By Sandy Amazeen Jul 4, 2007, 3:17 GMT
This compilation of brand new vampire themed tales, penned by some of the top names in the genre including Tanya Huff, Tate Hallaway and Kelly Armstrong is much like visiting old friends. The majority of stories feature characters and settings from previous novels while putting a different spin on birthdays in general. Editor and author Charlaine Harris starts things off with “Dracula Night” that finds Sookie Stackhouse from the Southern Vampire series attending Dracula’s birthday party. Hosted by vampire sheriff and entrepreneur Eric Northman, this proves to be a party to remember when the guest of honor shows up and considers Sookie part of the entertainment. Eric may suffer from a serious case of hero worship but Sookie does not intend to become dinner and will do whatever it takes to stay off the menu.
Return to P.N. Elrod’s gritty noir series as vampire PI Jack Fleming agrees to aid a young woman in revealing an unscrupulous charlatan before he can fleece her sister in “Grave-Robbed.” Christopher Golden conjours up a delightfully different coming of age tale with “The Mournful Cry of Owls” that finds a young woman growing strangely restless as her sixteenth birthday draws near. When her mother reveals the secret of her birth, everything changes and perhaps, not for the best. Fans of Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files will enjoy further adventures of Harry the wizard and his apprentice Molly as they go up against a revengeful vampire of the Black Court in the suspenseful “It’s My Birthday, Too”. Eve Roser is having a bad birthday, not only is she in a car accident but worse, now that she’s turned eighteen she is expected to sign a loyalty pledge that will forever bind her to a psycho vampire in the further adventures of Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampire series entitled “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life”. From Jeanne C. Stein comes “The Witch and the Wicked”, a fresh tale of an unlikely blending between witch and vampire as the result of murder by incineration and a desire for youth and beauty goes terribly awry.
Each of the authors lend their unique perspectives ranging from humorous to melancholy, fiendish to hopeful making for a thoroughly enjoyable take on vampires and birthdays. Editors Toni L.P. Kelner and Charlaine Harris have done a fine job of cooking up a toothsome collection of birthday treats you will not want to miss.
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