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Cheryl Erikson stumbled into the life of Hunting after her father’s brutal murder by a vampire. She continues to do it, because she’s good at it, and it gives her a sense of purpose to destroy the creatures who prey on innocent humans in her city of Dallas. Now, she is wondering what is the point of it all. She is thinking of getting out of the life, so she can have the normal existence of a twenty-two-year old. But first, she wants to stop the flow of Plast, a deadly drug that seems to be related to the vampire activities in Dallas. To do so, she might have to cross some lines about what a Hunter does and does not do-namely hurting humans, even if they are vampire minions. And she has to stay alive, when it turns out a contract has been put out on her life by a high-level player in the Underworld.
Cheryl is attacked in her house by a vampire who has enthralled her teacher and mentor, Cho, into calling her for a face-to-face meeting. Cho dies in the attempt on her life, and it contributes to Cheryl’s disillusion about her life, as she feels guilty that she lost touch with Cho, who had been trying to contact her in the weeks prior to the attack. Cho’s death is just another score she plans to settle with the vampires, if she can find the Master who is behind the increased vampire attacks and violence associated with Plast.
Good thing Cheryl has some help in her mission, because she could not do it alone. Her help comes from a few different sources: Cheryl’s best friend, Virgil, her soulmate who happens to be gay and a computer wiz with great fashion sense; her fellow hunting buddy (and sometime lover),Tank; Father Harold, who gives her spiritual advice, and knows his way around the supernatural world; and a secret government agency who has been fighting the battle against vampires and demons since the days of J. Edgar Hoover, to name a few. However, a simple mission is not in store for Cheryl. The vampires are even more powerful than usual, some seemingly less susceptible to the usual ways to kill a vampire. Could this be related to the Plast drug? Cheryl’s mission is to find out.
Spiral X has some interesting ideas, and Cheryl is a likable protagonist. At times, Cheryl did seem to fall into the stereotyped urban fantasy heroine mode, with her love-them-and-leave-them dating tactics, and her inability to trust anyone, and the fact that she was the one everyone looked to for aid and for every situation to be resolved (as though she was invincible and infallible). However, her vulnerability from the loss of so many loved ones in a short time period, her dedication to Hunting, and her disillusionment with her life balance out the super-heroine tendencies that I did not care for very much. In the end, she came off as a three-dimensional, nuanced character.
I did like how detailed and knowledgeable the narrative was on the different neighborhood and places in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Westendarp clearly knows his location, and it shows. I also really liked the vampire folklore aspects, which were somewhat novel in that the vampires were basically humans inhabited by opportunistic demons who enter the body as soon as the person’s soul passes.
I also liked the spiritual aspects, the fact that the characters did rely on God’s help in fighting their often very spiritual battle against evil. And most of all, I loved the mysterious character of Rev, who is another Hunter with a very special nature, and one who becomes a great ally to Cheryl in her mission to stop Plast and the Master Vampire terrorizing Dallas.
Spiral X is a good vampire urban fantasy story, with some interesting and unique elements that make for an enjoyable read. However, the author could have done a better job with his language choice, opting for more active phrasing to give the story more life and build tension. Although a slow read, it was a worthwhile read.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 270 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 5, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1456580299
- ISBN-13: 978-1456580292
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Books in the Eternal Wars series in the order they should be read:
Spiral X
White Rock
Review Overview
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Summary : Spiral X is a good vampire urban fantasy story, with some interesting and unique elements that make for an enjoyable read. However, the author could have done a better job with his language choice, opting for more active phrasing to give the story more life and build tension. Although a slow read, it was a worthwhile read.
