Nosferatu Victor Renquist goes out with a bang—both literally and figuratively—in Farren's fourth and final, fiendishly inventive book in his vampire saga (The Time of Feasting, etc.), noted for its cerebral as well as visceral thrills. More than 1,000 years old, Renquist has been there, done that and seen all there is to see. He has fed on humanity, created undead to follow him, played power games with the best of humankind and almost always defeated his adversaries. This time, however, National Security Agency intelligence spooks persuade the generally unflappable and unshockable Renquist to take on what seems at first an easy job, but he soon finds himself, like a James Bond of the undead, trying to save the world from renegade Nazis and their alien allies, the reptilian Dhrakuh, operating from a secret Antarctic base. While the story races from one unexpected twist to another, with the emphasis more on spy adventure than horror, there are plenty of bouts of vampire feedings and Nosferatu tricks to go around, not to mention dollops of sex and drug abuse. The conclusion neatly ties up loose threads from previous volumes, leaving tantalizing hints that Renquist will be back for more ghoulish fun. (Dec. 4)
