20 October 2006

A Song in the Dark

The latest Vampire Files novel came out in paperback at the beginning of October, and I finally picked it up last Saturday. Unlike some other vampire series I may have mentioned on this blog, this one keeps getting better and better. P. N. Elrod's style was good to start, and is now awesome. One change it a mite predictable: she realized that her vampire's hypnosis ability was a bit too powerful, and, naturally, it has now come down with a severe limitation. But still, awesome storyline, awesome characterization.

Basically, the vampire files are hardboiled detective stories that happen to have a vampire protagonist. It is possible to read any of them standalone, but you'll miss out on a lot of backstory that way. Anyway, in the 9th book, ol' Jack Fleming got caught up in a gang war, and messed him (and his head) up real bad. He's still got the shakes from it, and in the 10th he's still in charge until the local mob-leader recovers. And, hey, guess what? The New York mafiosos want to know what in the blazes that little snafu was all about and send down one of their own. Meanwhile, someone's going around killing the hired help, slashing Jack's tires, and generally making unlife even more miserable for him. Not that he needs the help. He's doing a pretty good job beating himself up when others don't. I will make one semi-spoiler comment: in a first-person narrative, if there are still fifty or so pages left, you're reasonably certain the narrator is going to survive. ;^D

Oddly, I can sort of relate to how Jack feels in this book. It's similar to the way I started feeling last February. Unfortunately, I didn't have an Escott to bludgeon me back to my senses. *shrugs* Thankfully, my case was much less extreme than Jack's. :^) And I'm quite glad it didn't involve someone trying to skin me alive. Though at times I think that might have been preferable...eh, probably not.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't been able to get into most vampire books. I never cared for Anne Rice or Laurell K. Hamilton. I did like Robin McKinley's "Sunshine" and Mercedes Lackey's "Anita Blake" books. For modern fantasy though, I prefer Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files," Simon R. Green's "Nightside" books, and just about anything by Charles DeLint. I haven't read anything by P.N. Elrod, though.

Qalmlea said...

*blinks* Mercedes Lackey did do a few books with vamps, but Anita Blake is LKH's character.

I do enjoy Mercedes Lackey, overall, but there are some consistent...quirks...that get on my nerves. And I haven't read Robin McKinley's newest stuff, but I definitely loved Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword.

I tried the Dresden files... quick, vaguely enjoyable, but nothing that made me want to keep reading them. But, yeah, Charles DeLint I love. Not sure if I've tried Simon R. Green.

Qalmlea said...

Oh, Anne Rice... I enjoyed up through Tale of the Body Thief. Memnoch the Devil, though enjoyable at the time, turned me off of the rest of the series. Too much Catholic mumbo-jumbo.

And you have reminded me of another author to add to my new list of links. Mercedes Lackey. If Robin McKinley has a site, I'll add her, too. :^D

kate said...

Vampire fiction confuses me. It's one of the most unrespected genres of literature, yet it's almost the vogue right now. Eh.

Qalmlea said...

Vampire fiction isn't really its own genre. I mean PN Elrod does mysteries. LKH used to do mysteries. Now it's mostly erotica (boring erotica at that). Anne Rice does gothic horror. I think the main thing that's new is that the vamps are no longer exclusively villains, and no longer confined to horror.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I meant Mercedes Lackey's "Diana Tregarde" bookes. 11:30 is way past my bedtime.

Anonymous said...

Robin McKinley also wrote a Robin Hood novel, "Lady of Sherwood" I think, that was pretty good.

Qalmlea said...

Yeah, that was enjoyable. I think the title was "Outlaws of Sherwood." I have yet to find a take on Robin Hood that I like more than the Disney Cartoon, oddly enough. ;^)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the story just isn't the same without Trigger and Nutzy.