Here be a list of some nifty vampire novels:
- New Amsterdam
- Seven for a Secret
- The White City
- Ad Eternum
- Garrett Investigates
Elizabeth Bear does vampires and steampunk. Enough said.
Okay, I’ll say more. The series consists of several novels and one collection of novellas, following generally the same set of protagonists. Aside from being alternative history whodunnits, they play with the idea of what the immortality of a vampire means in the context of friendship and love with mortals. One of the main draws to me in the series definitely was the way in which Ms. Bear gives some of these themes more than the usual lip service.
The series jumps around in time a bit, and we get to see the same protagonists in several periods along their lives, and as the world changes around them. The narrative choices are well done, although I have to admit that the series leaves me wanting more, and there certainly is plenty material in the world and set of characters for countless more books. Bear’s web site suggests none are planned, but doesn’t exclude the possibility.
There is tragedy, but overall the stories are light enough to remain enjoyable. The prose is throughout competent, although not amazingly exceptional, the pacing is nice and the characters are interesting. Overall this was a pretty refreshing series, so I’ll give it four out of five.