Reading Charlie Huston’s No Dominion was my first actual assigned review for The Dragon Page. It was described to me as a “Hard-boiled Vampire Detective novel”. I was less than enthusiastic; I usually have problems getting more than a few pages into mysteries, detective or vampire novels. The review needed to be turned around fast and I had committed to getting it done so I dove into the book on the 30th of December, more than a little worried the review would need to be handed to somebody else.
“Joe Pitt’s life sucks,” the dust jacket states. Joe is an unlicensed private investigator, local tough guy, debt collector and smart ass with an HIV-infected girl friend. Joe is also a Vampyre. From the first page, the smart ass comes comes through. A few pages later the rest is revealed. Joe gets sucked into a case by a nearly being thrown through a plate glass window by a drug-crazy Vampyre.
100 pages later, my wife wanted to go to dinner. I had to skip reading on the 31st and finished the book the following day. I will have to adjust my list of dislikes.
Some stock vampire mythology has been adjusted to great effect, shedding some light insight into transmission vectors of Vampyrism and the effects that the Vyrus gives to its host. Sunlight is still deadly, but a horrifying and painful death has been substituted for the outdated “turns into ashes” cliche.
The book is marvelously written and very heavy on dialogue and vivid, yet dark, descriptions. Twists and turns abound, unfolding the story at a steady pace. It is also written as a first-person, present tense story, a style that I usually find jarring and unbelievable. Huston pulls it off beautifully, giving the reader the sense of observing the action as it unfolds with Joe calling a play-by-play. The narrative is very hard-boiled feel, but not overdone. Joe’s tone never strays from “very matter-of-fact”, even when describing some disturbingly gory scenes. Quoting is a bit odd, using long dashes (“—”) instead of typical punctuation; I got used to it, but for the first chapter it read like everything was being communicated telepathically.
Charlie Huston has a real winner both Joe Pitt and the crazy, twisted version of New York he inhabits. Be careful picking up this book, you might not be able to put it down.
No Dominion by Charlie Huston
Publisher: Del Rey (December, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0345478258
ISBN-13: 978-0345478252
Genre: Horror, Mystery
As a “noob” (our kid’s word) to the realm of sci-fi and fantasy, I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to get into this book and understand what was going on. Your review sheds light on what to look for and how to sift through the ideas. I don’t feel like I will be overwhelmed by unfamiliar themes and give up trying to follow the storyline. Without sounding condescending, you have made this book accessible to those of us who are not as accustomed to the style of writing and storytelling of this genre. Thanks for your insiight.
Curious to know if this novel is written in “First Person” narrative?
Sooo loath that format and refuse to purchase books written in this style. Find it very pretentious, but guess that is its nature.
Thanks!
Tim, I just went out and bought the first novel in this series, “Already Dead”. If you want to borrow it, let me know!
Fred, yes, both books are in first person, but it seems to make Pitt’s pissy nature easier to feel, not held at arms length.
Thanks, Summer!
Fred, I just wanted to add to Summer’s comment. The books are indeed in first person narrative style. I usually don’t care for books written first-person, either. Charlie Huston, however, seems to overcome the stumbling blocks a lot of writers have with first person stories.
I’d suggest heading over to http://www.pulpnoir.com/ to try reading their sample chapter. There’s a link on the left-hand side for the book. You might be able to overlook the style, and the peek won’t cost you anything.