Certain Dark Things is the story of Atl, a member of an ancient vampire clan born out of the Aztec empire and its ancient religious practices. The youngest of her mother's two daughters, she has just survived the brutal drug war centered slaying of the majority ( and possibly all) of her proud and storied clan. She lives in a modern world where vampires were outed in 1967 and cities like Mexico City have declared themselves vampire-free zones despite the very high population of vampires in Mexico and South America as a whole, many of these ten clans having handily centered themselves at the top of crime and drug syndicates who wield power over human and vampire lives alike.
Despite the ban, Atl finds herself hiding in a Mexico City occupied by so many differences- among them sanitation squads who hunt and destroy vampires, brutal poverty, and complex threats from police officers, a crime group called Deep Crimson, and other vampires. Atl is surviving by the skin of her teeth with no other company than her dog Cuilli until she meets Domingo by chance and things begin to happen which drag both Domingo and herself into a major conflict with the Necros clan which murdered her family, an old enemy of Domingo's named Jackal, Deep Crimson itself, and a police officer pulled into the fray by both her need to protect her daughter from this violent modern world and a past that included slaying vampires.
This is a richly detailed noir laced with urban fantasy elements, a strong clan-centered vampire crime world, new and interesting vampire lore and diversity, and so much of Mexico's own cultural heritage. If I could compare it to any other vampire fiction I would say think of Nancy A. Collins' Sonja Blue and Nancy Baker's Creed duo which began with The Night Inside, possibly also elements of Vampire: The Masquerade which was also heavily centered on the interplay between differing vampire clan and types (All three of these were also major standouts in the genre and well worth your time. ). Vampire fans and fans of the noir are very likely to enjoy this original take on the old tropes and find themselves a new favorite in Certain Dark Things. I certainly appreciated it's characters, complexities, and layers after many years of having been a reader and writer of vampire fiction.
Despite the ban, Atl finds herself hiding in a Mexico City occupied by so many differences- among them sanitation squads who hunt and destroy vampires, brutal poverty, and complex threats from police officers, a crime group called Deep Crimson, and other vampires. Atl is surviving by the skin of her teeth with no other company than her dog Cuilli until she meets Domingo by chance and things begin to happen which drag both Domingo and herself into a major conflict with the Necros clan which murdered her family, an old enemy of Domingo's named Jackal, Deep Crimson itself, and a police officer pulled into the fray by both her need to protect her daughter from this violent modern world and a past that included slaying vampires.
This is a richly detailed noir laced with urban fantasy elements, a strong clan-centered vampire crime world, new and interesting vampire lore and diversity, and so much of Mexico's own cultural heritage. If I could compare it to any other vampire fiction I would say think of Nancy A. Collins' Sonja Blue and Nancy Baker's Creed duo which began with The Night Inside, possibly also elements of Vampire: The Masquerade which was also heavily centered on the interplay between differing vampire clan and types (All three of these were also major standouts in the genre and well worth your time. ). Vampire fans and fans of the noir are very likely to enjoy this original take on the old tropes and find themselves a new favorite in Certain Dark Things. I certainly appreciated it's characters, complexities, and layers after many years of having been a reader and writer of vampire fiction.
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