Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

[hadassahintheshell]

 I just read the most delightful book called Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw. It follows Greta Helsing who's a physician for the undead in London. She's got a practice, and works for impoverished ghouls, displaced, decayed mummies and the vampires suffering depression from death-long ennui. 

Its so wonderfully... mundane. Greta's no ancient slayer of the undead, just a physician with a particular specialty. She's friends with the undead and other supernatural which all have their own problems, and when one of them ends up harboring a vampire who by all accounts was stabbed by some lunatics in monk outfits, she finds that her friends and the city are under attack. 

I can stop making up the book blurb for your purposes, its well worth a check out if you are interested in a wholly contemporary book that feels like its written in the style of the 1800s. I found myself struggling to remember that she's got a cellphone and a broken down old mini, but not in a bad way, just in that the style feels very old school. 

The book is smart, and does some surprising and well crafted turns. I love a world that looks like one I could take the right (or perhaps wrong?) turn and end up in, with real characters doing the mundane things even among the fantastic. Its very much like my book in that marrying the reality and unreality. 

I am already starting the sequel via audiobook. 

Its definitely a more fun and creative story than that new Moffat Dracula show, which is very spineless in its trying to be edgy, and very mixed in tone and quality. 

Comments

[hebethen]

Sounds like a book to go on my reading list*!

spineless in its trying to be edgy

How quintessentially Moffattian...


*my reading list isn't a TBR so much as a "hey, hey you, need a book to read? here's some things that caught your eye before, got an idea now?" and it brings me joy

[grayestofghosts]

I put this in my possible to-reads. If it’s in audio that’s a big tick in its favor that I might actually get to this one. I have been trying to read more indie books but I just get through audio so much faster.

[hadassahintheshell]

Yeah, if you ever feel like bothering with the Dracula show, just bother with the first two "episodes" that are 1.5 hours long. Its not worth a full review but suffice it to say that they sterilized it of any real queer subtext and almost turns interesting a couple times, but changes its minds.

Strange Practice is definitely fun though!

[hadassahintheshell]

Yep, I checked, its definitely in audio, and if the sequel's any thing to show it by the reader is excellent as well. I only borrowed the text because that was available at the time of reading. Audio is where I do about 90% of my reading anymore.