cover image Applewood

Applewood

Brendan P. Myers. Light Unseen Media (Ingram, dist.), $28 (232p) ISBN 978-1-935303-18-3

Somewhere in the pages of Myers's coming-of-age vampire story lie the bones of a decent horror novel, but it's obscured by muddy prose, confusing multiple time-lines, and unclear points of view. In the early 1980s, adolescent Scott Dugan and his friends are dealing with common challenges of youth in their small, history-filled Massachusetts town of Grantham. Dugan's paper route in his subdivision of Applewood, school assignments, bullies, girlfriends and family issues capture more attention than the ongoing disappearances in town. Eventually, and with limited adult aid, the boys collect enough circumstantial evidence to act on their belief that the town is under attack by a Civil War era vampire and his cohorts. Myers has a feel for the rhythms of a high school freshman boy's life and vernacular, but only readers willing to pay for what resembles a rough first draft will find those buried gems. (May)%C2%A0 %C2%A0 The Bite Club Rachel Caine NAL, $17.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-451-233189 Caine (Glass Houses) offers a solid new entry in her lengthy Morganville Vampires series. Stellar college student Claire Danvers' boyfriend Shane Collins is drawn into an underground fight club that pits humans against vampires for a pay-per-view website. Under the protection of Morganville's Founder and secret ruler, the vampire Amelie, and with her part-time job as lab assistant to the vampire mad scientist Myrnin, Claire has become a little too comfortable with the local vampires for the much more hostile Shane. As Shane jumps at the chance to secretly work out his anger in front of an online audience, with the tantalizing prize of escaping Morganville forever, the murder of Claire's lab partner pulls her into a new round of vampire intrigue that threatens the Founder and all the humans of Morganville. Caine effectively balances the immediate mystery plot with long-developing series relationships, including not only Claire and Shane, but the complicated romance between their vampire housemate Michael and his goth girlfriend Eve, for a satisfying 10th installment that will please both series fans and new readers. (May)