Vampire novels, they’re a dime a dozen. Most of them all read the same, and most of them offer little more than what we’ve come to expect from the trope. In my opinion, there’s only one way to beat this undead horse if you’re going to have a go at it, and that’s with enthusiasm. And, Blood Paternal has an awful lot of enthusiasm going for it.
In, Blood Paternal we meet Mark Gannon, an actor who is on the cusp of making it big. Mark and his agent are in a car discussing a huge movie opportunity but he wants no part of it. Seems the director likes Mark for more than just his acting ability. There is an argument and Mark gets out of the car. Frustrated and angry, he walks the streets. His walk doesn’t last all that long. He is approached by a vampire and forced into a limo, where he is stripped naked, assaulted, and then bit to death. After the occupants of the limo get their fill of his blood, they dump Mark’s body into the ocean. What his assailants didn’t figure on, is that Mark’s body would be retrieved by another vampire who saw what took place.
Mark is brought into a “family” of vampires. This family, as well as other families, has been targeted by Anton Weiss, the father of all vampires, for extinction. Now that Mark had died and been reborn, he’s pretty pissed off, and he joins his new family to seek revenge for what’s been done to him. But as Mark’s story progresses, we discover that it might have been his destiny all along to die the way he had.
When I mentioned that Blood Paternal has a lot of enthusiasm going for it that might have been an understatement. Holden has built up this incredible world in Blood Paternal that has more characters than a Clive Barker novel, and more angst than an Italian funeral. When you start Blood Paternal be prepared for the long haul, this is not a quick-bite and run story. Though Blood Paternal has an involved plot, Holden does such a wonderful job with her characters that readers will have no problems paying attention. Blood Paternal is also bloody, very bloody, and the action is not just limited to the draining of a few veins – think old fashioned and advanced weaponry, and some cool explosions.
If you love all things Vampire, then Blood Paternal is a no-brainer, it manages to honor the roots of the trope while presenting it in a modern setting. If you’re weary of all things Vampire, I suggest you give Blood Paternal a shot; you might discover that it relieves your fatigue. And for those who simply enjoy a thrilling, well plotted horror tale, I think Blood Paternal easily fits that bill.
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- The Only Red Is Blood - February 12, 2015
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- Qualia Nous - January 28, 2015
- Once Upon An Apocalypse - November 25, 2014
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