Locus

February 1997
Copyright 1997 Carolyn Cushman and Locus. Reprinted with permission

This contemporary Arthurian vampire novel is definitely a guilty pleasure, a good read I would recommend for those with the flu or other concentration disorders. Of course, it's meant for the fans of the syndicated TV show Forever Knight, though its only overt connection is author Nigel Bennett, who played the dark-minded LaCroix.

There are similarities: the vampire protagonist works for the police in contemporary Toronto, drinks blood from wine bottles, and used to be a Norman knight--but it was a goddess-worshipping Celtic vampire from Avalon who turned Richard d'Orleans into a vampire, and recruited him as one of Arthur's knights: Lancelot.

Now in present day Toronto, there's an IRA super-assassin on the loose, even as Richard and his vampire mentor both seem to be losing control over their blood-thirst, and the only cure requires the Holy Grail. Native Canadians get mixed in, too, for a really improbable, but highly entertaining, multi-cultural mish-mosh.