Dark Fangs Rising: The Luke Irontree & The Last Vampire War Urban Series

Luke “Lucius” Irontree stalks evil in order to protect the innocent against demons known as vampires, who attack and drink people’s blood. Night after night, Luke fights an insurmountable battle to save everyone, but every time he attempts to help, more bloodsuckers seem to appear. Luckily, Luke has specially made weapons—his gladius or sword, armor, scabbards and, lastly, the wooden rudis—a blade that, with a secret incantation, kills the fiends. Luke has one solace: his cat. And he’s able to unwind at Howling Moon Bar, where he talks to the bartender, Pablo, a behemoth with a secret. As Luke and Pablo share stories, they find common ground. When Luke meets Delilah, she also wants to join them to combat the beasts. Luke, Pablo and Delilah join forces with an unlikely ally to finally defeat the villains.

What a wonderfully imaginative, marvelous fantasy by Mr. Lafollette! The story starts off sedately, but as the reader gets into the book it takes off! Sure, the time hops can be a bit jarring and a little hard to figure out in the beginning, yet they don’t slow the tale down. The writing shines, the settings are easy to imagine, and the characters literally shimmer with life! Luke, the main protagonist, is the epitome of long-overdue relief from suffering, loneliness and angst. He is mysterious, quite enigmatic and lives in two worlds. His only friend at first is Alfred, a mangy cat, who could care less about him, but when Luke meets Pablo and Delilah, they form an unlikely bond and become an unbreakable vampire-slaying team. A brilliant first book that readers will just adore!

Roslynn Ernst