Review: Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee

Dhampir is the first book in the Hendee's Noble Dead series, and it rocks the hizouse. It reminds me of a pile-up between Ravenloft, John Steakley's Vampire$, and the Peter Jackson film The Frighteners. If you don't like more "traditional" fantasy settings, don't let that stop you from reading it. I don't read much traditional fantasy myself, but that did not get in the way of my enjoyment of this novel. The focus is still very much on the characters; you are not going to have to memorize maps or a glossary before reading this one.

The protagonists of Dhampir are Magiere and Leesil, two nomadic hustlers who travel the countryside bilking villagers of their money. Magiere pretends to be a vampire hunter, and for a fee, she will "rid" a community of its vampire - played by Leesil. But Magiere is tired of the con, and wants to settle down as a simple innkeeper. The problem is, her reputation as a "vampire hunter" follows her around, and unbeknownst to her or Leesil, the town they settle in has a small coven of very real vampires. Naturally, they assume that this "innkeeper" thing is a disguise, and that Magiere has come to town to kill them. It turns out that Magiere is really a dhampir - half human, half vampire - and she has an innate talent for killing the undead. But is killing vampires her destiny... or is she being manipulated? What happens next can best be described as "mayhem."

All of the characters in Dhampir are well-drawn. The Hendees do not soft-pedal what Magiere and Leesil are doing to the poor villagers at the beginning of the book. The characters have backstories that explain why they have the outlook that they do, but the book in no way excuses their behavior. When Magiere and Leesil decide to take a stand and do the right thing, the story becomes as much about redemption as it is about killing things. And while the vampires are the villains of the piece, the Hendees make them sympathetic and believable. Rashed, the vampire leader, may be a ruthless killer but he genuinely cares about his charges. Another vampire, Teesha, is given a tragic backstory.

Dhampir kicks off the Noble Dead series with a bang. I look forward to reading subsequent volumes.