Review: Two Varkela Stories by Susan C. Petrey

One of my favorite variants in vampire fiction is the idea that vampires are not "undead," but rather a separate race - mutants, aliens, or whatever. I have recently read two wonderful stories by a writer named Susan Petrey titled "The Healer's Touch" and "Leechcraft" that fall squarely in this... vein. Petrey died in 1980, leaving behind a too-short list of short fiction, but I think that she would have become a major name among vampire fans had she lived longer.

Her "vampires" are called the Varkela, and they are apparently a subspecies of human. The stories are set on the steppes of 19th century Russia. One thing that sets Petrey's Varkela apart from the majority of vampires is that they are wholly good and ethical, but are still inhuman enough to be interesting. The Varkela may have been inspired by medical professionals, because they ply their trade as healers in exchange for small amounts of blood; I was reminded of having to have blood taken when I go to the doctor. What is interesting is that many of the Varkela traits are recognizable as vampire traits, but that in this context, they aren't that sinister after all. They have a "sleeping song" that lulls their patients into a trance so the healing arts will not be that painful; the Varkela also have beguiling eyes. The vampire's legendary ability to "command animals" manifests itself as the Varkelan aptitude with horse training. Varkela society is very shamanistic, so while they have some unusual powers, it all comes across as reasonably grounded and believable. The general idea here is that the Varkela are the reality behind vampire legends, and there are hints that some of their cousins were vicious enough to spur the horror tales. As a result, the Varkela are reluctant to reveal themselves to more "cultured" society, though they are acknowledged and generally accepted in more rural areas.

In "The Healer's Touch," a young member of the tribe named Vaylance has to discover a cure for malaria, so he in turn can "purchase" some much-needed blood for his ailing sister. Vaylance's search for the cure allows him to befriend a compassionate doctor. "Leechcraft" finds Vaylance traveling via the "dreamwalk" into 1979 in order to help a friend in need. The dreamwalk is a cross between a vision quest and time travel, but Vaylance acknowledges that the outcome of this ability is hard to control. The characters that Petrey created are likable, and the stories have positive endings. In tone and content, these stories reminded me of a cross between Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain series and George R.R. Martin's Fevre Dream, though not as dark as either of those.

Petrey's stories were collected in a small volume titled Gifts of Blood; it's out-of-print but I am going to look for a copy (nevertheless, I'll use the cover to illustrate this entry). "The Healer's Touch" can also be found in an anthology titled Virtuous Vampires, and I read "Leechcraft" in the anthology Tomorrow Sucks. I'll review Gifts of Blood as a whole once I find it and read it in its entirety. I was impressed by both Petrey's imagination and writing ability, and am saddened that she was not able to explore in more detail this world that she created.

Dragon*Con Dark Fantasy 2009 - The Wrap-Up

Despite being the track director for Dragon*Con's Dark Fantasy Track, I may not be the best person to give a rundown of the weekend's events. As the director, I find myself running back and forth rather than being able to sit back and enjoy things. The weekend really was a blur, a blur that somehow involved a lot of authors, artists, musicians, and other entertainment types.

I'd be remiss not to thank my volunteer crew this year: Andrew, Ben, Carol, Clay, Ichabod, Mike, Ryan, and Synde.

What to say? How to say it? I guess chronologically might be the best approach.

The convention technically began on Friday, and I got to see most of the "A Writer's Guide to Goth and Punk" panel. As many of you know, one of my pet peeves is the wretched depiction of goths in urban fantasy. This was an attempt to have writers involved in that scene discuss ways to "get it right." I also added "punk," so Stacia Kane and Caitlin Kittredge would be involved. Hopefully the panel got the point across - and that point is: do your research. It really isn't that hard.

I caught bits and pieces of some of the other panels, in between running around (and you'll notice this "running around" theme). I made a point of catching the "Hour With Charlaine Harris," which was a massive success. This was the first time I had met Charlaine, and she is one of the nicest people I have met recently. True Blood has helped increase her sales, and her fame is proof that sometimes the good people win. The interview was conducted by me and Charlaine's mutual friend Jeanne Stein, and was a lot of fun.

I also caught the "Hour With Sherrilyn Kenyon." Sherri is a longtime staple of my programming, but this panel was the only time that I got to see her the entire weekend; ah well, I'll see her in a couple of months in a less frenzied environment. Alethea Kontis moderated this one, as she has every year. It's a good team-up that always makes for an entertaining hour.

Michelle Belanger conducted the "Hour With Chelsea Quinn Yarbro." Quinn is my favorite writer of vampire fiction and a genuinely cool person besides. She is so influential to this genre that I call home that it is always an honor to see her.

The pile-up began shortly thereafter, with ginormous panels "Fun With Demonology" and "Undead In Dixie" running back to back. "Fun With Demonology" featured Christopher Golden, Mike Mignola, Stacia Kane, Jackie Kessler, Richelle Mead, Julie Kenner, with Carol Malcolm moderating. With those names, you better believe it got packed and packed fast... of course, there was some confusion (on my part as much as anyone's) which resulted in long lines out the panel room door. "Undead In Dixie" featured not only Charlaine, but also Elizabeth Donald, Raven Hart, and J.F. Lewis, with Carol once again steering the discussion. One of the things that I like about Charlaine is that she did not try to dominate the conversation. Yes, the Sookie books were important to the discussion, but she contributed to the overall scope of the topic - as did all of the authors.

"Give 'em Hellboy," the big Mike Mignola interview (conducted by his editor, Scott Allie), was on Sunday. Mike is a cool guy who is not afraid to be honest with his opinion. I really like the guy - he even came by to watch a couple of panels that he was not involved with. "I Sing The Body Horrific" was a panel that got off to an interesting start. The theme was the idea of body horror and transformation, and I lined up a terrific array of speakers. The problem was... I forgot to assign a moderator. Luckily, my friend Andrew Deane (an author and musician) stepped in at the last minute to moderate. It turned out to be a great panel, with the discussion turning into a philosophical look at the horror genre. Doug Bradley (that's "Pinhead" from the Hellraiser films) first thought that he was the "odd man out" on the panel, but quickly and definitively gave wonderful observations. "I Sing The Body Horrific" turned out to be one of the track's quiet surprises.

"Whatdunnit?" was another big panel, with a discussion of mystery/fantasy hybrids. "Bleeding Into The Mainstream" was one of the few "purely goth" panels I caught all weekend; it is our annual discussion of goth themes in mainstream media. The biggest revelation of the entire panel was Jessica Lackey from The Crüxshadows making some observations about Twilight that made me hate it a little less than I had before.

Monday's programming drew larger than expected crowds - always a good thing, since that's the day most people are packing up and leaving. "Under Raven's Wings" was our look at Edgar Allan Poe's influence. It also turned out to be the last panel, since I cancelled the last one (one of the two speakers couldn't make it).

Also, there were concerts. I caught Weep and Bella Morte Friday night, and part of Hellblinki Saturday night. The Crüxshadows show was packed again, but they tour so often that I am sure I will see them before the next Dragon*Con rolls around. Faith & the Muse put on a spectacular show, complete with an incredible performance with the dancers from Serpentine.

Sad to say, this is only scratching the surface of things. It really is not hyperbole to say that Dragon*Con is unlike anything you have ever seen.

Special thanks go to the people who bought me food over the course of the event: Alethea Kontis, Leanna Renee Hieber, Charlaine Harris, Jessica Lackey, and Rogue. And a special mention goes to Jackie Kessler, who has offered drinks for the past two years!

I'm back!

I'm rested up from Dragon*Con and I'll start posting new content soon. I'll probably even throw in a Dragon*Con recap, though most of it was a blur of writers and goth rock bands. At one point I almost forgot that Heather Brewer (author of the "Vladimir Tod" series) was not part of my volunteer crew. It was that kind of weekend.

See you shortly.