I love vampire fiction. I am enchanted by the mythos that invariably surrounds these denizens of the night, and, in my opinion, the best part about the mythos is that it changes from author to author. Vampires are intrinsically different in each story, but still retain certain distinguishing features.
Jasper Kent’s fantastic vampire novel Twelve certainly pulls from traditional vampire lore while imposing some interesting features on the archetypal model we are used to. Just a warning: these aren’t the angst-ridden, gorgeous, sparkly vampires that have been in the media lately.
These guys are mean… and hungry.
Twelve takes place in Russia, 1812, during Napoleon’s march on Moscow. Russia is war-torn and four Russian soldiers – Aleksei Danilov, Dmitri Fetyukovich, Vadim Fyodorovich, and Maksim Sergeivich – are a small espionage group trying to find ways to fight back against Napoleon’s ever-advancing French army. This, however, is proving difficult. The French army is quickly advancing on Moscow and it seems that there is little that these four men, let alone the Russian army, can do.
Or at least all seems lost until Dmitri comes to the group with a plan -and allies. He has enlisted the Oprichniki, a group of people who specialize in subterfuge, sabotage, and fighting behind enemy lines. Nigh-invincible in combat, they display an almost insatiable blood lust. The Oprichniki are feral in combat, and their victims look they they have been maimed by wolves – or worse.
When they arrive, they quickly prove their mettle in combat. Accompanied by Aleksei and the others, the group begins attacking French soldiers and striking fear into their army’s hearts. However, as the fighting continues to intensify, Aleksei begins to notice some awkward things about his new found companions, especially Iuda, a member of the Oprichniki. Something about them rubs Aleksei the wrong way, and he investigates. What he discovers does not put his mind at ease.
It turns out that his new associates are not what he expected, mainly because they are vampires – and they definitely don’t sparkle in the sun. Aleksei is faced with the decision as to what he feels he must do with this new information. Can he reconcile his fear and loathing of a creature that kills humans to survive with the fact that they are helping him fight against invaders? Or, must he fight first the Oprichniki, and then the French invaders?
Kent not only weaves a great story but also calls into question some interesting aspects of wartime life. Are the vampires monsters simply because they are monsters by definition, or is it because they love what they do? By that token, does one ever need to be a vampire to be a monster? It also paints a very realistic – and not romanticized or glorified – version of war, only worsened by the presence of supernatural horrors.
This book is a fantastic read if you are a fan of science fiction with a dash of reality thrown in. The historic facts plus the wonderful mythos of the Oprinichiki, who are totally awesome in a horrible way, make this book hard to put down; I know I couldn’t.
Like it? Hate it? Did you want the vampires to sparkle and have smoldering, pouting faces? Let me know in the comments!
Check back in next week when we look at Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson!