Tag Archives: Vampires

Certain Dark Things – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

First published in 2016 before being re-released in 2021 by Jo Fletcher Books (in the UK – Tor Nightfire in the US), Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s vampire-noir novel Certain Dark Things confidently blends style with substance to deliver a darkly compelling tale of undead cartels, ancient alliances and unlikely friendship on the streets of Mexico City. Young, street-smart but a little naive, Domingo makes his living picking garbage and daydreaming about the vampires he reads about in the comics. When he crosses paths with Atl, the last remaining vampire of her family, he finds himself drawn to her, mesmerised by her mystery and beauty. Alone (apart from her dog, Cualli), afraid and hunted by both a rival clan and a gang of vampire-hating criminals, Atl is desperate to find a way out of the city, and begrudgingly accepts Domingo’s help, despite what she knows it will mean. As Domingo learns what vampires are really like – not necessarily how the comics portray them – so Atl gets a glimpse of the human way of life.

Continue reading →

QUICK REVIEW: Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre – Lavie Tidhar

Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre, the third of Lavie Tidhar’s Golden Age detective (but with vampires) short stories for Tor.com, sees the eponymous vampire judge and his human companion Jonathan in Paris, remaining in one place for an unusually long time. Even as Jonathan enjoys a measure of stability, not to mention plenty of good French food, he wonders what it is that’s keeping them in Paris, as the normally ascetic judge spends his time attending plays and mingling with Paris’ vampiric population. When a dinner party turns bloody, however, the judge has his work cut out identifying the culprit, given that every vampire in attendance had motive for murder.

Continue reading →

QUICK REVIEW: Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels – Lavie Tidhar

The second of Lavie Tidhar’s supernatural, Golden Age-esque mystery stories for Tor.com, Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels is another tale of feuding vampires and the implacable justice of the titular Judge Dee. While travelling through the Alps with his put-upon human assistant Jonathan, Judge Dee is summoned to the Duchy of Bavaria to investigate the murder of a vampire. When they arrive at Castle Werdenfels, the Judge and Jonathan find no fewer than three potential culprits, each one claiming to have murdered the Count and proclaiming themselves the inheritors of the castle as a result.

Continue reading →

QUICK REVIEW: Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law – Lavie Tidhar

The first in a new series of short stories from Lavie Tidhar, published by Tor.com, Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law is a delightful mix of gothic vampire story and Golden Age mystery. Accompanied by his slightly hesitant human assistant Jonathan, Judge Dee – a wise old vampire prone to long stares and thoughtful pauses – travels to the Castello d’oro to investigate a squabble between two vampire nobles. As the enforcer of vampiric law (the pax lamia) it’s within his power to be judge, jury and executioner, but first he needs to uncover the truth of what really happened.

Continue reading →

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires – Grady Hendrix

Bloody, disturbing, often hilariously well observed, Grady Hendrix’s novel The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is a tale of darkness stealing into a quiet and reserved community, and how that community responds to the evil in its midst. It’s the early 90s, and in a well-to-do Charleston town Patricia Campbell and her friends meet once a month for their book club, a much-needed slice of time away from husbands, children and never-ending lists of jobs needing doing. When strange goings-on bring charming newcomer James Harris into their orbit, however, the stories they read of gruesome murder and true crime begin to feel worryingly relevant.

Keep reading…