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EYE KILLERS by A.A. Carr

EYE KILLERS

by A.A. Carr

Pub Date: April 1st, 1995
ISBN: 0-8061-2707-4
Publisher: Univ. of Oklahoma

A sexy and chilling tale that combines Native American myth, gothic horror, and mystery. Writer and documentary filmmaker Carr, a Navajo and Lugana Pueblo Indian, provides a new twist on the clash of cultures between Indians and Europeans. The Europeans here are vampires, asleep for over a century and waking up in modern-day Albuquerque, out of time and out of place, unfamiliar with present realities. Falke, the leader of the vampire coven, seduces and puts the bite on Melissa Roanhorse, an Indian teenager. When the girl and her mother, whom she despises, turn up missing after a particularly violent outburst by Melissa at school, the police suspect the girl has done in her mother and taken off. Melissa's teacher, Diana Logan, however, doesn't believe it and sets out to find her pupil. She enlists the aid of Michael Roanhorse, the girl's grandfather. As the pair hunt for Melissa and come closer to Falke and his two ``brides,'' Michael, who, after the death of his wife had turned his back on traditional ways and forgotten the songs his mother sang, comes closer to his Native heritage. He will have to recover the old traditions—and quickly—if the forces of evil are to be routed and Melissa recovered. Carr deftly juxtaposes the European vampire legend with the Navajo myth of Monster Slayer, the son of Changing Woman (a primal being whose existence is still attested to by the changing seasons). He keeps a tight grip on the plot and holds the reader's interest by constantly shifting focus among the main characters. Carr pushes the boundaries of Native American literature, creating an entertaining and erotic first novel that could appeal to fans of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire.