Vampire Rising

May 3, 2010
Launching the Alex Van Helsing series, Henderson’s debut is a pedestrian mashup of common contemporary genres: action hero meets vampires in an elite boarding school setting. Unlike Hogwarts, Alex’s new school, Glenarvon Academy, is populated primarily with mundane (if wealthy) students; Alex, however, is far from ordinary, being descended from a family of vampire hunters, though his family’s past has been kept secret from him. But Glenarvon isn’t the only premier academy on Lake Geneva: its neighbors include the Scholomance, an equally elite educational facility for vampires. Early and violent encounters with vampires (which Alex has a preternatural ability both to detect and dispatch of) allay his initial skepticism about the supernatural, and soon he’s gearing up to face Icebreaker, a powerful and very famous vampire. Henderson’s prose is serviceable, but the dialogue in particular tends to be corny and trite (“ ‘Joining the family business, are we?’ Icemaker snarled”). The plot, while action-heavy, is predictable, with plenty left unanswered for future books, making this an accessible but uninspired choice for reluctant readers. Ages 12–up.