Quite simply, I love this book. I’ve read Rick R.Reed’s I.M. and thought it was good, if you like or can stomach the horror/thriller genre, but truly “In the Blood” needs to be considered on its own merits. I only mention previous work for comparison. Ask Rick and he’ll tell you that he’s written other books since then and while, if you’ve a taste for a horror-thriller, and aren’t squeamish, then I.M. is still a good read, “In the Blood” stands head and shoulders over the older work in my opinion.
“In the Blood” is the story of Edward, Maria, and Terence, vampires all, and Elise, the human who initially catches Terence's eye, and the attention of Maria. For Elise, working the streets, the idea of finding affection with a female makes perfect sense. Her story also mirrors the past reflections of Edward's once human life and unfulfilling relationships, including the fact that Terence initially entices them both. In many ways, Elise and Edward have more than their love of art and their creativity in common.
If you’ve never read Rick Reed before, it may surprise you to find that, if he feels it suits the story, he does write chapters in alternating styles, including points of view and tenses, although I now think of it as very much something he handles well and I quickly grew used to it. In addition, the author has a good command of each method, proving that he knows what he is doing and has chosen to do it with a purpose. Even if you dislike the switch, the story is simply a must-read.
A personal reason why this book had such an impact on me is that all too often vampires have conformed to a romantic image, which is fine for a certain type of story. The trouble is that it's all too easy to forget they originate from a darker idea. They were human once with everything that encompasses human qualities and flaws. Consider a Vampire is a creature with all this human capacity for greatness and weakness coupled with physical power, unrestrained emotions, and a thirst for blood.
Although I'm a sucker (pun intended) for a silly or sweet vampire love story as much as anyone is, I've always wanted to read something that depicted vampires as the creatures they should be: less than human, more than monsters. I've often longed to write (or read) a book capturing the essence of Dracula, but I never followed this idea through because I've always wondered even if I could create such a story where would it find an audience? The closest I’ve come to a similar theme was with a short story ‘Effigy in Garnet’ published in Aoife’s Kiss. Truly too vicious to be a love story and too much love to be horror, how could you capture that essence, and where would you market it?
This is precisely what Rick pulls off. Vampires endure in our mythos and our psyche because they are representations of our most basic needs and wishes. They encompass anger, desire, sex, power (even if only physical for self-defence), and yet they pull at our emotions because they also represent our fears: addiction, isolation, love lost or never found, and selfishness. The vampire’s only redeeming quality is the search for love, but can such a monster truly love or be loved? The mere idea of affirmation gives us hope.
“In The Blood” captures this. Is it a love story? Yes, absolutely, though you may be wondering how to the very last page. If, however, you're expecting to be romanced, think again. Rick writes thrillers and is not afraid to include the gore and blood. The story is harrowing as much for the vampires as for their victims. I sympathised for Elise but she is human. She has choices, although some are a question of choosing the lesser evil as can happen all too often in life. Some may be a question of swallowing pride, and I instinctively felt that Elise needed to sink to the depths of despair in order to find her way out. Still, a sense of hope lingers over her.
Terence you want to love. You long for him to be other then he is. You long for him to show Edward a degree of kindness. You don't want to believe that someone so devastatingly handsome and so charismatic can be so dark. Yet he remains undeniably seductive; he makes you want to reach out and touch that darkness.
Maria I didn't want to like. She seemed aloof, unknowable, untouchable. In some ways, she remains the greatest enigma of all.
Ultimately, my sympathies lie with Edward. He is the most tragic figure of the book, and not solely because you can’t help feeling frustrated with Terence’s obvious and evil delight in seducing him. Edward longs for acceptance and is denied at every turn. Denied love, denied the life he should have lived. You are left wondering if he'll be denied what he has left of his humanity, which after being a Vampire for less than a century he still clings to.
Undoubtedly, though, you'll connect with these characters on many different levels. They represent many different traits of humanity. This is a seductive and thought-provoking read. It not only asks what we would do for love but also explores the very condition of being in love. It begs the question what is love and what does it mean to you?
In this manner, the author puts the same sex theme to good use, either intentionally or inadvertently raising the bar on how we view love. This is very much a multi-layered story, where the reader needs to examine what lies beneath the action on the page. Nevertheless, sexual preference has no bearing on whether you will enjoy this book. It's an exploration of love rather than sex.
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