Dave Wolff

Posted at Facebook August 13m 2011

V4: WATER VAMPS
G.L. Giles
Xlibris Corporation
As a longtime reviewer and correspondent of G.L. Giles’ I have grown familiar with her writings, especially her Vampire Vignettes series. Since my first review of her vampire/vampire saga I always appreciated that she brought something original and inventive to the mythos as opposed to remaining within the expected boundaries of good and evil. As I observed, one aspect particularly setting it apart is her portrayal of vampires not as evil creatures bent on the destruction of humankind, but creatures aware of their situation and their place in the mortal world. And dare I pay credence to the notion that Giles’ vampires see themselves as no different than a human species with a far lesser understanding of the night prowlers they fear and revile? This idea is likewise hinted at in a video by Baron Misuraca and Julia Filchenkova for Baron’s song Shadows Of The Dead in which the lead character shows a moment of deep regret for the mortals he turned. Is this blasphemy, or intended to foster an understanding of vampiric passions that don’t differ from ours as most humans would prefer to believe. I could continue in this vein, but I’ll leave it to the scoffers to search their own souls for the answers. As did the series’ previous installments, V4: Water Vamps takes place within the self-denyingly intolerant Bible Belt of South Carolina. And the story that unfolds blends into the saga naturally, offering a broader back story through a brief prologue and expanding on the creative license of V2B4: The Vampire Vignettes Prequel and V3: The Vampire Vignettes Revamped. Artwork by Rosemary Ward (Retro Screamers Online) also offers more vivid a picture of the universe Giles has created around her characters., For a preview of this book and ordering information visit http://www.xlibris.com/GLGiles.html. -Dave Wolff

http://www.punkglobe.com/watervampsbookreview0811.html