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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
demons, werewolves, now it's a mummy- what next?, January 18, 2001
This is the third book in a series about Vicki Nelson, PI, and Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, bastard son of Henry VIII, and vampire. The titles, by the way, have nothing to do with the plot - other than the word Blood, there's no reason this one is Blood _Lines_ while another is Blood _Trail_. Those who already know that they like vampire novels, anything at all that features a vampire, can skip this review, and likewise, those who hate the whole idea of vampires can skip it. But for those trying to decide whether or not to read more of this genre, or whether the one vampire novel you've already read was a fluke, it may help to have some ways to categorize these novels. Thus: BunRab's Standard Vampire Classification Guide. First, most authors of vampire novels approach from one of the main genres of genre fiction; thus their background may be primarily in romance, or in science fiction/fantasy, or in murder mysteries, or in horror. Second, many vampire novels come in series; knowing whether this is one of a series, and where in the series it falls, may be helpful. Then we have some particular characteristics: - Is the vampire character (or characters) a "good guy" or a "bad guy"? Or are there some of each? - Are there continuing characters besides the vampire, through the series? - Are there other types of supernatural beings besides vampires? - Can the vampire stand daylight under some circumstances, or not stand daylight at all? - Does the vampire have a few other supernatural characteristics, many other supernatural characteristics, or none other than just being a vampire? (E.g., super strength, change into an animal, turn invisible) - Does the vampire have a regular job and place in society, or is being a vampire his or her entire raison d'etre? - Does the vampire literally drink blood, or is there some other (perhaps metaphorical) method of feeding? - Is sex a major plot element, a minor plot element, or nonexistent? - Is the entire vampire feeding act a metaphor for sex, part of a standard sex act, or unrelated to sex? - Is the story set in one historical period, more than one historical period, or entirely in the present day? - Does the story have elements of humor, or is it strictly serious? - Is the writing style good, or is the writing just there to manage to hold together the plot and characters?Tanya Huff's series about the vampire Henry Fitzroy starts from the mystery and thriller genres (Huff also writes Fantasy), and is a continuing series. Fitzroy is a good guy, just leading a quiet life. The continuing characters include several types of humans: police officers, detectives, street people, family members. There are other supernatural characters, usually only one type per book (e.g., werewolves). Henry definitely can't stand daylight at all; it literally burns him. He has extraordinary strength and speed, and a sort of hypnotic influence but no "magic" powers. In fact, other than the existence of a few types of supernatural beings, there is little supernatural going in in the series - it's everyday modern Toronto, not a fantasy world. He's got a day job - er, make that a night job: he's a writer. He drinks blood, usually from consenting adults, sometimes associated with sex, but not necessarily. There is sex in the books, but it's a minor plot element, not graphically detailed. These stories are there for the mystery/thriller elements; romance is only a sideline. Huff allows the characters to have a sense of humor: witty dialogue, a way with words. Some of the characters are set up for humor and farce as well, although not in a crude or gross way. The writing is well above average for "genre fiction" and the books are quite enjoyable to read. In each of the books in the series, we get introduced to one other sort of supernatural character. In the first book it was demons, in the second, werewolves - and now it's a mummy. That's right, an Egyptian mummy, complete with curse attached - sort of. The mummy isn't exactly dead, you see; he's been dreaming and plotting in there all these millennia, and once he gets out, he has distinct plans for Toronto. Starting with the police department, where he has a nasty impact on the day to day life of Vicki's lover, detective Mike Celluci. He also has an unusual effect on Henry - who hasn't seen the sun in several centuries, and is rather puzzled to suddenly begin dreaming of the hot Egyptian sun. Henry, Vicki, Mike, and Tony team up, as usual, to pool their respective abilities and save each other's butts from odd situations (for example, Vicki gets thrown in jail at one point!) complete with the usual witty dialogue. One small quibble- I don't think it's quite that likely that the entire law enforcement apparatus of the city and the province could turn that strange without more people noticing- but hey, it's a small quibble. It's still a good read.
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