Book Review: Descendant by Graham Masterton (2006)

With the innumerable bad vampire movies that I have been unfortunate enough to watch over the last decade, I had to grit my teeth when I found out that Masterton had released Descendant. I cringed at the thought. The halo of my favourite writer against the horn of the vampire legend. I put it back on the shelf, walked around, came back, picked it up, ummed and ahh-d, tucked it under my arm and resolved to read it.

Masterton is a master of drawing a reader into the page. Regardless of my own personal reservations, he did it again, grabbing me by the nape of the neck and making me read the entire novel in a day. I can't remember whether the book was holding me or if I was holding the book.

Descendant is a worthy read. Masterton crafts the synergy of lore, carnage, and storytelling into a cohesive and entertaining story with strong characters and a thirst for blood.

Much of the story is set sixty years ago which allows Masterton to place his protagonist (James Falcon) in precarious circumstances without resorting to modern day technology. This allows the reader to understand the antagonist, Dorin Duca, and to get to grips with the relationship that exists between them both. I found it interesting how this developed, so I shall not spoil it for you here!

He also introduces an armoury used solely for hunting vampires. These weapons add that personal touch to the Strigoi (vampire) murders that happen through the book. I personally like blade and not bullet weapons: they give the killings a personal touch, so I was happy with how he approached this.

Much of the events are anticipated: you have a vampire and a vampire hunter. Vampires breed vampires. There was little doubt as to what would happen, although the ending had a corkscrew twist at the end. To facilitate this vampire hunting, Masterton uses a dog handler by the name of Jill. I have to admit I never rallied to Jill's character. I usually care for his characters. I didn't connect with her, and she is an important link in the story.

The downside to Descendant is predominantly my own doing. I have little time for the old archetype because they are told badly, and movies have done little to improve upon it. In fact, much of the story was similar to the movie The Breed. It's set around the same time with a special government agency set up to hunt down an elusive 'master' vampire. If it wasn't for Masterton's powerful prose, I would've put it down.

As with many of Masterton's novels, the antagonists are never "evil" in the true sense of the word, although we perceive their actions to be so. They are driven by method; not madness. They have layered personalities that Masterton clearly discloses to ensure the reader understands the good-evil dichotomy in the story. As with many of his books, the characters in Descendant are faithful to their principles, good or evil. They don't cross over. The characters remain true to their moral or immoral background regardless of what is thrown at them. There is rarely a transition from one to the other which is usually rife in the horror genre. I always find this predefined matter of principle a powerful ally in his stories.

Overall, Descendant was very well written with well-rounded characters to progress the story, fantastic research and expertly crafted to ensure the reader is in the protagonists shoes. I have a passion for strong antagonists, so Dorin Duca earned the novel extra brownie points.

The story is original and follows the true blood of the Masterton legacy: no other writer in the world today comes close to the visually disturbing scenes he can create. Once again, Masterton made bringing the myth to the (almost) modern day seemless and entertaining, allowing the book to be riveting and containing a spray of visceral imagery I expect from all of his horror novels.

Finally, I also recommend Graham Masterton's Manitou Blood which closely resembles the monsters created in Descendant.

RATING: 4 OUT OF 5

If you are interested in learning more about Graham Masterton, please visit his website at www.grahammasterton.co.uk. Like this review? Please give me your comments in my guestbook!