No Dominion by Charlie Huston
I really enjoyed Already Dead, the introduction to Joe Pitt and the Vampyr Clans of Manhattan, and so was really looking forward to the second book, No Dominion. What I didn’t realise was how good it was going to be.
Joe is going through tough times after the first book, where he burned bridges with the Coalition, the largest and richest of the Vampyr clans, and now has no regular job or any money or access to fresh blood (which needs to be obtained in discrete fashion to keep the vampyrs from getting noticed). When he witnesses a vampyr spazzing out in the bar where his girlfriend Evie works and is then asked by his friend and former boss, Terry, head of the Society, to look into this dangerous new drug, it starts a chain of events that leads to more than he bargained for.
Charlie Huston has delivered another thrilling ride for Pitt, as well as providing insights and clues into how the clans work and what the future has in store. Although the story starts slowly, it becomes a non-stop thrill once it gets going and you feel hungry for more after you finish – the book was too short at around 250 pages. Pitt gets more face-time with Daniel and the Enclave, and we get to see the Hood, the Clan above 110th street that took its turf from the Coalition, and its leader – DJ Grave Digga. Huston excels here with his excellent dialogue; sometimes a white author can really fall flat on his face trying to write authentic ‘urban’ but Huston gets it right.
The mix of the witty, hard-boiled narration from Pitt, the authenticity of Manhattan, the explosive action and the complexities of the characters and Clans make for a scintillating and dazzling read that leaves you breathless. What’s more, the organic development of the character within this world never feels forced for the sake of Huston’s plan for a proposed five books – everything that occurs feels completely natural within the context of the narrative, making the conclusions logical and the intricate plot a thing of beauty. No Dominion is a cracking read and it has only increased my hunger for the next books.
