Vampires (known as the Gloaming) are here and their rise
to power has been swift. But how did it all start? From
the discovery of the NOBI virus to the struggle for power
within our government and the Vatican, A PEOPLE'S HISTORY
OF THE VAMPIRE UPRISING chronicles the rise of the
Gloamings... and the lives destroyed in the process.
It's hard for me to resist a vampire story, even more so
when told in epistolary format. A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF
THE VAMPIRE UPRISING will resonate with fans of WORLD WAR
Z as we are given excerpts from the rise of the Gloamings
through the eyes of those on the frontlines. In fact, I
actually enjoyed A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE RISING
more as we see the continuing story of various characters
rather than getting single dispatches from them, never to
see them again.
We start with Dr. Lauren Scott, a research physician for
the Centers for Disease Control. I love how Raymond A.
Villareal draws us into the medical mystery she faces,
even as we begin to see her biases emerge over time. Hugo
Zumthor's perspective gives us a solid law enforcement
foundation as to how the Gloaming's rise to power is
affecting crime. However, it is Father John Reilly whose
story intrigues me even now. I want to know more about
this Catholic priest and his quest to understand how the
Gloaming fits within his faith. I could read an entire
novel on his story and not have enough as his
contradictions, even to himself, are fascinating.
One of the other aspects that makes A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF
THE VAMPIRE UPRISING so intriguing are the various pieces
of media interspersed throughout the various ongoing
stories. Whether it's an article from TMZ or transcript
before the US House of Representatives or a fluff piece
in People magazine, articles detailing how society and
our government are coping with the Gloaming enhance the
overall feel of the book as a true history story. It's
easy to get lost in A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE
UPRISING and forget that it's not actually a history
connected to any other book series- although, yes, I
dearly hope this is only the beginning.
A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE UPRISING is the book
vampire fans have been waiting for. We've dealt with a
market glut of vampire books, searching for the book that
will remind us of why we first fell in love with vampires
and now Raymond A. Villareal has a book that reminds of
all the deliciously dark reasons we love our vampire
novels. Film rights have already been optioned for this
phenomenal book and I'm excited by the possibilities. If
you read just one vampire novel this year, make it A
PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE UPRISING.
In this ambitious and wildly original debut--part
social-political satire, part international mystery--a new
virus turns people into something a bit more than human,
upending society as we know it.
This panoramic fictional oral history begins with one small
mystery: the body of a young woman found in an Arizona
border town, presumed to be an illegal immigrant, disappears
from the town morgue. To the young CDC investigator called
in to consult with the local police, it's an impossibility
that threatens her understanding of medicine.
Then, more bodies, dead from an inexplicable disease that
solidified their blood, are brought to the morgue, only to
also vanish. Soon, the U.S. government--and eventually
biomedical researchers, disgruntled lawmakers, and even an
insurgent faction of the Catholic Church--must come to terms
with what they're too late to stop: an epidemic of vampirism
that will sweep first the United States, and then the world.
With heightened strength and beauty and a stead diet of
fresh blood, these changed people, or "Gloamings," rapidly
rise to prominence in all aspects of modern society. Soon
people are beginning to be "re-created," willingly accepting
the risk of death if their bodies can't handle the
transformation. As new communities of Gloamings arise,
society is divided, and popular Gloaming sites come under
threat from a secret terrorist organization. But when a
charismatic and wealthy businessman, recently turned, runs
for political office--well, all hell breaks loose.
Told from the perspective of key players, including a
cynical FBI agent, an audacious campaign manager, and a war
veteran turned nurse turned secret operative, A People's
History of the Vampire Uprising is an exhilarating,
genre-bending debut that is as addictive as the power it
describes.