L.G. Burbank The Ruthless

The Ruthless

L.G. Burbank

Medallion Press, Oct 2005, $11.99, 325 pp.

ISBN 133281521X

The Catholic Church created Vlad in their quest for immortality but lost control of him. He now wants to eradicate humans from the face of the earth and hopes that Mordred, the half vampyre he created will help him. Mordred rejects him and is on a quest to get the aid of the other vampire kings to help him in the upcoming battle with Vlad. He must prove to each of them he is the Chosen One, destined to defeat his creator and bring light into a troubled world.

After gaining the acceptance of the Narrangantti vampyre king, he travels to Rome because an evil sect within the church has awakened Vlad who possesses one of their priests. When he arrives in Rome, he kidnaps Father Simon and travels with him to the Carpathian Mountains to the home of Vlad the Impaler. Vlad is trapped in the Impaler's body. He hopes to break the possession but ends up in mortal combat with his enemy and loses consciousness. He wakes up in Valhalla where he is to fight the second vampire king so that he will acknowledge Mordred as the Chosen One. They next seek a sacred object hidden by the Knights Templar in the New World unaware the evil sect within the Catholic Church, the Red Caps, are hunting for Mordred because according to the prophecy in the Dead Sea Scrolls, he can ruin their plans.

No doubt about it, L.G. Burbank is the successor to Anne Rice. Her vampyre Mordred is unique, refreshingly original and doesn't give in to his dark side. Readers will admire him and empathize with the many travails he undergoes. THE RUTHLESS is a fast paced action packed supernatural thriller worthy of a Bram Stoker award nomination for its originality and creativity. The audience will eagerly await the next book in this terrific series.

Harriet Klausner