins has the atmosphere down pat, and she captures the horrifying, addictively sensual, violent, ugly, Goth-romantic aspect of the vampire mythos with sadistic glee, tormenting the characters until they beg for mercy. Darkest Heart is morbidly fascinating, like an auto accident, or a gunshot wound on the news. I couldn’t put it down. This is hardcore vampire with all the blood and guts and nastiness you could ever want.

How long can you go with a vampiric protagonist without actually saying as much? How about an entire book? That’s what Steven Brust as much as does in Agyar, a skillfully-woven tale of passion, obsession, and desire that makes me wish I hadn’t already used my quota of the word “dark”. Agyar (he goes by a number of names, but this is his most common) is a drifter, a wanderer, a mysterious stranger who takes up residence in a haunted house in an Ohio college town. His story unfolds slowly, blossoming like some midnight flower, and we see firsthand the events that cause his well-ordered life to spiral into chaos. All for the sake of a woman, one might say. When he takes the wrong woman as a lover and a vessel from which to drink, he soon discovers that he’s brought new enemies into his life. What will Agyar do to protect himself, and to protect the girl he cares for? Ah, but that would be telling. The plot is deceptively simple, the writing evocative and sharp, and the characters fascinating. Agyar is almost the perfect “unvampire” novel, avoiding the term as much as it does, and conjuring up enough images to let the reader draw their own conclusions. This is definitely one of Brust’s best works, a rare departure from the more traditional fantasy (can anyone call the Taltos series traditional?) into the realm of horror. It’s hard to go into more detail without spoiling something vital. However, he manages to obtain a splendid blend of mystery and horror and romance, playing on the allure of the unknown and the magic of the concept. Try this one on the people who claim they don’t like vampires, and see what they say afterwards.

Shadows, Shards, and Sacrifices make up the Clan Lasombra trilogy, based on White Wolf’s flagship game, Vampire: The Masquerade. To give you some backstory, the first murderer (Caine) was also the first vampire, cursed by God. All vampires can trace themselves back to him, though they divide themselves into Clans, each one having shared strengths and weaknesses, all but a few exceptions tracing their lineage back to the so-called Third Generation. The older the vampire, the more powerful and more inhuman they’ve become. Furthermore, the majority are associated with one of two societies: the Camarilla (who advocate humanity’s ignorance) and the Sabbat (who advocate humanity’s enslavement). Admittedly, those viewpoints are rather simplified. As it stands, Vampire tried to balance the political mechinations of the older vampires, with the struggle to retain the humanity of the younger ones.

A few years back, White Wolf released their Clan Novels series, a thirteen book series that brought upheaval to their setting. Spinning out of this is Clan Trilogy: Lasombra, which features one of the pivotal characters from the first series, Lucita, a thousand-year-old member of Clan Lasombra, whose members control and have an affinity for shadows, and who act as a mainstay of the Sabbat. At long last, Lucita is free of her powerful sire, the inhuman vampire known as Moncada. For her, it’s a blessed release. For the rest of her Clan, it’s trouble waiting to happen. They’ll do anything to find and eliminate the threat they percieve her as. But other, darker, deadlier plans are afoot in the Lasombra, including an attempt to resurrect their long-dead founder and namesake, a creature of unimaginable power and appetite which could destroy them all before turning them into dinner.

The Clan Lasombra trilogy has some good things, and some bad things, going for it. On the positive side, Bruce Baugh really does capture the inhumanity and the complex plotting of these immortal creatures. He also has the setting down pat, able to produce a multi-layered, intriguing tale set in the World of Darkness. This series, and the setting, really do play up the bizarre nature and stranger powers of the vampires, as well as the detachment they begin to feel as their affinity for humanity slips away over centuries or millenia, and their slow evolution into something far more terrifying. As well, we see what sort of mechinations and plots can come about when one has eternity to plan and the patience to outlive his enemies. On the down side, I felt that this series wasn’t the best one for newcomers to the setting to start with. Not only does the trilogy spin out of another series, but it seems to assume at least a passing familiarity with the source material. I hadn’t read the Clan Novel: Lasombra, and so felt a little behind the times for this, despite the promising premise and Baugh’s obvious skills. The Clan Lasombra trilogy is moody and complex, and a great series for those already well-versed with the World of Darkness, but it’s not one I’d choose to initiate non-fans with.

On the other hand, there’s the second book in the Victorian Age Vampire trilogy, The Madness of Priests by Philippe Boulle. Continuing the bizarre adventures of Regina Blake as she attempts to save her mother from a dangerous society of vampiric blood sorcerers, this book sees Regina and her mentor, Victoria Ash, descend further into a world of hidden sins and private damnations. Vampires are real, and they mimic the surface world with a mock court, paying homage to a Prince of their very own, tugging the strings of mortal society with an eye towards preserving their own existence, and making it more comfortable. Secret societies abound in this last years of the 19th Century, not all of them run by humans. Caught up in all of this are Regina’s father, and her fiancee, who may already have been lost to the seductive schemes of one such group. Little does Regina know the true purpose her mother, once thought dead, now known to be entrapped by the vampires known as the Order of Tremere, has been groomed for. When Regina stumbles across a vampiric religious fanatic, the charismatic Father Anatole, her quest could end prematurely.

Even someone not familiar with the World of Darkness setting can pick up on the material in no time, here. Even though we’re treated to a much more in-depth study of vampiric society, it’s generally done with one of a few outsiders, including Regina, as the point of view characters. Through her eyes, it’s all a little stranger and more exotic, secrets of the Victorian age hidden behind a half-drawn curtain. It helps to start with the first in the trilogy, A Morbid Initiation, but even so, this is a nicely accessible book. It invokes a number of Victorian themes, including repressed eroticism, the fascination with the occult, the fascination with farflung lands like Egypt or India, and of course, that day/night dichotomy. Anyone who likes their vampires “classic” will probably get a kick out of this series.

Another recent find, Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee, is interesting for a rather different take on the vampire mythos, as well as for translating them over to a pure fantasy setting. For some reason, vampires work best when posed against the modern world, so it’s always disconcerting to see them in a fantasy or even science fiction world. In this case, it seems to work.

Magiere and her partner, the half-elf Leesil, wander the land, acting as vampire slayers for hire, taking whatever the grateful villagers can afford to pay her in exchange for ridding them of the nocturnal horrors that stalk them. However, what no one realizes is that for all the flash and show and effort, Magiere and Leesil are really, quite simply, running a con game. There are no vampires. There’s only Magiere, Leesil, and their canine companion, Chap. But after years of the game, Magiere’s ready to settle down, buy a tavern, and live an honest life for once. Leesil, less thrifty, is none too pleased by this, but would rather stay with his only friend than leave her. So it’s off to the city of Miiska, and to that honest life.

Small problem. Miiska is home to a pack of powerful vampires, and they’re definitely unhappy to have a vampire slayer moving into town. Magiere will have to live up to the reputation she falsely created, master abilities she never knew she possessed, and tap into her heritage to destroy the monsters of Miiska. Luckily, she has Leesil, whose own history is shadowed and more dangerous then he ever let on, and Chap, who’s more than a mere dog, to back her up. As well, there’s a stranger who knows more about Magiere than she herself does, and he has his own agenda for vampires and slayer alike.

Dhampir is a clever and well-told tale that has more than a few twists, the least of which is the one spoiled above. Set up to allow sequels, it’s still a great stand-alone that finds a fairly new way to approach vampires in a believable fantasy world that oozes with atmosphere and begs for more exploration. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I’m hoping we’ll see more from the Hendees soon.

If there was a championship title bout among vampires, then the undisputed champion through sheer popularity, staying power, number of interpretations, and cultural recognition would clearly be Dracula. That’s why it’s hardly surprising to see The Ultimate Dracula, an anthology released by iBooks and originally published in 1991. In this collection, Dracula and his legend are retold and reinterpreted by nineteen masters of the genre. Notables include Anne Rice, Philip Jose Farmer, Dan Simmons, Ed Gorman, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Mike Resnick, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and John Gregory Betancourt. Leonard Wolf’s insightful and information introduction, and a selected filmography detailing some of the best or more noteworthy versions of Dracula to hit the silver screen, are added bonuses for the anthology. Though every anthology is naturally touch and go, hit and miss, according to individual tastes, this particular collection has a rather nice number of standout talents, and enough variety among authors and stories to appeal to almost any fan of the vampire genre. Noteworthy stories, in my mind, include Edward Hoch’s chillingly historic “Dracula 1944″, which has the Lord of the Vampires visiting a Nazi work camp during the later part of World War II, and Heather Graham’s fang-in-cheek “The Vampire In His Closet”, where a writer goes looking for inspiration. These stories represent the opposite ends of the thematic and mood spectrum one’ll find in The Ultimate Dracula.

Last, but certainly not least, in this parade of the damned, is The Best of Dreams of Decadence. Dreams of Decadence is a vampire-only poetry and fiction magazine that’s been around for the better part opf a decade, acting as one of the flagship titles for DNA Publications, which also owns Weird Tales. Over the years, it’s changed size and format, always getting larger and better, and for a while it routinely sold out through the Hot Topics chain of ‘trend’ stores, until Hot Topics themselves started moving away from the Gothic focus. Collected here are some of the very best of a consistently quality vampire magazine, which is, if not one of a kind, at least one of the more persistent and notable of its kind. Authors represented include Sarah A. Hoyt, Sharon Lee, Wendy Rathbone, Laura Anne Gilman, Tippi N. Blevins, Tanith Lee, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Josepha Sherman, Brian Stableford, and DNA Publications publisher Warren Lapine. All in all, several dozen stories and poems are presented, in most cases reprinted for the very first time, and they really do represent the vast potential of the vampire genre. If you like vampires, and you like variety, this collection may be right up your alley. It’s got something for everyone, and it proves there’s still way too much life left in an undead field.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I hear my books calling. They demand … fresh victims.

The Books of Magic Collection

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The Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton (Vertigo, 1990-1991)
The Books of Magic: The Invitation, by Carla Jablonski (Eos, 2003)
The Books of Magic: Bindings, by Carla Jablonski (Eos, 2003)

In 1990, a literary predecessor of Harry Potter came onto the scene, long before anyone had heard of Hogwarts or Voldemort. Originally published as a four-part graphic novel series, adeptly written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated masterfully by John Bolton, The Books of Magic was intended as an exploration of the past, present, and future of the DC Comics universe from a magical perspective.

Thirteen-year-old British schoolboy Timothy Hunter, an awkward, bespectacled young man living alone with his crippled, depressive father, is approached by a quartet of trench-coated strangers, who give him the once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn about magic. And so Tim takes the chance. Guided in turn by the enigmatic Phantom Stranger, the rakish John Constantine (who stars in his own comic, Hellblazer), the introspective Doctor Occult (notably one of the first comic heroes, preceding Superman in appearance) and the fanatical blind Mister E., Tim is taken on a journey of discovery, magic, and danger. From the beginnings of the universe, to the myth of Atlantis, to the cave of Merlin as a young man, to the Burning Times when magic was persecuted, Tim learns how it all came about. John Constantine takes him on a tour of magic in the modern day, introducing him to another DC Comics staple, the beautiful Zatanna. Doctor Occult and his other self, Rose, show Tim the other worlds out there, including the treacherously lovely lands of Faerie. And Mister E. takes Tim into the future, as far as the end of time, where Death herself (a favorite of many Sandman readers) waits. Brilliant and beautiful, the original Books of Magic remains a graphic novel masterpiece, on par with any of Gaiman’s Sandman stories or Stardust.

In 1994, Tim Hunter returned in his own ongoing comic book series, initially written by John Ney Reiber. Chronicling the slow education of Tim, destined to be one of the greatest magicians in the world and to play a major part either for good or evil in the years to come, the Books of Magic series saw him dealing with dangers internal and external, wrestling with the nature of his true identity and parentage, and journeying to worlds as vast and dangerous as Faerie, and America. He found and lost love, freed and destroyed worlds, confronted his evil self, bargained with demons and succubi and angels, and ultimately graduated to the next phase of his education. Though that series ended after six years and seventy-five issues, it did result in several spinoffs, The Books of Faerie, each miniseries looking at the rise and/or fall of Titania, Auberon, and Molly, the first two the erstwhile rulers of Faerie and the last Tim’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, caught up in events beyond her control. Another miniseries, The Names of Magic, written by Dylan Horrocks, saw Tim seeking his true name, so he could enroll in the mysterious, world-spanning White School, sort of a Hogwarts on multi-dimensional acid for the college level. This, in turn, was followed by Hunter: The Age of Magic, a currently ongoing series that follows a more grown-up and mature Timothy Hunter. On one level, and to do both Hunter and Potter a serious injustice, I could easily say that any of the above series are the closest you’ll come to seeing Harry Potter in comic book format. But they’re really quite different, exploring different themes and stories. Which brings me to the true point of this essay.

For whatever reasons, DC has decided that now is the perfect time to release Young Adult novel/adapations of the Books of Magic, starting at the very beginning with the Gaiman series. Adapted into novel format by author Carla Jablonski, the first volume in the series retells the four issues detailing Tim’s initial foray into the worlds of magic, while the second retells the first four issues of the first ongoing series, which has also been reprinted as a trade paperback under the name Books of Magic: Bindings. Both books are already out in stores, and I eagerly sought them out, confident that they’d be faithful and worthy versions of stories I’d read numerous times since they first came out.

I was both right and wrong. Carla Jablonski was indeed faithful to the source material, perhaps to a fault. While the books do go into more detail and introspection on the part of certain key characters, such as Tim Hunter, and they add in a bit more background scenery, they really don’t break out of the original mold. Worse still, while they’re quite descriptive and atmospheric, they don’t come close to capturing the eerie, lifelike resonance and the subtle tones of Bolton’s artwork. If you’ve seen the original comics, the book just don’t hold up. And to my mind, the story feels, well, dumbed down a little for the targeted age group, as if afraid to stick to its guns. Missing are scenes both small and large, leaving gaping holes where the experienced reader and pre-existing fan is concerned, and what worked well in graphic format seems lacking in text format. Successful novelizations of comic books are possible (see Gaiman’s own adaptation of Stardust or Elliot S! Maggin’s exploration of Mark Waid and Alan Ross’s Kingdom Come as prime examples) so it’s hard to imagine why I came off feeling so deflated after reading Jablonski’s first two efforts.

I commend her for her efforts, and I do allow that for younger readers, and for those not already exposed to the original material, these are perfectly acceptable, though they don’t possess the same compelling nature of complexities of many YA books in the same class (such as Harry Potter or the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane). The only real way I can feel good about recommending the novelizations of The Invitation and Bindings is as a stepping-stone towards reading the source material as it was intended. Hopefully, Jablonski or whoever continues to adapt the series, will be given more freedom or confidence to add her own touches to the stories. As a fan, I’ll continue to check out these YA adapations, but I’m seriously afraid that they’ll fail to capture either existing fans, or those looking for a Harry Potteresque fix. Do yourselves a favor and look for the originals, which have been reprinted a number of times in convenient and classy trade paperback editions.

Long Hot Summoning, by Tanya Huff (DAW, 2003)

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The world is once again in peril in Long Hot Summoning, the third installment in Tanya Huff’s The Keeper’s Chronicles. But this time, the danger doesn’t come from a portal to Hell. Oh no, this time it’s worse. Much worse. This time, a shopping mall sitting on the boundary of our world and the next could spell the end of everything we know, just in time for some truly hellish back-to-school sales.

Diana Hansen, Keeper-in-training, is looking forward to graduating high school so she can become a Keeper for real, just like her big sister Claire (star of Summon the Keeper and The Second Summoning), now the proprietor of a very special boarding house. Mainly so she can show Claire how to do it right, with that typical teenager attitude. What Diana and her angel-turned-cat (don’t ask), Sam, don’t expect, is that her first call as a Keeper will hit exactly one minute after she steps out of school for the last time. And now Diana and Sam are in for the challenge of their lives, as they race against the clock to repair the damaged boundaries of the world before things get very bad indeed.

Meanwhile, over at the Elysian Fields Boarding House, things are business as usual for Claire, her cat Austin, and resident handyman and boytoy (I mean boy-friend), Dean, as they continue to attract a very special segment of the population. You know, vampires, werewolves, retired gods, midget basketball teams, on-the-run arachaeologists and their returned-to-life mummy lovers and the deranged hunter trying to slay said mummy…. Hey, at least the portal to Hell in the basement was closed! Despite things looking just dandy on the surface, it becomes clear to Austin’s catlike perception that Dr. Rebik and the undead Meryat are hiding more than anyone thought, and poor Dean, left in charge of the place for a little while, may be at risk of losing his soul, if not his life.

But hey, it could be worse. After all, Diana, Sam, and Claire are busy in another dimension, trying to aid a version of King Arthur and mallelves in freeing the mall from the dreaded evil-without-a-good-name.

…..

I’m sorry. Let me rephrase that.

Our heroes team up with King Arthur as filtered through an anime archetype, and a bunch of mallrats turned elves, in order to defeat an aspect of Hell, free a multidimensional shopping mall, and prevent a worse evil from unbalancing our world, while back at the Elysian Fields Boarding House, the relatively naive handyman and a grumpy talking cat fight a resurrected mummy.

I’m serious. It’s an urban fantasy comedy.

Honest.

Look, if you’re going to laugh, we can just move to another review.

What’s that? Laughing with me, not at me? Oh, fine.

Long Hot Summoning is actually clever, quick, and tongue-in-cheek, filled with interesting twists and shareworthy turns of phrase. It’s just outrageous enough to be entertaining, and it manages to take itself just seriously enough that it doesn’t degenerate into mindless pratfalls. This is a world where words have power, and our heroes have to be careful what they say, simply because it can be taken literally. Cursing is a no-no, and as for ground-shakingly good sex … er, anyway. There are Rules to be followed for both good and evil, and breaking one allows the other side to do the same. Once again, things have to be done subtly at times. The dangers are real, even if they’re not all-encompassingly nasty. So maybe Hell talks to itself and argues with its aspects. So maybe those aspects have dreams of being promoted to having names. So teenagers trapped in a mall can become elves, and the archetypical leader figure of Arthur isn’t what we expect. What’s important is that as far as urban fantasy with humor goes, this is right up there with some of Esther Friesner’s books for sheer amusement value.

Characterization continues to be a plus. Not only is Diana fleshed out a lot more as she takes the spotlight, but Sam and Austin both get enough screen time to really shine, and Huff captures the personalities of the cats perfectly. New ally Kris is a welcome addition, especially as her worldly view and no-nonsense attitude make her a nice contrast to the portrayal of the Keepers.

My only complaint with this book is that the ending is abrupt. I mean majorly so. Certain things are resolved with a breakneck pace that left me with whiplash. I wish Huff had taken ten or twenty more pages to flesh out the very ending on a more graceful note. I can only hope there’s another book in the series, because there’s plotlines I’d love to see continued, especially with regards to Diana’s emotional maturation and growing relationship with the other characters.

All in all, Huff turns in another entertaining, whimsical tale of the Keepers, one that’ll make a great summer read.