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Review by Aricia Gavriel
BESIDE THE DARKER SHORE by Patricia Esposito Here is the most unusual and original vampire novel I’ve ever read – I know of nothing else like it, and I’ve read numerous novels in this genre, right back as far as The Delicate Dependency (Michael Talbot, 1982) and yes, Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice, 1976), Lost Souls (Poppy Z. Brite, 1992) and of course Nocturne (Mel Keegan, 2004/2011). Each of those is a historical of sorts, looking back into history and charting the place of vampires in the shadows of mankind. But Patricia J. Esposito’s Beside the Darker Shore is not merely contemporary, it has the feeling of being near-future, taking place “a few years from now.” I found the book irresistible; it’s for the reader who likes a cross between the techno-thriller and hunt/chase story. You might find it a little difficult to start, because the modern reader is habituated to being spoon-fed, and Darker Shore has no preamble whatsoever. The story simply begins at what might be an almost random point in the unfolding of the lives of the major players, so the “comfort zone” of character intro and backstory isn’t there to cushion your headlong plunge into the narrative. However – run with it, let events flow and take shape in their own way and time … all will be revealed, just not in any conventional model of storytelling. The story is so complex, you’ll have to roll with it and take up the details by osmosis. I can image the author trying to fathom how to set up this scenario via a conventional backstory. It would have been virtually impossible, and the alternative would have been to dramatize the whole shebang, ending up with a novel bigger than The Lord of the Rings. So roll with it, let osmosis happen… The writing style is also unorthodox, with a narrative so rich in detail, words often seem to dance off the page. When it works, it’s deeply evocative – I’m reminded of Poppy Z. Brite on steroids! Occasionally, the unorthodox nature of this “freeform” narrative can be a mite hard to follow – sometimes it’s not clear who’s doing and saying what – but overall, the novel’s voice is so fresh, I was beguiled to the end. These vampires are very alien. Don’t think Frank Langella. If you know Stargate: Atlantis, you’ll be familiar with the Wraith. This is what the vampires of Darker Shore bring to mind – though these vampires are as unspeakably beautiful as the Wraith were just plain weird. Patricia Esposito’s vampires are machine strong, with limitless abilities to self-repair, skin that’s tough as armor, alien eyes, alien senses, psychic abilities. And the average vampire has no sense of conscience – not just a readiness to kill humans, but a hunger to kill them. Very few vampires have any desire not to kill … the desire to come out of the shadows, so to speak, and join mankind in a cooperative community that benefits both species. Such a community has just been built, as the story opens, in Boston, MA. It’s the work of two men – the human governor, David Gedden, and the millennium-old vampire, Alec Marshall, who seems to be unique … he’s never killed and isn’t about to start, even if it costs him his own life. The community is populated by vampire who’re registered with the local authorities, and who’re honor-bound not to kill. They live on ‘bank blood,’ which is sold by the community’s human supporters, or they patronize the ‘livebloods,’ who’re referred to deprecatingly as ‘blood prostitutes’ … vampire groupies who hang out in the vampire clubs, making themselves available –- And here’s where the story gets complex indeed. Livebloods are addicts – addicted to vampire. There’s a rush about ‘blood letting/drawing’ which gets humans hooked as surely as drugs. They’ll do anything for a fix, even if it kills them – and eventually, it will, though the Boston vampire don’t kill… But there are new faces in town as the story opens, and they’re up to no good. They seem determined to crash the community, and know exactly how to do it. One face belongs to the vampire Arturo de Rosa, ‘brother’ to Alec, but cast from a different mold. He’s a killer from Spain, where vampires do kill, and the ancient, powerful, ones are beyond the control of the authorities. Another new face belongs to Stephen Salando, son of Margo, the Lt. Governor, and vampire Alec Marshall. Here’s the rub: Stephen’s half-cast, not vampire; an immortal with the vampire ability to heal and the human ability to walk in sunlight; he’s a liveblood addict, in love with Gedden; and he’s not supposed to exist. The half-caste should be genetically impossible, since vampires are sterile – but Stephen does exist, and he’s not merely sterile, he’s hiding a secret. He has only one means of sensual fulfilment – blood letting/drawing, which can only be done with a vampire. But Stephen’s in love with Governor Gedden, who’s human. He’s come to Boston – he’s brought wild, wicked de Rosa to Boston – for the purpose of making David into a vampire, so Stephen can have him. Now, Arturo has his own agenda, involving Alec … and shadowing Stephen is a somewhat manic scientist, Elena. Here’s the twist: the manic scientist is a vampire, something like a molecular biologist, working in concert with human researchers. They’re doing the same work, with two different goals. Elena wants to research the half-caste Stephen, to genetically engineer a way for vampire to be sun-immune. Meanwhile, the human scientists want to research him to find a cure for vampirism, to reverse the process, make vampires human… Would immortals accept the cure? What immortal would want to give up immortality? This is one of the key questions asked in Beside the Darker Shore. In fact, the book is full of questions about the nature of humanity, as well as the nature of vampire. Some questions are answered; more questions are generated by the answers, and there’s a huge opportunity for a sequel, or even series here. The science is very credible – one of the facets of the book that makes it so different. The setting switches from Boston to the Potes region of Spain (Bay of Biscay coast, in the north), and back to Boston, and we get a close-up look not only at the vampire community that’s trying to make a place for itself alongside humankind, but also at the ancient European community that’s all about blood and the willingness of humans to succumb to addiction and self-destruction. The plot drives along with several threads: will David be changed? Even if he is, will he have anything to do with Stephen, of whom he’s terminally suspicious? Will the Boston community survive in the teeth of opposition from the old European vampires and the American humans alike? Can Elena make anything of her research? Will Stephen let the researchers use him as a lab rat? Can vampires overcome their hunger not merely for blood, but for the instinctual murder of humans? Is the solution to the problem of killing simply love? The book fascinates. Is there a downside? There’s a couple, but roll with them. As I said, the “freeform” narrative can occasionally be a little tough to follow. Here and there the editing is “off” a bit, which can be distracting if you have an eagle eye. The lack of any preamble could make it difficult for some readers to get into the narrative flow. For m/m aficionados, the surprise is that though the book is sensual throughout, there’s no sex at all, unless blood letting/drawing counts as sex (does it??). In the early chapters, it can be hard to get a grip on the characters, of whom there are quite a lot – or to tell who’s a major player, and who’s playing for which team. It’s complex, as I said … you’ll need to concentrate, because you won’t be spoon-fed. You know how there are books that lull you to sleep? This one flips your brain’s “on” switch! Aricia’s verdict: 5 stars out of 5, highly recommended. I enjoyed it greatly. BOOKSHELF MEMBERS ALERT: Patricia Esposito is not a GLBT Bookshelf member at this time, so doesn't have author and book pages, but you can find this title on Amazon right here File Size: 499 KB |
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