The Rundown
A unique and edgy book which hooked me from the opening paragraph. The story is narrated by the protagonist, Light, the rebel vampire. He’s not addressing the reader, though. Oh no, he’s talking to the woman in the bed behind him, Kathy, the love of his life. Through beautifully subtle and restrained narrative, memoir and dialogue, we soon learn that Kathy is dying. Ravaged by dementia and old age, she very rarely remembers who Light is. But still he stays by her side, and the many carers who traipse in and out to help care for her assume he is her grandson. Light’s narrative remains very true to his character throughout the book, and I personally found it amusing and believable, but the very British colloquialisms and slang will not appeal to everyone.
Light was ‘authored’ or created by a vampire called Ruby. The details of their meeting and life together are revealed throughout the following chapters, and never in an annoying info-dump manner. Everything in this story is provided just when you need it. Light, talking solely to Kathy, reminisces about his past, including the lives Kathy has no knowledge of. Ruby and Light are happy in the beginning, tearing from one corner of the globe to the other, killing and feeding at will, as they roll through the decades, never ageing. However, during the swinging 1960’s Ruby decides to return to her vampire family, twin brothers Donovan and Aralt. This decision brings Light into the company of Kathy, who is a singer signed to the twins record label. Rejected by Ruby, Light finds himself drawn to the human world once again. He sees something in it that Ruby cannot, and things become increasingly complicated when he falls for Kathy and discovers a truly evil plot which could devastate both the human and vampire worlds.
The book jumps from the present day to the past, with the tension and drama building at a faster and faster pace. The plot itself is enough to keep you reading, but I also loved Light and the journey he went on. He’s a brilliant and believable character and his language amused me endlessly. The story had a fairly slow start, but at no point was I bored or put off. The narrative does plenty to draw you in and hold your attention until the drama kicks off. This is just a brilliant book. For anyone who already enjoys vampire or supernatural horror style stories, you will undoubtedly appreciate this. For anyone who is just looking for something a bit different, a bit quirky, something that will amuse you, frighten you and take you on one hell of a journey into love, death, humanity, and monsters, then I highly recommend this book.
The Recommendation
A unique book told from the point of view of a vampire addressing his dying wife, whilst looking back on the drama they’ve left behind. Quirky, amusing, frightening and dark, Rebel Vampires, Volume One offers a brilliant story, with plenty of twists and turns, romance and gore. For anyone who already enjoys vampire or supernatural horror style stories or for anyone who is just looking for something a bit different, a bit edgy, something that will amuse you, frighten you and take you on one hell of a journey into love, death, humanity, and monsters, then I highly recommend this book.
The Rating
5 Stars (out of 5): Highly recommended. This book did exactly what it set out to do, with originality, style, and maybe even a twist. It stands out next to popular, traditionally published novels in its genre.
The Pros & Cons
Pros: Characterization, Dialogue, Plot, Strong World-Building, Unique StyleCons: Starts slow
