Otherways- Fiction Fanatics

  I have to start by saying that I've been a little overloaded with vampires in the last couple of years. I'm not saying I don't love Lestat, because honestly who wouldn't? Just that the market has been rather saturated with that particular theme song. From the violent to the sparkly, undead blood drinkers have been featured in both fantasy and paranormal romance very heavily. Partly this is because one idea inspires another, so authors produce more of what sells, but I think the largest reason is that publishers are willing to bet on something similar to what made money for someone last time.

When I read the first novel of the Noble Dead series, I wasn't prepared to love it. I'd just read three other novels featuring vampires, and the topic felt a bit stale. Just a few pages into Barb and J. C. Hendee's Dhampir, and I had totally changed my mind. Although there are plenty of vampires, these are not just vampire novels. The world they've created is rich and fulfilling, and the characters have a depth to them that makes reading enjoyable. The characters have some impressive strengths, but they aren't without their very human frailties, so you end up invested in their convoluted lives.

Normally I don't bother recommending things that are already popular, because obviously readers already know about those works. However, this series is an excellent example of why a market becomes saturated with a particular "voice" or character type. These are really good novels, they have complex plots, engaging characters, a world that seems fresh and complete, so naturally you enjoy reading them. That translates into sales, as it should. But then someone decides that the novels sold because they were about vampires, so from now on we're going to really push to publish more vampire novels.

Sometimes this isn't a bad thing, after all, the rest of this series is also good, and it is at least partially about vampires. I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't publish something featuring vampires, I'd read pretty much anything the Hendees or Anne Rice put out, and I hope they continue to publish. The truth is that a novel doesn't sell because it is about vampires or anything else, it sells because it engages the reader completely, it has a newness to it, and above all, it is well written. What we readers want is a story that takes us away, that feels real, no matter how fantastic the subject matter. 

Cheers,

Michelle