Half the Blood of Brooklyn: Charlie Huston

Joe Pitt goes to Brooklyn. Not because he likes it there, or even because he wants to. He goes because he's been ordered to, because the Society needs to find out why all the bridge and tunnel Vampyes are trying to find allegiances with the Manhattan Clans. And Joe's already got plans, important plans involving Evie, so it's no surprise he's in a foul mood.

And what's in Brooklyn? Coney Island. And what's on Coney Island? Freaks. Capital eff Freaks. And they want to talk to the Society about joining up. Too bad the meeting is ambushed by a rain of arrows and the survivors are taken to the temple of some religious crazies. And those plans with Evie? They gotta happen by sunrise, because tonight's possibly the last night alive for Daniel, one of Joe's old friends, leader of another Vampyre clan called the Enclave, and Daniel might be the only person alive who can tell if Evie would survive the Vyrus.

Three up, three down; Charlie Huston knows how to write 'em. Another Joe Pitt novel filled with the blood, insanity, brutality, twists, turns and double crosses you've come to know and love. Plus portions of it being set in Coney Island (my favorite place on Earth) made for a more enjoyable read, especially with nods to the freakshow, Nathan's, Mermaid Ave and the dozens of other little New York details that make all of Huston's Joe Pitt novels so enjoyable and believable. We see new sides to certain recurring characters, see more of Joe breaking in people's faces, say goodbye to a few old friends and, in doing so, set the stage for what may prove to be the most insane gang war New York has ever seen; think of The Warriors with Vampyres but just make sure to remember it won't actually happen till the next book.

Huston has this ingenious way of answering all the questions he sets forth in each book, but at the same time setting up new situations that will need to be addressed in the next novel. And with time gaps of up to a year between novels, it should come as no surprise that things are not the same way as when you last left with off Pitt and you'll enjoy the thrill ride of simultaneously trying to catch up while trying to keep your figurative head low enough to avoid catching any stray bullets. Do yourself a favor: read all three novels and then start bugging Ballantine for a release date on the fourth because I guarantee you're going to be dying to pre-order it.

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Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (December 26, 2007)
ISBN-10: 034549587X
ISBN-13: 978-0345495877
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