Red Moon Rising [Paperback]

In the world of Mosiman's creation, vampirism is caused by a mutated form of the blood disease porphyria (although vampires can be "made" on rare occasions); crossing the threshold from life to undeath involves a spiritual journey. There are three types of vampires - Predators, Naturals, and Cravens - and the afflicted Soul is transported to a dark and frightening world in which he/she must choose what type of vampire he/she wants to be. It is easy to give in to the Predators; these are the more stereotypical vampires, holding some disdain for mankind and partaking of fresh meals any time they want to. The Cravens also hold some allure to journeyman souls in this confusing new world, but Cravens are looked down upon by their brethren for their cowardly inability to cope with the change and take care of themselves in their new "lives." The Naturals reject the animal-like blood lust of the Predators and seek to live their lives in the guise of normal human beings, relying on the Predators' supply of bagged blood for their sustenance.

As the novel opens, eighteen-year-old Dell Cambian is forced to make her choice. She is a typical teenager who just happens to come from a family of vampires, but she had desperately hoped the disease would pass her by. An ancient vampire named Mentor is called upon to help Dell through her transition, and in a sense both of these characters compete for the role of protagonist as the book rolls along. Mentor has more to worry about that Dell's rebelliousness and growing love for a human boy, though. The Predator in charge of the area's blood supply business is poised to take drastic action when a pair of humans finds evidence of the vampires' existence, and an even bigger potential threat looms in the form of a filthy rich old man dying of the normal form of porphyria and seeking out a vampire to give him eternal life.

The novel starts off really well, especially in terms of Dell's troubles adjusting to her new "life." The reader also gets valuable insight into Mentor, a most unusual vampire who has undertaken the job of guiding all of his young charges in the area. The novel loses cohesion toward the end, however, and certain key elements simply come about without much explanation. Clearly, Mosiman was setting the stage for a sequel, and this results in a definite lack of closure to this particular novel.

All in all, though, Red Moon Rising is an original and quite enjoyable vampire novel. The medical rather than supernatural source of vampirism serves the author well, and the means by which vampires consume human blood is particularly interesting (albeit somewhat silly). The minor flaws in storyline progression and characterization are typical of a writer still developing his/her mastery of the craft. There is much to be excited about here, though, and I for one expect to see big things from Billie Sue Mosiman in the near future.

Della Cambian, a high school senior two weeks away from graduation, has finally caught the 'disease', the one which transforms one into a Vampire. Her mother, father, younger brother, and most of her blood relatives have already gone through the transformation. To help with the transition and to make sure Della make the right choice of which of the three types of Vampire she will be, the family's summons Mentor, the areas helper and guide.

Mentor has a variety of roles, which include keeping the peace in the Vampire community, making sure their secret is safe from mortals, and getting involved in disputes. One of the main crisis he has to deal with is when a doctor finds one of the local blood banks is shipping out untested blood, a situation that may have been going on for over a century. Unknown to her, the Blood Bank is run by a Predator Vampire who supplies the blood to the rest of the Vampires, for a fee. It is up to Mentor and Ross, the head of the Blood Bank, to ensure their secret isn't found out.

This book is very fast paced and has an engrossing storyline. It's well written, entertaining, and hard to put down once you get started.