A new series of
seven very short (70-odd pages) novels for teenagers hooked on vampires but not
on books.
We are told
to read Die Now or Live Forever first
as it introduces us to the characters who will feature in five of the remaining
novels; teenagers on a camping holiday in Hungary, where they are bitten by
mosquitoes which carry vampirism. From
there the books can be read in any order, as a summary of the first story prefaces
each subsequent episode.
One of the
seven stories, Bloodsucking for Beginners,
is an instruction manual for those who have become vampires, and it fits in
well after either the first book or the last story, as Ignace, the centuries
old vampire who, in Die Now, finds
the five newly vamped teenagers, concludes that first episode by telling the
new vampires that there’s a lot to learn. But the last story concerns a girl who hasn’t
been vamped – or so we think – who might need the manual in the future…
In Bloodsucking ... there are chapters on the A-Z of vampire life, true and false and FAQ's, rehearsing much of the vampire-related information in the novels. More information about the places, people and science in the books can be found at Vampire Dawn.
I think this is
the best book of the series – cleverly constructed and filled with sardonic,
tongue in cheek humour as new vampires are told what to do and more importantly
what not to do – for example:
…If
you have been staked, and are able to do so, call your mentor.
A
paramedic de-staking team will be sent to help you. DO NOT try
remove
a stake yourself. If you can’t get hold
of your mentor, call
the
Helpline on the local number you have been given.
Despite this
humour, serious issues emerge in each book; from Asperger’s to bulimia
and even self-harming. Questions of ethics in science, and teenage dilemmas
such as relationships with family and friends as well as with girl/boyfriends,
sex and sexuality pervade the texts. Indeed we might conclude that Rooney uses
becoming a vampire as an allegory for going through adolescence, which at the
time can seem just as confusing and life-changing.
Readers need
to be aware that this series is not to be confused with a full length novel of
the same name by a different author, nor is the series novel In Cold Blood that classic by Truman
Capote!
Anne Rooney is a regular reviewer for Armadillo Magazine and we wish her every success with this new series – ed.
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