Archive for new vampire book
Title: Wicked Game
Author: Jeri Smith- Ready
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Pages: 432
Genre: Urban Fantasy
A young woman with a sketchy history tries to go straight. Looking for a respectable job, she interviews as an intern at a radio station. But the job has a lot of odd requirements, such as:
-the DJs don’t work during the day
-she can never enter the locked room in the basement, and
- each DJ is uncannily aware of his/her decade of musicThus begins a great novel titled Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready. Meet Ciara Griffin, reformed grifter who needs a job badly and who’s willing to take on the strange crew at WWMP in order to make ends meet.
What she doesn’t know is that the reason these DJs know their music genre so well is that they are vampires that were turned in the decade of the songs they play – that’s why they’re such experts.
Just when Ciara gets into the groove of her new job a nationally syndicated radio giant decides to buy WWMP, ruining the life that these vampires have built for themselves. so Ciara comes up with a radical idea – tell the world that the DJs are vampires as a marketing gimmick and hope they can make enough money to hold off the wolves. Changing their name to WVMP, the vampire DJs pretend to be vampires for their human listeners and it’s a rousing success. Unfortunately, their ruse attracts the attention of an ancient vampire cult whose members are less than happy at the visibility WVMP is generating for their kind . . .
Wicked Game is a cleverly written book with lots of unique and interesting characters that keep you engrossed. From the very beginning, Ciara is attracted to Shane, the DJ for the grunge rock era, but she’s also quite wary of him – seriously, can a human truly have a relationship with a vampire? Adding the other fun characters in the story, from bizarre vampires who only live in their decade to the mystery buyer who wants their radio station, Jeri Smith-Ready brings us an excellent tale of friendship, mystery, and love. Pick this book up and be prepared to be reading for a while, it’s hard to put down.
Christopher Farnsworth has written a vampire book that may start a whole new trend. In “Blood Oath: The Presidents Vampire” we’re introduced to a whole new way of looking at vampires. Nathanial Cade, a vampire, is the President’s “go to” man for missions that require a vampire’s special talents. He’s been doing this for over 100 years.
Some backstory on Nathanial: while aboard a ship as a sailor in 1867 he, and other members of the crew, were attacked by a vampire. Although many of the crew members died, Cade did not. Instead, he’s transformed into a vampire himself. Unfortunately, as a new vampire he’s unable to quell his thirst for blood and ends up killing several of his friends aboard the boat. When the ship arrives in port he’s convicted of murder and would have been killed until the current President, Andrew Johnson, decides that Cade’s special skills could be put to use on behalf on the government.
There’s just one minor flaw with this logic: how do you control a vampire? Johnson solves this problem with the help of a voodoo specialist who puts Cade under an oath that binds him forever – hence the title Blood Oath. Cade, who’s had suicidal thoughts about being a creature damned for all eternity, is more than willing to take an oath that binds him to the President and his staff; it gives him a sense of purpose and redemption.
The primary plot of the story centers around a mission to locate and thwart those intent on assassinating the current President. Cade and his liaison, agent Zach Barrows, have their hands full dealing with all sorts of baddies. But not the type you’re probably imagining. Just know that in Blood Oath, terrorists make use of the supernatural in order to further their causes.
The set up for this book reminded me of reading a great Robert Ludlum spy thriller, but with supernatural elements thrown in. What pulled me in immediately was how Farnsworth incorporated the supernatural into a real world thriller setting – without making you feel like you were reading fantasy. As such the book has major crossover appeal; fantasy, mystery and thriller fans alike will love this one.
Christopher Farnsworth has written a story that flows quite nicely, giving us Cade’s history without bombarding us with too much past information. Combine superb character development with a fast-paced plot and you have a book with the makings of a great Jim Butcher or Simon R. Green novel; the quality of Farnsworth’s writing is that impressive. Here’s hoping there will be more books in The President’s Vampire series – I for one am eagerly awaiting additional installments.
Meet Paul Isaac: a cigar smokin’, tough talkin’, take no crap, lifelong hater of vampires. He’s got good reason though – his parents were brutally killed by vampires when he was young. And given his disposition toward the undead, he’s got the perfect job; he’s a legal Vampire Executioner. When vampires take a human life or when a human is forcibly “turned” by a vampire, Paul’s the guy the police call in to examine the body and hunt down the vampire culprit. It’s a dirty job, but Paul actually enjoys the gig.
Okay, sometimes he enjoys it a little too much . . . .
As such, he’s persona non-grata with the powerful vampires in the city who have decided to get rid of him once and for all.
While working a crime scene one night he spots a vampire on his hit list. After giving chase, apprehending and questioning the vampire, he’s attacked by a gang of young thugs. In the process of defending himself he kills one of his attackers, only to discover that the kid was human. As if by magic, members of the Vampire Council (the vampire governing board that oversees and controls the actions of vampires in the city) appear at the scene. Paul realizes he’s walked right into an ambush. The vampires can either kill him outright or go to the police and report him for the murder.
Turns out, the vampires have a reason for orchestrating this setup: they want Paul to find the daughter of the most powerful vampire in the city and return her to safety. He’s told that the city’s alpha werewolf has taken the girl and that Paul will likely have to kill the shapeshifter in order to rescue her. He’s also told that the werewolf may be responsible for the string of recent killings that have taken the lives of several women. To ensure his full cooperation the vampires inject Paul with a poison that will turn him into a vampire in 3 days. If he succeeds, they’ll give him the antidote and $2 million dollars. If he fails, he becomes one of the very creatures he’s devoted his life to killing.
Paul soon realizes this is no straightforward task. Since he’s always distrusted vampires he suspects from the start that they aren’t telling him the whole story; he just doesn’t know how deep the treachery lies. His mission proves to be quite complex and eventually forces him to not only form an unlikely alliance but to also pit himself against one of the few people he thought he could trust. This fast-paced storyline is chock-full of double crosses and misdirection. Just when I thought I’d figured out the real villain(s) I was thrown for a loop. But oh, how I enjoyed the ride!
Gillen has developed a flawed but entirely likable character in Paul, primarily because of his steadfast commitment and dedication to whatever job he’s on. Sure, he’s sometimes bullheaded, violent and merciless, but you gotta’ love his determination and his overarching “take out the bad guys” philosophy. On top of that he’s got a great sense of humor.
Tortured Skin is a mixture of mystery and fantasy with a bit of horror thrown in for good measure. The plot, given the setting, was believable and the dialogue and narrative successfully kept my interest level high. Overall, I found the book to be entertaining and entirely enjoyable. As such, it gets a top recommendation from me. I hope to read more about Paul Isaac in the near future.
Check out Tortured Skin at online outlets like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
