Those Who Hunt the Night

There are a lot of vampire books out there. Most of them have little to contribute to the vampire field, and a lot of them are formulaic exercises in putting vampires in situations you never see them in (vampire rock singers, vampire cops, etc.). Hambly uses a late gothic England to portray a vampire culture, not unfamiliar, but certainly refreshing. The vampires are being hunted by one of their own, and so they enlist the services of a British spy, the best (pitiful by vampire standards) humanity has to offer. When the protagonist seems reluctant, the vampires make the mistake of dragging his wife, a mortologist, into things. Part gothic horror, part science fact, Hambly treats vampires with respect without making us one of them. We are reminded how powerful, how beautiful, and how dangerous these beings can be. All that and a suprise ending too!