When I was in Brisbane, Chris Lynch took me to Pulp Fiction, a cool bookstore specializing in genre fiction. Apparently, they also have a small press, Pulp Fiction Press. The publisher, Ron, seems like a great guy, and shared with me one of their recent books – The Opposite of Life by Narrelle M. Harris.
It was a great read, and made the 24-hour-plus flight home almost bearable. The novel follows the misadventures of Lissa, a young librarian who’s seen her share of pain and loss. In the wake of getting dumped by her boyfriend, she keeps discovering dead bodies whenever she goes out to try to get her minds off her troubles. Not a good week for Lissa. Of course, the killer is a vampire, and Lissa finds herself partnering with Gary, a socially awkward vampire with a disastrous sense of fashion, to solve a case that’s way over her head and brings to the surface all the deaths and losses she’s had to face in her life.
The book is great vampire pulp fiction fun. It gives you all the guilty pleasure of a Laurell K Hamilton novel, only with no guilt because it’s actually well-written. The voice is what makes it so excellent – Lissa is a lovely blend of young hipster with nerdy librarian. And there’s a nice character arc for both her and Gary.
For the moment, it may be hard to get a hold of a copy if you’re not in Australia, but it’s worth the effort!
UPDATE: You can order The Opposite of Life online here.
Bread & Magic 