A People's History of the Vampire Uprising

April 1, 2018
The oral history of the bloody beginnings of a worldwide vampire revolt.This debut novel by attorney Villareal has already been the subject of a six-figure bidding war for film rights--not a surprise, considering that this horror epic takes roughly the same approach to bloodsuckers Max Brooks applied to zombies in World War Z (2006). It starts when CDC virologist Lauren Scott is summoned to Nogales, Arizona, to examine the dead body of a girl named Liza Sole. The soon-undead victim quickly decides to split, but not before Scott gets a sense of her: "Temptation in human form." Scott quickly finds that her discovery, Nogales organic blood illness, or NOBI, does indeed grant its victims fangs, an aversion to the sun, and a life span up to 300 years. As the NOBI infection spreads, these vampires, now identifying as "Gloamings," start to aggressively demand equal rights, despite the growing tide of bloodless bodies in the street. The risky process of making a vampire by passing on the virus is dubbed "re-creation" and attracts enthusiasts from Taylor Swift to the pope. Villareal handles his sexy vampires well, giving them interesting abilities and aspects without granting immortality. Elsewhere, the book follows Hugo Zumthor, the FBI agent in charge of the Gloaming Crimes Unit; a radicalized anti-Gloaming Catholic sect; and Joseph Barrera, a slick political operative whose life is upended when he joins the campaign of the first Gloaming candidate for governor. Some of the story's elements (read: religious conspiracy) may seem derivative, but overall it offers a wide-ranging, readable thrill ride for fans of the genre. While the book fails to match the sociopolitical insights of World War Z, it delivers a spectacularly creepy ecosphere, not to mention some genuinely horrifying frights. Interstitial elements like magazine articles and social media posts help augment Villareal's ambitious worldbuilding.The start of a vampire epic and a strong contender in the genus of apocalypse fantasy.

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April 15, 2018

This first novel is told through alternating perspectives of those who witness and survive a vampire epidemic caused by the newly discovered NOBI virus. These vampires, or Gloamings, quickly advocate for equal rights within human society, mirroring many of the immigration conversations occurring in America today. The Gloamings are also searching for their origin story, a constant red-blood food source, and a solution to the sun's destructive light. The Centers for Disease Control is the first to discover the NOBI virus, launching the agency into a national debate on whether "curing" it is on par with genocide. There's media coverage, famous people "recreating" as Gloamings, and additional plot points about the discovery of a secret blood bank, a ploy to purchase uranium, and pharmaceutical company sabotage. VERDICT Comparisons to Max Brooks's World War Z are inevitable but unworthy. This dense plot is best suited for hard-core fans of vampire fiction who will appreciate the relevant discussions on human (and vampire) rights. [See Prepub Alert, 12/11/17.]--Tina Panik, Avon Free P.L., CT

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 16, 2018
At the start of Villareal’s enjoyable if derivative first novel, CDC virologist Lauren Scott travels to Nogales, Ariz., where she visits the city morgue to examine a body “exhibiting unusual hemophilia bruising and intradermal contusions.” To her annoyance, the body has apparently been stolen, but another has since arrived at the morgue bearing the identical pattern of bruising. Lauren notices two puncture marks on this new body near the carotid artery. Sure enough, the evidence suggests that vampires—who prefer to be known as gloamings—have invaded the U.S. Lauren eventually joins Hugo Zumthor, the FBI agent in charge of the Gloaming Crimes Unit, and John Reilly, a Catholic priest, in contending with the gloamings, who are struggling for their political rights. Genre fans may have fun recognizing the influence of such notable predecessors as Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire series, Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain, and Max Brooks’s World War Z. That 20th Century Fox and Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps have secured film rights bodes well for this solid supernatural thriller. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House.

July 1, 2018

What would happen if vampirism became a desired condition, with such enthusiastic converts as Taylor Swift and the Pope? In his epic horror debut, Villareal imagines such a future. When the Nogales organic blood illness (NOBI for short) begins to sweep first through a modern-day United States and then the world, scientists quickly realize that "Gloamings," as some vampires start to call themselves, are temptation personified, have astounding physical capabilities, and can live up to 300 years. They also have a taste for blood and an aversion to sunlight. Soon tensions rise, and clear lines are drawn between those who support the Gloamings and those who fear or despise them. The tale is told from multiple perspectives-a detained Jesuit priest, an FBI agent-but framed by the accounts of young CDC virologist Dr. Lauren Scott. Readers will quickly become engrossed in this detailed, ambitious oral history. VERDICT A completely captivating, imaginative, and at times genuinely terrifying read from start to finish. For fans of Max Brooks's World War Z or Richard Matheson's I Am Legend.-Kaitlin Frick, New York Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.