Book Review

What if humans weren’t running the show, and it was vampires instead? That’s the premise of No Truce With The Vampires by Martyn Rhys Vaughan, a dystopian sci-fi novel. It includes identity crisis, old gods, vampires, and much more. And let me just say… it’s a story. Good or bad? That’s debatable.

This story follows the character Charles Gray, a human working for the Elite. Kind of like a vampire-cop assistant. He helps maintain the peace that the vampires promised them… a peace that might not be as peaceful as he thought. When he’s tasked with investigating a mysterious death, one far more supernatural than he’s used to, his carefully structured life begins to unravel. Things get even messier when he suspects his brother might be involved with a resistance group called The Sons of Man who are determined to fight against the vampires’ rule.

The concept is unique: a world where the vampires are in charge, and supposedly trying to make the world a better place. Plus, his brother being in the middle of the mess creates confusion that you have to figure out. While those strengths keep it from being too boring a read, I’ve got to say that there were far more weaknesses than I was expecting.

The writing is dramatic, but in a way that feels more soap opera than sci-fi. The main character has too many flaws, and it’s difficult to want to read the story for more than a few minutes. It’s not one of those stories you just have to read. It’s written as his personal narrative, so maybe the inconsistent tone is intentional. Or maybe he’s just not a great storyteller. The other characters, like the brother Edward, seemed to have more of a story than the main character. The confusion at the end actually saves the story in a sense because you’re like, “What, what’s going on?!” But then the story just completely fails with that ending.

I rate No Truce with the Vampires 3 out of 5 stars. The concept of a world run by vampires, rebellion, ancient gods, and family drama creates an interesting story idea. But the overly dramatic tone, too-flawed main character, and chaotic (not in a good way) ending made the whole book more confusing and disappointing than not. If you’re into dystopian weirdness and can power through a flawed narrator and a plot that veers off the rails from time to time, you might still enjoy this story, just don’t expect too much.