Book(s) of the Week: "The Blood Moon Trilogy"

The Blood Moon Trilogy

By Dawn Thompson

I suppose it’s technically cheating to put three books up for this week’s suggested reading, but I really do believe you have to read all three of these books to appreciate this absolutely brilliant story.

Perhaps it was the Dracula suggestion that reminded me of these. Often I struggle to find novels (modern ones) that are horror-related without a smattering of foul language and excessive sexy time. What I mean to say is that these books aren’t the average fare of your ‘dark romance’ or ‘best-selling horror’ shelves at Hastings or Walmart. The character development is there and most importantly, the atmosphere/tone/setting are all incredibly chilling.

Now I won’t lie and say there aren’t some sexy time bits, but they don’t dominate the story. The main character, Jon Hyde-White, is more focused on the fact that he’s about to be damned along with the woman he loves than he is on her creamy skin and pouty lips. A monster, a really nice old-fashioned Strigoi, has attacked both of them; it’s a race against the clock to pursue the monster back to Moldavia and cure themselves before it’s too late. There’s also an awesome gypsy vampire hunter who knows what they’re dealing with. One of my favorite aspects is that these books don’t abandon the classic elements of exactly what harms a vampire (holy water, crosses, sunlight.)

The second book follows the story after a sort of cure has been found for the couple, though it’s certainly not what you would expect. Their son now has to face the same monster, with a much different sort of challenge on his plate. He’s also in love, but again…there’s more to it than just the romance, it’s an epic adventure.

The third book explores the final portion of the story, with the gypsy vampire hunter the reader met (and probably fell in love with) from the first book. He’s actually a pretty consistent character throughout the trilogy, following the heroic cycle quite nicely as the mentor and advisor. So the fact that he gets his own battle and journey is incredibly satisfying.

I love Miss Thompson’s books, and her imagery is some of the most beautiful and haunting that I’ve read in a long time. Unfortunately she passed away in 2008, so there will never be another book set in this darker world she explored. What I can say is that she’s one of those ‘romance authors’ who really shows you that it’s not a sub-genre one should completely dismiss without exploring first. Her books are well worth the read.

Book of the Week: Horror Show

Last year, I was browsing at Half Price Books. It's pretty much a regular haunt for me, and a lot of times I'll find odd little books there that I might not have found out about otherwise...their vintage collection is especially worth a browse. Anyway, directly at the end of each shelf there's always one of those spinning wire racks filled to the brim with books on discount (usually 1-2 bucks.) That's where I spotted this beauty, in all it's schlocky glory.

It makes an excellent companion, by the way, with the last book I reviewed (Interviews with B Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers.) Upon a first glance, I thought it was a murder mystery novel set in the 50s. Thankfully, I was wrong. It's actually a spooky novel about a young reporter investigating an old movie director, Landis Woodley. Think William Castle + Ed Wood + A hint of Tod Browning, and you get an idea. Landis made a lot of crazy films in the 50s on micro-budgets, the most infamous one in particular carrying it's own curse.

Then we learn the story of the curse, the movie, and Landis Woodley. This is really my favorite part of the whole book, perhaps because I have such a love for a good back-story. A satanist steals a sacred item from a tribe, summons a demon, hell nearly unleashes itself on earth, somehow this all falls on Landis Woodley's set when he finds an incredibly disgusting body at a local morgue to use in his movie.

If you've read the other book, you'll learn that there are quite a few questionable films (especially Spanish ones, apparently) in the 50s wherein actors have actually dealt with dangerous animals, dismembered human body parts, and all manner of situations I doubt the SAG would approve of. Reading this book, you can almost believe the writer experienced working on a few of these movies himself.

Ultimately, it's a great 'weekend' book. Something you'll read when you want a spooky feeling, but you don't want to invest the whole week reading it. Well-developed characters, nice transitions between past and present, and even an ending I didn't see coming. I suppose you'd say that's always the best bit.