Bringing
Charlie Huston's wonderful series of supernatural pulp to a conclusion with a rollicking finish, this book was a joy to read. Joe Pitt is a Vampyre (infected by the AIDS like Vyrus in the bathroom at the punk haven CBGB's) and after the events of the previous books he has been driven (literally) underground, living amongst the hobos and the castoffs in the New York City sewer system. Contacted by a former acquaintance to which Pitt feels a debt, he surfaces once again in order to find the man's missing daughter. Pregnant with a half-human, half-vampyre child, she is on the run as the various Vampyre factions slide toward total war, and wish to use her as a symbol of their struggle. If there is one thing the various factions of the Vampyre underground agree on, it is a dislike of Mr. Pitt. So with few allies and a lot of enemies, he sets off in search of the mother to be. It's a struggle every step of the way as Joe finds a brutal reception filled with monsters, torture and the enmity of past transgressions. Despite being brutally violent, the book maintains a sense of humor (albeit an appropriately pitch black one) and the cracking story builds to an unstoppable conclusion. If you've had you're fill of touchy-feely vampires by the likes of
Stephenie Meyer and
Charlaine Harris, give Joe Pitt a try. It's best to start at the beginning of the series, Already Dead, to get the complete Joe Pitt experience. He is one of the most interesting characters in genre fiction and he will be sorely missed.
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Tim
