Stainless: A Modern Romance

Grimson (Brand New Cherry Flavor) serves up a dark, dreary, tragic tale of love and vampires in this book, which was originally released in the 1990s. Keith, a former rock star and junkie with damaged hands, lives with and takes care of Justine, a 400-year-old vampire, in Los Angeles. Together, the two ponder the meanings of evil, love, life, and death. When David, another vampire, is freed from a chained box in which he had lain for twenty years, he encounters Justine, who turned him years before, and David's sadistic tendencies trigger a disturbing and dangerous turn of events. Despite the rich descriptive writing, the book's short chapters read like surface-level vignettes that fail to provide real depth and insight into the characters or the mythology of vampires. However, those in search of a more serious story of the occult will likely appreciate Grimson's somber and direct approach to the genre. (Feb.)