Hello once again, dedicated Dragon's Lair supporters. Recently, there's been a very special addition to the family. Gabrielle Faust, subscriber at the store and independent author, has given birth to a 232 page word baby!
Eternal Vigilance is a tale of post apocalyptic Texas, told from the perspective of a forgotten vampire by the name of Tynan. Possessed of a strong sense of guilt and an unusual capacity for humanity, our melancholy protagonist awakes from his self-induced slumber to find the world much changed. Austin is a crumbling ruin, Fredericksburg a vast crater haunted by the memories of genocide past and two factions have arisen from the ashes of the old world. The Tyst are a global empire, eagerly crushing all resistance in their unending march towards total domination. The Phuree are a nomadic people, the resistance force arrayed against the Tyst, though they're hopelessly outmatched. The remaining vampires of the world have a role to play, will they or no.
Honestly, the story begins slowly. We wake with Tynan in his time-lost tomb as he stirs with the sounds of his own nightmares. The tale is told from his viewpoint. As he takes in his surroundings, the descriptive text can get a little wearisome and gothic, and it seems only to skirt the edges of what I was most interested in reading about: how would an apocalyptic event physically and spiritually alter the Earth? We get a brief glimpse of a single Tyst-controlled cybernetic entity, but outside the that the changes are all described by Tynan as he goes about his often mundane business. From the obligatory scene in which vampiric feeding is described as "orgasmic" to Tynan's ruminations on the 20th century's political and environmental climate, the pacing for the first 30 or 40 pages tends to drag.
Before you write the book off, however, I recommend seeing it through to the finish. The pace kicks off dramatically, with the 1st person perspective giving the story a strong sense of immediacy. The writing gets much better as character interaction occurs with more and more frequency, counterbalancing the descriptive text, which loses its meandering quality and becomes much more focused. The vampires and their supernatural powers, as well as the political intrigue they deal with constantly, are electric and engaging. As the main character comes into his own, we are shown a world of forgotten friends turned enemies, immortals in hiding, and old foes forced into unlikely alliances. The telepathic capacities of vampires give a unique insight into each character and their motivations, giving a fairly inventive twist to character development. By the end, I knew there wasn't enough room to finish the tale of ancient vampire deities and messiahs, and I found myself eagerly anticipating the next book in the series. Oh, also, there's a hint that cyberspace will be involved, called the "flatlands" in Faust's future. I can't wait to see how vampires handle that.
We'll be having a signing by Gabrielle Faust on June 12st so come in and pick up a copy!
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Review of Upcoming Comic 'Life Sucks' |
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So, what happens when you cross Kevin Smith's Clerks with vampires? If your response is "total super coolness," then Life Sucks, written by Jessica Abel and Gabe Soria, illustrated by Warren Pleece, is the book you've been waiting for. If not, bear with me.
Life Sucks follows the ups and downs of Dave Miller, average kid, gas station clerk at the Last Stop convenience store - and newly made vampire. The writing is superb and surprisingly realistic and the characters are fully realized and believable. From the beginning you get a low chuckle in your throat that, at times, becomes an out-and-out laugh. You can't help but feel for poor Dave as he deals with teen angst and love as a creature of darkness. The art is a bit cartoonish, but rather than hindering the look, it allows for greater freedom of expression and individuality among the players in the story. All-in-all, I can't think of anything this book is truly lacking. It could even become a classic (cult or otherwise), but hey - what better way to find out than to read it and love it for yourself?
-- David Fisher, DLair Austin |
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