Artful: A Novel ~ by Peter David – 4 Stars

Tags

Horror, Parodies, Vampires, Victorian Historical Fiction

 I always found Huckleberry Finn more interesting than his friend Tom Sawyer, so I was delighted when I saw that NetGalley had this book offered for review. I must have been so excited that I entered a giveaway for it on Goodreads also, because I now have it in ebook format as well as print. Thank you NetGalley and Goodreads! Luckily I really did like this book. Artful picks up where Oliver Twist left off, and with a lot less whining. I apologize if I’ve offended any fans of Oliver. So, we all know that Jack Hawkins is a bit of a rogue, but did you know he is also a courageous hero? After saving a mysterious damsel in distress, The Artful discovers an insidious plot by some familiar villains (cough, cough, Fagin) who are plotting to not only terrorize London, but to bring down the British Monarchy itself! And you probably won’t be all that surprised to learn that Fagin and his cohorts are vampyres, which actually explains quite a lot. Oh, and they’re not the good looking, brooding, sparkling kind. Thankfully, The Artful is joined by Isaaac and Abraham Van Helsing, Princess Victoria, and The Baker Street Irregulars, in stopping this nefarious plot. This is a clever and amusing parody much in the same vein as Pride and Prejudice, and Zombies. It even has amusing chapter headings that are as fun to read as the story itself. For example: “In Which The Reader’s Patience Is Rewarded By Explaining The Seemingly Inexplicable And The Jailer Is Introduced For As Long As He Suits Our Purposes.” The book is a little slow in the beginning but it doesn’t take long for it to turn into a rousing adventure. I would recommend this to fans of supernatural horror, Victorian Fiction, and books that don’t take themselves too seriously.