Review: Red, White and Blood by Christopher Farnsworth

Red, White and Blood is the eagerly awaited third installment of Christopher Farnsworth's intense and fast-paced President's Vampire series. This time, vampire Nathaniel Cade faces off against a malevolent entity only known as "The Boogeyman." This isn't the first time Cade has come up against this creature; over the past 100 years or so, it has infested various hosts, taking a wide range of guises, and each time only Cade has been able to stop its murderous rampages, yet each time, it finds a way to come back. This time is different, however. This time, the creature's target is none other than the President of the United States.

Cade and his handler, Zach Barrows find themselves not only having to protect the President, but also avoid media exposure, no easy task considering the President is up for re-election and is on the campaign trail with every move watched closely. While The President's Vampire tended to lean more toward adventure spy novel and a bit less towards horror, Red, White and Blood effectively captures the flavor and balance of Blood Oath: walking that fine line between the two genres. It is an unlikely pairing, but Farnsworth is a master of both and a master of the blend.

The novel is filled with enough twists and turns to keep the reader off balance and the story itself is wire-tight enough to compel more than one late night trying to finish "just one more chapter," and the unexpected ending will leave you aching for the next installment.

If you haven't read the first two books in this series, things will still make sense, however reading the first two (Blood Oath and The President's Vampire) will give you a bit more background about the world of the series, and they're just darned good reading...something you can really sink your teeth into. (There, I said it!)

Red, White and Blood is published by Putnam Books and is available from your local, independent book seller. (Make a difference in your local economy: shop local and independent first!)

Review: The President's Vampire

Nathaniel Cade is back.

Let's face it, with Twilight and its related ilk, vampires were denigrated to brooding, emasculated visions of adolescent girls' dreams. In Blood Oath, Christopher Farnsworth reversed that trend; in The President's Vampire, he takes it a step further.

Cade and his human handler, Zach Barrows, come up against an evil that Cade first confronted in Innsmouth, Massachusetts in 1928 (yes, that Innsmouth, Massachusetts in 1928), only since that time, it has mutated into something he had never seen. The trust and betrayals are more intimate, more personal this time, as is the horror.

Farnsworth has definitely come into his stride with The President's Vampire. As with Blood Oath, many of the chapters begin with excerpts from various sources; some fictional, others real; that give you glimpses into Cade and who he is. Additionally, the use of flashback chapters provide a depth to both the character and the narrative without detracting from the story or its overall flow. The dynamic between Barrows and Cade is filled with tension and a growing respect as the two continue to work with and begin to trust one another.

Part suspense/spy novel, part horror, it is to Farnsworth's credit that he does not rely on violence, blood, and gore to tell the story or to shock the reader. Cade's vampirism definitely augments what he does, but in a very Miltonian twist, just as you grow comfortable with him as a character, and perhaps even begin to like and sympathize with him, Cade does or says something that reminds you exactly what he really is: a predator that only barely resembles a human being:

"And what would you do with them? Terrorists. Traitors. Murderers. How would you handle them?"
Cade showed his teeth.
"I would kill them all," Cade said, his voice flat. "I would burn their cities until the desert fused to glass. I would tear the wombs from their mothers. I would poison their babies and dismember their children. And then I would drown the men in the blood of their families."
Graves stared back at him for a moment.
"But then, I'm not human," Cade said. "I don't need an excuse to act like a monster." (p. 81)

The supporting cast of this series, notably Zach Barrows and a female vampire named Tania, are also developing into intriguing characters in their own right. Barrows is becoming more comfortable in his role and establishing a certain and definite confidence in his work and with his partner. Tania provides an interesting foil to Cade, even as both of them struggle with the remaining vestiges of their humanity.

The story itself is fast-paced and filled with enough tension to keep one reading late into the night, yet Farnsworth masterfully counterbalances it at just at the right moments as to not exhaust the reader. In addition, Farnsworth has capitalized on the technology available in the 21st century with a website that further enhances and deepens his fictional world. (As far as I've seen, only Frank Beddor, author of The Looking Glass Wars series has capitalized on this concept as well.)

As a general observation, this series started off well and continues to develop strongly. I'm looking forward to book #3.

From G.P. Putnam's Sons (a division of Penguin Group Publishing) and available at your local, independent bookstore. (Shop local and independent...it makes a difference!!)

Book review: Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

In my previous entry, I commented on meeting Christopher Farnsworth at a book signing for his newest book, The President's Vampire. At the time, I was only part of the way through his first book, Blood Oath.

Farnsworth's vampires are thankfully sparkle-free, and the research on sociopaths that he did before writing this book shows. Nathaniel Cade is a consummate predator, albeit one bound to the service of the President. Born from the premise of "What would the President do with his own vampire? What wouldn't the President do with his own vampire??," Cade is the ultimate Secret Service agent, bound to protect the President and the country from all supernatural, nonhuman enemies, both foreign and domestic. Both cold and intense, Cade is an antihero who knows that he is beyond redemption yet possesses a dedication to his service that goes beyond the bond that has been placed on him.

Farnsworth's writing is fast-paced and reads like a well-written political action drama that on more than one occasion kept me reading well beyond when I intended to stop, thinking "well, I'll just finish this chapter, then I'll go to bed." Farnsworth's antagonists prove to be a source for much rich conflict well beyond the pages of this novel, and Konrad in particular chills and repulses with a veneer of oily slime that makes you feel like you need a shower after each chapter.

The conclusion is satisfying yet leaves enough loose ends to lead well into the next novel and beyond, and while it does resolve the story, it gives the reader just enough frustration to eagerly reach for the next book.

From G.P. Putnam's Sons (a division of Penguin) and available at your local, independent bookstore.

So why a book blog?

After a great deal of deliberation and thought, I finally decided to start a blog specifically about books. I've got one about teaching and life in general, one about food, and finally figured with all of the reading I do, I should do one about books. But this one is going to be about more than books; rather than just write reviews, I'm going to include my views on bookstores, author signings...in short, anything that comes to mind about books in general.

So where to start? Well, that's easy, actually, especially since I attended an author event at The Tattered Cover in Denver. Once again, I find my opinions about supporting local, independent bookstores reinforced. Last night, I had the definite pleasure of meeting Christopher Farnsworth, author of The President's Vampire series. He was engaging, interesting and entertaining, and the hour flew by as he read from his newest book and discussed his inspiration for the series, who he thought would fit various roles in the upcoming Blood Oath movie, and shared his favorite conspiracy theory with the audience. I've often enjoyed hearing authors speak, and Farnsworth was no exception. I'm currently reading last year's Blood Oath, and am looking forward to sinking my teeth into his second and newest book, The President's Vampire (pun fully intended). While I'm still reading Blood Oath and I'm not ready to post my commentary/review of it, I can say that it's really nice to read a contemporary vampire novel in which the protagonist neither sparkles nor mopes. While researching for his novel, Farnsworth read about psychopaths/sociopaths, and it shows in the predatory nature of Nathaniel Cade, the President's vampire. More about that later.

The ability to meet and talk with authors is something that I have yet to see the national chains offer, at least on a regular basis; quite frankly, I'm fine with that. I like going to the independent stores; in fact, I prefer local stores to chains. Local bookstores are like being at home; the chains are like staying in a hotel.

After getting my copy of The President's Vampire signed, I headed upstairs to peruse the shelves to see what else was in the store. I wandered around the various sections, eventually finding the bargain books and used book section. It was there I found my latest happy little treasures to add to my collection. My eyes first hit on The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I have a copy of this book at home, so was intrigued by the different cover I was looking at. I picked it up and looked at the back then smiled. I was holding in my hands the U.K. version of the same book, as evidenced by the original price listed in Sterling Pounds instead of dollars. I definitely wanted this for my collection. Further browsing in the used/bargain section revealed a first edition, U.K. version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which also made its way home and onto my bookshelf for a very inexpensive price. Chances of finding either of these in a chain bookstore? Not so much. Chances of me being  super excited about finding these little treasures? 100%.