Becoming Darkness

Gr 8 Up—An elaborate vampire saga that includes an alternate end to World War II in which Nazi experiments in germ warfare spin out of control. As a result, Gomorrah—an airborne virus that turns nearly all of humanity into "vamps"—was released. Hitler has survived. The entire world is under the shadow of the Third Reich, and electric cars, zeppelins, and wire recorders are state-of-the art technology. In this upside-down world, one island, Haven, allows humans to carry on. A truce between the immune humans (whose blood is fatal to vamps) and the Third Reich allows the groups to exist in their separate domains. Enter Sophie, who is secretly dating a vampire. Her beau appears to be in his late teens, until it is revealed that he has previously dated Sophie's mother and grandmother. The pacing of the novel accelerates and morphs into a mystery as one deception after another is unveiled. This work is overly ambitious. The story is well conceived, but the twists and turns in the plot come too quickly, leaving characters and relationships underdeveloped. Still, die-hard vampire fans will find much to be excited about. This weighty tome reads quickly and offers a new spin on the whole genre. Whispers of a second generation leave the door to a sequel wide open.