I don’t usually read historical fiction or horror. So when an advanced copy of CARPATHIA by Matt Forbeck landed on my kindle, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But by the next morning, after barely sleeping a wink, I can honestly say I am now a fan of both historical fiction and horror, as long as Matt Forbeck is the author.
As the Titanic sinks into the icy depths of the ocean, desperate survivors are rescued by the ship Carpathia. The problem is, stowed away on Carpathia is a group of blood-sucking vampires! Stuck on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic, things go from bad to horrific for the harrowed survivors. But this isn’t just a one-dimensional tale about vampires versus humans. A power struggle builds within the vampire ranks between the wise Dushko and an upstart blood thirsty Brody over when dinner should be (in Brody’s opinion – always). Sprinkle in a love triangle between the honest protagonist Quin, feminist suffragette Lucy, and the nobleman Abe, and the stage is set for a very interesting turn of events.
Mr. Forbeck wonderfully paces his scenes fast and furiously, and builds the plot tension right up to the very end. The vampires are definitely old school evil this time around as opposed to many of the current popcorn movies, but they’re the three dimensional sort of evil. The main characters and the romance are enjoyable without rising to the James Cameron cheese level. There were more than a few times when I was hankering for a cigarette, and I don’t even smoke.
CARPATHIA is by no means perfect. Can vampires swim in the ocean? I thought they couldn’t cross over running water. But then, if Twilight can give us glow-in-the-sun vampires, what’s a little vampire lore bending among horror friends? I thought the love triangle could have been a bit less civil. And the sinking of the Titanic took too much space in the book, causing the rest of the book to feel a little short. Overall though, the book is a fine example of the genre-evolving works that have been coming out of Angry Robot Books. I’m looking forward to seeing more from Angry Robots as well as Matt Forbeck. You can pre-order CARPATHIA here. It is slated for release February 28, 2012.
**Note** Mr. Forbeck has just kindly informed me that vampires can indeed move over oceans as they are not running. Goes to show how long I’d survive in a vampire war.
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