Vampires thrive in unexpected places. The FX comedy series What We Do in the Shadows chronicles the escapades of vampires on Staten Island. The Portugal Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which runs through Nov. 27, features the exhibition “Vampires in Space.” And plenty of films and books showcase the pale, bloodthirsty predators. Kirkus Indie recently reviewed three novels about these fanged night crawlers.
An unhappy vampire agent metamorphoses into a villain in James T. Carpenter’s Blood of All Evil. Samuel Johnson, an agent of Vampires Against The Evil, battles human-killing “true vampires.” But dismayed by his deliberately risky assignments, Samuel slays his boss and switches sides. He participates in plots to assassinate “human-lover” vampire leaders while pretending to be a righteous VATE agent. Has Samuel really embraced the dark side? Our reviewer calls the tale “a spirited and enjoyably droll supernatural romp.”
In Oh Great, Another Vampire Book by Diane Hunter, a 250-year-old vampire in Boston falls in love with a communications student named Sara Fielding. When he tries turning her into a vampire, she instead becomes a powerful “intermediate being” who frequently communes with God and advocates peace as a “Social Justice Warrior.” Then the luminary confronts a social media backlash. According to our critic, the satire offers “a diverting and often hard-hitting commentary on America’s celebrity-obsessed culture.”
Geraldine Burrows’ Vampire Island, Rhode Island focuses on a folklorist who challenges a legend involving a vampire plague in the 19th century on Purgatory Island. Dr. Leah Gerard diligently searches for historical clues and scientific explanations on Purgatory with the help of a local. Unfortunately, Leah’s debunking mission angers some of the islanders. And after a startling murder, she finds herself investigating the crime. “A razor-sharp protagonist headlines this gripping tale of mythical vampires and scarier humans,” our reviewer writes.
Myra Forsberg is an Indie editor.
