Spiral X
J.J. Westendarp
$2.99 (Kindle Price)
201 Pages
Urban Fantasy
Review copy received from the author.
Plot Summary: Cheryl Erikson is a Vampire Hunter with a problem. A dangerous new drug named Plast has found its way onto the streets of Dallas. She would prefer to let the DEA and local law enforcement handle everything, but since the dealers also happen to be vampires, she has no choice but to step in and put a stop to it.
With the help of her best friend Virgil and a fellow Hunter named Tank, Cheryl must work to eradicate Plast from the streets of Dallas. It’s a task that becomes more difficult as she comes under the gun, quite literally, from a contract out on her head. Coupled with a nosy police detective looking to peg her for a triple homicide, and a sudden interest in her activities from a powerful vampire recently arrived in the area, it’s enough to force her to accept help from the least likely of sources, a mysterious Hunter named Rev. Through him, everything she thinks she knows, and everything she stands for, is challenged in ways she never imagined.
The Review:
Vampires, drug dealers, informants, vampire thugs, feds, and of course, vampire hunters populate the complex underworld that author J.J. Westendarp has crafted.
The novel starts off with a vampire hunter, Cheryl, who is interrogating a Feeder, which is similar to the concept of Familiars in Blade. We also meet one of her male associates, Tank, in the scene, and learn that she’s been hunting her fanged foes for quite some time. However, I found it disappointing that the first scene skipped over a fight scene that Cheryl alludes to in which she took out the Feeder’s Master.
The intertextuality of acknowledging Buffy in the next scene was an interesting choice, and despite some Goodreads comments, I didn’t find “Spiral X” to be too similar, apart from the concept of the vampire huntress, which many novelists use. Next, we meet Cho, the one who trained Cheryl, sort of like her Watcher. He has been trying to warn her that there’s a bounty on her head, but hasn’t been able to get through to her, so he’s coming over to her house.
Written in a straightforward tone reminiscent of the Dante Valentine series by Lilith Saintcrow, readers will enjoy Cheryl’s sassy tone and humour as well as the sensitivities that she displays towards others, and the complex moral issues that she encounters, one of which is the age old debate of whether vampires can be good or if they’re all evil.
One of the issues that made me scratch my head was the mention of an “ordained priest versed in the ways of magic.” Unless he’s the priest of an old religion, i.e. not Christianity, it goes against the tenets of the Christian faith to practice magic.
However, Westendarp presents a different take on the vampire mythos, although the concept that they’re bodies that become populated by demon souls is a nod to Buffy. The integration of a war between heaven and hell was also a nice addition, which kept the plot interesting. Another good point was incorporating the novel’s title into the book, Spiral X being a nightclub, a technique that pays homage to Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series.
Cheryl is a likeable character who follows the mould of other urban fantasy protagonists. Fans of Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series will really take a shining to her.
The Rev, an intriguing character, was also an interesting addition to the cast of players, and he has a very unique condition to say the least. Another great addition was The Unspoken, a sect of angels not mentioned in history. Also cool is a race of alpha vampires who have been experimented upon. There’s a lot of Judeo-Christian material thrown into the mix with vampires being tied to Lucifer, and the Cain and Abel legend being incorporated as well. And there are elements of a mob story with the Russians. I did find the mentions of Hitler in the Eternal War of Hell to be a bit odd, but what’s interesting is the interconnectedness that angels and demons have had in human history.
The ending was satisfactory but the author could have done without the somewhat E.T.-ish moment between Virgil and Cheryl. Overall, this novel had some great ideas and concepts, and even if Westendarp’s execution is a bit rough around the edges, fans of urban fantasy will love this thrill ride.
