Redlaw, Real Innovation with Vampires.

One look at the cover of this book and you see a really pissed off individual.  That individual is John Redlaw, or if you look it could be Ray Winstone or Mickey Rourke but who knows.  The reasons that Redlaw is so angry are explained in great detail on the pages between these red covers.  I know though that if Redlaw was privy to the horror show that the modern vampire sub-genre has become he would be just as angry.  Vampires are monsters, not sexy.  They aren't Edward Cullen (it disgusts me to call him a vampire) they aren't rednecks, they don't run around hanging out with their brothers.  They are monsters created as a monster to be a monster.  Sometimes that monster is given an attractive shell to make them a better hunter.  It is called a disguise, or a piece of evolutionary work at play.

James Lovegrove delivers another masterpiece with Redlaw here taking a new approach to the overdone vampire theme.  Instead of lovers he made a sub-class.  A caste system where Vampires are equivalent to that of untouchables.  They are confined to ghettos and treated very poorly by humans.  John Redlaw is a member of SHADE which is a police organization set to monitor the activities of the vampires.  SHADE is in existence to protect both vampires and humans alike.  Where things tend to get crazy is that this book is really not a vampire book after all.  That is the beauty of Redlaw.  The book is an attack on politics, policies, the treatment of middle class individuals, and how corporate greed, money and power are the driving force behind any government issued program.  Only those passing the laws actually care who is benefited and who suffers from policy.

Redlaw finds these things out through a string of very unpleasant situations.  He is removed from the force, uncovers a Vampires Lord (or lady) that is a bit more evolved than her dead counterparts, learns about the origin (or possible origin) of vampires and later discovers he has been back stabbed more times than a comic book hero teaming up with a villain.  Everyone is responsible for one form of betrayal or another and Redlaw has to go against his normal self and operate outside the law.

Our hero here does some pretty amazing feats himself in this book.  He undergoes some heavy abuse and keeps on rocking and fighting.  It is almost inhuman or superhuman but so far Lovegrove has not hinted that Redlaw is anything more than a human who was all fired up on adrenaline and anger.  Regardless of the origin of Redlaw's crazy physical ability we must give poetic license where it is due.  Taking Redlaw and making him a little above the rest isn't something that really is going to bother me when the idea and plot is so fresh and new.  New plot old genre. New spin to an old horse, (I don't even know if that reference makes sens).  Vampires were becoming dull and I can't even begin to do justice to the amazing details that Lovegrove put into this story to make it as wonderful as it was written.  From food supply, to light, housing to treatment Lovegrove is a master story teller and his brilliance shines through yet again