In the twenty-first century, amidst six billion people and surveillance equipment able to tell a gnat’s sex from outer space, four monsters hid together in caves just outside the city of Kacianik, Kosovo, for nearly a century, until they attacked a captain of the US Army and left witnesses.
General Stone could barely contain himself. Vampires. Real life, blood sucking, coffin dwelling, God damned vampires. What if they could be captured? Studied? What if they could be kept under control and compelled to follow orders? They could be trained to be the most efficient killing machines the world has ever seen. Stone could have his own secret unit that could take care of the entire world’s drug problem without breaking a sweat. They’d be invincible.
Gee, what could possibly go wrong?
So General Stone sends Commander John Reese, an expert in mythology and legend, to verify and capture the creatures. With the help of a local, Reese fashions collars filled with a serum that can fatally poison the vampires with the push of a button. The monsters are caught, brought to a new home, and become Uncle Sam’s newest draftees.
So, as the Army trains the vampires to become the most vicious sons of Satan the world has ever known, they wait, they learn, they plan. And low and behold, they find out that Commander Reese feels sorry for them.
Excellent.
The Good: First and foremost, Mr. Ruggiero came up with a hella good idea for a novel. The capture, the method of keeping the vampires under control, and the secret training and instruction were well thought out. Commander Reese’s arc, from being the man to capture the monsters to the only man wanting to let them go is well done. The scenes of infiltration are suspenseful and believable. I could easily see Hollywood wanting to make this story into a movie.
The Bad: I have heard other people comment on Tony’s writing style this way, “If writing were like driving a car, some writers like to drive slowly, taking the scenic route to their destinations, stopping to take pictures along the way. Tony? He likes to drive from point A to point B as fast as he can, not even stopping to take a pee.”
Well, he should slow down a bit. I think his stories would be even more involving if he took the time to flesh some scenes out, gave some more character motivations, and convey more of the character’s feelings, and not just their actions.
The Ugly: Nothing really ugly here. (I’m getting soft in my old age, methinks.)
So, if you like vampires but hate that Anne Rice and Laurell K. Hamilton romancey crap, give Tony Ruggiero a look.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Team of Darkness by Tony Ruggiero
Publisher : Hard Shell Word Factory; First Edition (March 15, 2002)
Paperback : 184 pages
ISBN : 0759901031
ISBN-13 : 978-0759901032
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Military Horror
Author’s Amazon Page: Tony Ruggiero: books
