Staked by J.F. Lewis, Reviewed
Void City (Book 1)
Eric is a vampire. He's also the 'hero' --if that's the right word-- of J.F. Lewis' debut novel, Staked (Pocket Books, March 2008, ISBN 978-1416547808). His name isn't actually Eric, but he can't remember what it is. Eric describes himself as a monster, but so strong is his sense of identity that it's hard to see him this way -- he's very much the hero of Lewis' story.
Supernatural sub-cultures as secret history really took off with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997. Since then Kelly Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld, Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt novels and most recently the phenomena that is Stephanie Meyer's Twilight have extended the sub-genre.
Vampires and Werewolves
Staked opens with Eric arguing with the headless body of another vampire, unable to remember why he decapitated his victim. Eric's memory is shot full of more holes than a Swiss cheese and he has particular short-term recall problems as well. It's a state of affairs that persists throughout the story complicating an already tangled situation that starts with Eric killing a werewolf shortly after the opening, and in the process leads to an escalating spiral of counter-killing, reprisal and revenge with assorted werewolves and special interest groups.
As the novel progresses, it becomes clear even to Eric --long after the average reader will have worked it out-- that someone else is pulling the strings in the background, someone who doesn't necessarily wish him well. The plot is complicated by the presence of Eric's girlfriend (whom he turns into a vampire against his better judgement) and various members of his 'family' - other vampires that he's turned who act as his surrogate children. In the tradition of Robert Silverberg's classic 'Born With the Dead,' those who are reborn return with very different characters from when they were alive.
Void City
While Void City is very much an identikit location made up of a park here, and a skyscraper there, one of Staked's strongest selling points is the sheer overwhelming amount of detail that Lewis includes to support the reader's suspension of disbelief. Sensory cues abound, from the smell of cinnamon at crucial moments, to the taste of blood, to the feelings involved in change and reversion, to the best places to bite. While Staked may be the supernatural equivalent of comfort food it has a complex plot that nonetheless draws the reader in, engagingly well-drawn characterization and a very strong authorial voice.
The novel isn't flawless; for too long Lewis withholds information about Rachel only to infodump it toward the finale but it's a good enough book that even the author's ending it effectively in mid-scene with the over-used cliff-hanger is almost forgivable.
The sequel will be out soon. Good.
Cover for Staked
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