Lords of Darkness: The Soulless

Set in 1127 A.D., Burbank's intriguing horror debut, the first of a series, injects new blood into the anemic vampire genre. Mordred Soulis, a former Crusader turned fledgling vamp, learns that he's not quite immortal and may become the savior of all mankind. Soulis is ""made"" in the desert by Vlad, a demonic ""vampyre,"" after a terrible battle, then rescued by the Knights Templar, a renegade order of holy warriors. The sexy Soulis (he later seduces 12 virgins in one night) learns that he has become a ""soul stealer"" and ""the Chosen One"" who must destroy the evil Vlad, even if the task takes centuries. Despite flat prose that struggles between sounding historically authentic and oddly contemporary, the text generates a madcap energy that's impressive even when it becomes a little overheated. Though the author fails to suggest the mystery of Bram Stoker or the stylish eroticism of Anne Rice, this wacky mix of Egyptian legend with Templar and Celtic lore will delight fans who don't take the whole subject too seriously. Pen-and-ink illustrations by Adam Mock enliven the narrative.