David Wellington has redefined monsters - or perhaps brought
them back to their original forms? First he started with zombies in the Monster Island, Monster Nation, and Monster
Planet series. Then he tackled vampires with state trooper Laura Caxton in
the book 13 Bullets, followed up by 99 Coffins and Vampire Zero. The latest installment is 23 Hours, and it seems that Wellington hasn't run out of steam just
yet.
Caxton is now an ex-trooper and in jail - arrested at the
end of Vampire Zero for her
neglectful behavior towards proper police procedure, federal agent Fetlock has
her locked away in a women's state penitentiary. Caxton believes that she can just serve her
time and maybe even get out early for good behavior, but it seems that a
supernatural force has other ideas;
ideas that will make the penitentiary into a buffet for the living dead.
Justinia Malvern, seemingly the last vampire, infiltrates
the prison with one thing on her mind - Caxton. Her MO is to turn vampire
killers into vampires, an irony she finds all too amusing. However, this time
around Malvern may have something else in mind; who can tell? All Caxton knows
is that she has one last chance to kill the vampire who's taken everything away
from her - her mentor, her job, her life. Clara, Caxton's girlfriend, provides
us with an outsider's view into the battle between the living and the dead with
her struggle to understand why Caxton can't let go of the past.
Perhaps the best thing about this series is the originality
of the vampires. Going back to the image of Count Orlock, Wellington's vamps
are completely bald (and I mean hairless - no eyebrows, nothing) with pointed
ears. Their mouths are full of shark-like teeth, intended to rend the victim;
which is useful, considering that the vampires need more and more blood to
survive night to night. The vampires continue to age as they grow older,
eventually becoming too weak to feed themselves. They are described as
unnatural, so much so that you can feel the wrongness
of the creatures. And when they go to sleep? They fall apart! They literally
liquefy in order to regenerate, leaving them completely vulnerable in the
daylight hours.
Rife with realistic police procedures and protocol, as well
as action packed scenes between both human and non-human enemies, Wellington
adds yet another chapter into this exciting and original series. These are
vampire books for people who are sick of Twilight and want something with a
little more...blood.
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