I love the Joe Pitt series, loved since I cracked open the first book in the series ALREADY DEAD, Loved the second book NO DOMINION, after I read those two book I was looking forward to the third, but had no clue when it was coming out. When it finally did I found out after it had it’s initial run in the book stores, I went searching for it every where, and no one had it. sure, I could of bought it on the web, but it always slipped my mind, and I figured it would make a good Christmas present my wife can get me this year. turns out that I didn’t have to wait until Christmas and with the forth book in the series EVERY LAST DROP out now, It wasn’t long before the good people over at Del Rey/Ballantine Books let me know that they were sending it out for review. Problem was I never read HALF THE BLOOD OF BROOKLYN, so I was a book behind. Not a problem though, as Del Rey/Ballantine Books after finding out my liking for the books was kind enough to let me catch up and sent it to me, sought of like an early Christmas present.
ALREADY DEAD took place in Manhattan, with Joe Pitt caught up in a controversy where people were being turned into zombies and a young girl was involved. NO DOMINION took place in Harlem where Joe got into trouble involving an African American Vampire clan, Now this time, in HALF THE BLOOD OF BROOKLYN Joe is sent by his employer from The Society clan into Brooklyn to deal with the clans over the bridge, there are three clans, The Docks, The Freaks and a Jewish clan known as The Chosen. It seems that two out of the three are willing to deal with The Society and possibly become part of their clan. So Joe is sent on a mission to meet with them. But things go wrong and Joe finds himself fighting his way back to Manhattan while trying to avoid being killed and the sun rising. Joe’s girlfriend Evie is also not doing good. as it’s known from the previous book, Evie has AIDS and she has no clue that Joe is a vampyre and that the vampyre virus can kill off any other germ or virus. Joe knows the law, that its against the code to infect the uninfected, but yet he struggles with this fact, and wants to save Evie. But Joe must first do his job, before he can help find a way in which he can save Evie.
HALF THE BLOOD OF BROOKLYN is a much easier book to read than the first two books. This time the story is basic and simple. It pretty much brings to light some of the problems that Joe Pitt had been dealing with in the previous books, while still putting him a in brand new situation. Huston is always developing his characters more and more, and even gives us some brand new characters in this book that are not only very well written but are also very interesting. We get a side show freak vampyre clan with a little man with steel teeth, A glass eater, a strong man and a slew of others, and then we also get a Jewish vampyre clan. How crazy is that? Well it’s an odd think to think about a Hassidic Jewish vampyre clan, it does sound silly, but Huston creates these character who truly believe that there transformation with the virus is something that is part of Gods plan. Huston makes it work, they have this very strict belief system that is common with Hassidic Jews, and even though these characters have power with the virus, they still live by their beliefs, at least the older ones do. The young ones are more reckless.
New York is full of diversity, and Huston once being a native New Yorker, really takes from the streets and adds those experiences right into the books. While the vampyre virus is all over, effecting people of every race, color and gender, there are powerful social orders and clans that are trying to contain it, while others search for a cure. The way their word is, is very similar to our own, except they do everything at night.
For those who have never read these books, you might be thinking what makes these vampyres different from the others, it’s simple, a whole other ballgame in the way they live and die. They are not your typical vampires either, holly water, garlic and crosses don’t work. Bullets do if they hit the brain, but anywhere else the virus will heal it up, and the sun kills them, so Night time is the time to go and do business. They also don’t infect people just by biting them and drinking their blood and leaving some left over for the person to turn and live on. It’s not in salvia, it’s in their blood, so drinking the vampyre blood is what turns a human into one of them. That’s what make them different from the normal bloodsuckers we’re used to. And yes, they do drink blood, but they also eat food as well.
Huston has truly created a character in Joe Pitt that rivals every badass in novel and film. Joe Pitt is the vampire version of THE PUNISHER, with the I don’t care attitude and the I’ll do what I want to do and say what I want to say mentality. He’s out of control, but yet he does what best suits him and the ones he loves. He’s a character that every guy wishes he can be. The anti-hero.
I don’t like vampire novels and it’s very rare that I even like a vampire film. You’ll never catch me reading Anne Rice, or any other vampire novel that involves the erotic side of the vampire. But I love the Joe Pitt novels, I think there the best genre novels written since Stoker wrote Dracula. I know that I’m going out on a limb by saying that, but that’s my opinion and that’s how I feel. I can go on forever about how much I love this series, and it’s even rumored that a film series is in the works. Charlie Huston has created an addictive reading drug with these novels, and HALF THE BLOOD OF BROOKLYN just adds to that addiction. Now on to EVERY LAST DROP.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
