The SF Site Featured Review: V2:B4, The Vampire Vignettes Prequel

V2:B4, The Vampire Vignettes Prequel

G.L. Giles

Pen & Ivy, 164 pages

G.L. Giles
G.L. Giles holds a B.A. degree in English from the College of Charleston, where she graduated cum laude. She served in the United States Army, is a former cosmetics and lingerie model, and is currently in sales. Ms. Giles is the writer of a scholary essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne that appeared in a literaray magazine, and of two award-winning poems published by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Vampire Vignettes Website
ISFDB Bibliography

A review by Jonathan Fesmire

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What do you get when you combine one night at a carnival with a cast of vampires, witches, and a deep fried helping of sin and the supernatural? If you're G.L. Giles, you get a wickedly gripping novel. V2:B4 is the prequel to her first novel, The Vampire Vignettes, but you can jump right in with this one.

Set in the early 90s, it covers, in great detail, a vampire attack at a Charleston carnival. A lot happens that night, and many characters contribute, so pay close attention. The narrative style -- a stream of consciousness, omniscient viewpoint -- must have been tricky for Giles to pull off, but it works well for this story. The narrator, Jameson, is a witch and stripper. As Giles herself used to work as an exotic dancer, she is able to get right into Jameson's thoughts and world.

Giles shows her knowledge of Paganism and vampire lore, as well as her ability to turn them on their heads. She has developed her own vampire mythology and gives it to us when it's relevant. The story moves along at a good clip, and still she shows us the difference between a vampire and a vampyre, undead families, generational secrets, and that to kill a vampire one must use not wood, but silver.

It's really the cast that carries this story. The characters range from the imperfect to the just plain evil, yet even the darkest of killers are understandable, and may have a shot at redemption.

V2:B4 has its share of gore. This is very much a novel for adults. Still, as disturbing as some scenes could be, not a bit feels gratuitous. Rather, the gores to further the plot and illustrate the depravity of some of the characters.

If you crave unique vampire tales, pick up this book. It's about as original as you can get.

Jonathan Fesmire has travelled to France, Germany, Estonia, Finland, and Ireland. He enjoys speaking French and learning bits of other foreign languages, but most of all, he loves writing, and has sold fiction to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, SpaceWays Weekly, Jackhammer, and others.