A Journey of Black and Red – Alex Gilbert

AJofBR started a web novel about Ariane, a young vampire (young by human standards, very young by vampire standards) in the America of the early 1800s. Gilbert’s vampires are typical for the genre: They are dangerous apex predators, and they while away their potential eternities forming alliances that compete for power.

Ariane had the misfortune to be turned into a vampire by Nirari, who is too old and powerful to play those games. He wanders the world, a one-vampire calamity, and leaves any vampires he makes to fend for themselves. They tend to have short life expectancies - not least because they have no allies looking out for them when they are starting out and vulnerable. The very few of Nirari’s children who survive are formidable - and Ariane may become one of them.

The story is told in the first person. Ariane is engaging, capable - and occasionally accident-prone. The author warns that the pacing will be unusual because the story started out as a web novel, but that did not stand out for me. He also warns that the novel includes some disturbing scenes, but they did not dominate or taint the story.