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VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: Page Four 2001
Sins of the Blood : Kristine Kathryn Rusch "Coming of age, coming into the blood, they are children of the vampire." 'Sins of the Blood' is not a novel for young readers. Within this novel Rusch successfully combines the vicious and highly sexual nature of the vampire with issues of child abuse, sexual abuse and other somewhat disturbing matters.
The thing that sets this novel apart from others is that the vampires of 'Sins of the Blood' are able to breed. In the towns and cities of NorthWest America children born naturally of vampire parents do not develop their true vampiric nature until the onset of puberty. A child can be born and brought up entirely unaware of his/her own condition. And this is the fundamental idea upon which this novel is structured: "The worlds that Cammie and her brother Ben live in collide when she, a vampire slayer, and he, a beautiful and deadly predator, find each other after many years, separated since she drove the stake through her own father's heart." This is a well written novel which deals with some extremely sensitive issues. The characters are thoroughly developed and the plot itself is deeply engaging. Although currently out of print, I would still have to recommend 'Sins of the Blood' to mature readers due to the subject matter that this novel addresses within it's pages.
 Rulers of Darkness : Steven Spruill When the body of a woman is discovered at Washington Cathedral with human bite marks on her mutilated throat Detective Merrick Chapman and his ex-lover Dr. Katherine O'Keefe are asked to investigate. Upon forensic examination the serial 'vampire' killer is found to carry an abnormality in his blood. He is a 'hemophage'; a 'blood-eater'. The killer's blood cells genetically demand regular fresh infusions of blood thus explaining the reason for the death of the woman and of the subsequent other victims. Merrick too suffers from this rare disease and, with the help of Dr. O'Keefe, must find a way to prevent the 'vampire' from killing again...
Steven Spruill's persuasive writing makes it easy to empathise with the characters in this novel. The vampires here are not supernatural creatures, they are more super-human; a product of a rare blood disorder kept secret for thousands of years. This innovative use of medical logic to explain the existence of the vampiric condition as a leukaemia-type blood disorder described as 'hemophagia' is extremely believable. 'Rulers of Darkness' is a compelling, thought-provoking thriller which I would thoroughly recommend to all readers.
 Guilty Pleasures : Laurell K. Hamilton 'Guilty Pleasures' is the first novel in the recently re-released 'Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter' series by Laurell K. Hamilton.
Anita Blake is a necromancer and vampire hunter in an alternate reality within which vampires, werewolves and other preternatural beings coexist with mortals as accepted members of society. At the request of the sadistic Master Vampire of the City Blake is charged with the duty of investigating the murder of innocent vampires by an unknown serial killer. This small twenty-something woman, nicknamed 'The Executioner' by the vampires she destroys, is a feisty lead character with much potential but 'Guilty Pleasures' is let down by a predictable plotline and somewhat average writing.
This novel is not one that I would recommend to anyone as a 'must-have' in their collection but it is an entertaining read if you can find yourself a cheap or secondhand copy. Anita Blake is an interesting female lead but is not one of the best vamp heroines that I have ever read. For that you simply can't beat Sonja Blue.
VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: 2002| Page One | The Beast Within
: Ed. Stewart Wieck
Tall, Dark and Gruesome
: Christopher Lee
The Mammoth Book of Dracula : Ed. Stephen Jones
Pandora : Anne Rice |
| Page Two | The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vampires
: Jay Stevenson, Ph.D.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Pop Quiz
: Cynthia Boris
The Queen of the Damned : Anne Rice |
| Page Three | The Vampyre : And Other Tales of the Macabre
: Ed. Robert Morrison & Chris Baldick
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women : Ed. Stephen Jones
The Vampire Encyclopedia : Matthew Bunson |
| Page Four | Lost Souls
: Poppy Z. Brite
The Keep : F. Paul Wilson
Mina's Journal : Kimberley Zagoren |
VampGirl's Previous Featured Books: 2001| Page One | Dracula the Undead : Freda Warrington
Salem's Lot : Stephen King | | Page Two | The Vampyre: A secret history of Lord Byron : Tom Holland
Sunglasses After Dark : Nancy A. Collins
Love in Vein : Ed by Poppy Z. Brite | | Page Three | In Search of Dracula : Raymond T. McNally & Prof. Radu Florescu
Dracula : Bram Stoker
Lord of the Vampires : Jeanne Kalogrides
The Secret Life of Laszlo, Count Dracula : Roderick Anscombe | | Page Four | Sins of the Blood : Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Rulers of Darkness : Steven Spruill
Guilty Pleasures : Laurell K. Hamilton |
| Page Five | The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide : Stephen Jones
This Dark Paradise : Wendy Haley
Interview with the Vampire : Anne Rice |
| Page Six | The Vampire Book : J. Gordon Melton
Bad Dreams : Kim Newman
Vampire World I: Blood Brothers : Brian Lumley |
| Page Seven | Sips of Blood : Mary Ann Mitchell
The World on Blood : Jonathan Nasaw
Vampire : The Masquerade : White Wolf Publishing
Ravenloft: Vampire of the Mists : Christie Golden |
| Page Eight | Batman : Bloodstorm : Doug Moench & Kelley Jones
Batman vs Dracula : Red Rain : Doug Moench & Kelley Jones
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| Page Nine | The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories : Ed. Alan Ryan
Piercing The Darkness : Katherine Ramsland
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| Page Ten | Vampire$ : John Steakley
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Obsidian Fate : Diana G.Gallagher
The Deluxe Transitive Vampire : Karen Elizabeth Gordon
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