BLOOD ETERNAL

This third installment of Belasco’s “Blood & Ancient Scrolls” series follows a half-vampire diving into vampiric history and stumbling onto a formidable enemy.

Noosh is no longer a mortal human but not quite an “am’r” (vampire), having not yet died a mortal death. Still, she belongs to an am’r family as well as a loving throuple with her “patar” (maker) Sandu and Sandu’s patar, Bagamil. Noosh, a former librarian and an archivist, has gradually been collecting stories of various am’r’s pasts, though her focus is on Bagamil, who’s the most ancient of them all. A vacation in London provides an ideal opportunity for Noosh to question am’r who’ve known Bagamil at various points throughout his prolonged undead existence. Noosh receives an invitation from a mysterious figure up north in Scotland; she, Sandu, and Bagamil make the trip and meet Croglin, who has many names and a history that’s as dense as Bagamil’s. This powerful am’r certainly isn’t friendly, but who exactly is he and what does he want? Fans of Belasco’s ongoing series will likely anticipate this entry’s measured pacing. Action is minimal, as am’r’s personal tales often take the narrative reins, including a lengthy bit from Bagamil himself. These offer curious glimpses into real-life world history, from Bogomilism (a dualist Christian sect) as practiced in 1244 to the Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century. Belasco’s prose consistently shines, as when Bagamil describes his Neolithic birthplace: “We had rectangular buildings, timber-posted, made with mud-bricks and lime plaster, that huddled against each other as the settlement expanded outward.” Noosh is just as charming as she has been in the preceding installments (she repeatedly mentions the am’r’s perpetual “blood-horniness”). A shocking final act perfectly sets up the series’ next volume.

Full-bodied characters and backstories give this supernatural outing a boost of energy.