Black Blood

***Quick Warning - Please don't read this review if you plan to read the first book in this series, Bone Song. There are hints below that ruin the surprises within book one, and that'd be a terrible shame. Plot Summary: Donal is alive, but at what price? The black heart that beats in his chest belonged to his lost love, Laura, and he lives for one reason only - revenge. Donal must adjust to life as a zombie, with all the perks and prejudices that come with his new undead status. And just when everyone thought they'd bagged most of the conspirators from the Black Circle, new troubles arise. I think it's safe to say that this is my all-time favorite zombie series. In book one we had Laura, the brave, confident zombie leader who won Donal's heart, and then literally gave him her own when they were both fatally shot. Now it's Donal's turn, and he shows us over and over that despite his undead status, he's more intensely human than most of the sorry scumbags who are living and breathing in Tristopolis. He's still that upstanding guy with a gruff code of honor that is impeachable and impeccable. I thought this sequel complimented the first novel nicely, and it gave John Meaney the opportunity to create a twisted trail of a intrigue while developing several characters further. In "Bone Song," the city of Tristopolis literally stole the show (I'm still marveling at this gothic wonderland), but in "Black Blood" the focus went back to the plot and characters. I certainly hope a third book is in the words, or I'm going to cry. For fans who are wondering if this series is for them, I'd say this is about the darkest flavor of urban fantasy you can find. It's really closer to horror in many ways, except for the hero, Donal Riordan, who fits the classic UF protagonist mold. There are some seriously gory, disturbing and brilliant inventions that come out of these books, but they aren't for the faint of heart. Personally, I love it, but it's like taking a walk on the creepy, crawly, dark side of the cemetery at midnight on Halloween. What makes this compelling for me is Donal. I have such a soft spot for that guy. I'd follow him anywhere. This is the second time Meaney has ended the story in a way that shocked me into awe. I have to know what happens next.

In _Bone Song_, we were introduced to a world where it was always night and wraiths served as elevators and to animate cars and the primary energy source of the city of Tristopolis was derived from the bones of the dead. Donal Riordan used to be an ordinary human police lieutenant until he's shot and his human life is ended at the end of the book. Now he's a zombie, kept alive by the black, artificial heart of his love, Laura, whose zombie life was ended by a bullet to the head at the same time he was shot, in the first book. Donal now 'lives' to wreak revenge against those responsible for Laura's death, chasing down members of the Black Circle, powerful intriguers and sorcerers who are involved in various conspiracies aimed at toppling governments and gaining power. They may be behind the sudden growth of the Unity Party that is threatening to strip away all rights from zombies and others no longer quite human. This is full of action and suspense against a background of gothic horror and dark urban fantasy. Readers should probably start with the first book, since this is a sequel that starts when the first book ends and many of the characters return. The plot is fast-paced and intricate. The characters are interesting. But above all, it's the bizarre inventiveness of this world of darkness that is part futuristic dystopia and part dark fantasy and horror where the tech is something out of nightmares that supplies a large part of the fun.

Tristopolitan police lieutenant Donal Riordan saw Senator Blanz kill his beloved Laura with a shot to the head just before the legislative official murdered him. However, Donal awakes from death with Laura's black zombie heart beating inside his chest; put there by paramedic mages. He returns to work with one goal in mind: a vendetta to take down anyone associated with Laura's death to include the top secret invincible organization, the Black Circle. There is trouble brewing in Tristopolitan as the powerful Unity Party incites normals to go after undead and inhumans including zombies and revenants. This group is infiltrating every level of power, private and government, in a campaign to disenfranchise the undead. As Donal investigates Laura's death, he finds a connection to a foreign government with a diabolical plan to all non-human beings regardless of sentience. That nation is harboring Laura's killers, which means if Donal is to enact vengeance, his only reason to live, he must travel to a place that might become his tomb. This is a dark futuristic urban fantasy noir set in a world that uses bones as the prime energy source. Wraiths abound as the police solve paranormal murders and everyday people wear sunglasses inside while never venturing outside which is perpetually dark and dangerous. Zombies are citizens with the same rights as the normals, but the Unity Party wants that revoked while also pushing a final solution of extermination mindful of Hitler. With that background in a free society, readers can imagine what Donal will face if he follows the investigation to its foreign roots. As with BONE SONG, BLACK BLOOD is a compelling tale that places a gothic horror inside a police procedural fantasy. Harriet Klausner

Dark Blood is better than the first in this series, as the scope of the story deepens and widens. After failing to protect his target, having his lover and superior die, Lieutenant Donal Riordan failed to stop himself getting killed, as well. In this city, however, they can put a zombie heart in you, plug you in, charge you up, and away you go as a zombie. As a newly undead citizen Donal is a focal point for the politics of the city, where one party wants to remove rights from all non-human citizens. Things get nastier with more attacks on leaders, and the city's infrastructure, and Donal has to try and put together a coalition of people to do something about the attempted takeover, while staying alive. A fine story of necroeverything, is Dark Blood.

Donal Riordan paid with his life to destroy a Dark Mage in Bone Song, but in Tristopolis even death can't keep a good man down. In this sequel Donal finds that while he may have won a battle it was only the opening salvo for what looks like a war - one in which all non-humans are seen as the enemy, and that category now includes Donal himself. I have to say I really enjoyed this second Tristopolis outing. By the end of this book you have a better sense of how this universe works than the first book gave you, and Donal continues to be a likeable and interesting character. By the end of story you wonder when you can get your hands on book 3 in this series, and how long you have to wait for it. This is a dark and weird universe that takes much that we take forgranted and turns it on its head, its also strangely compelling in a horrible sort of way. A cross between a police procedural, horror and fantasy story these books are a strange and memorable mix. In the US it looks like this book is being published as BLACK BLOOD rather than DARK BLOOD which is the UK edition. Bone Song Black Blood