indeedsir_backup | New Kim Newman Novella (Reply)

I don't know how many folks here are fans of Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series (alternate history populated with vampires and other important literary and historical figures). However, because the long-awaited fourth novel in the series is being released soon, the rest of the series is being rereleased with "DVD extras" (novellas, scripts, annotations, and interviews). The "bonus novella" for the second book in the series, The Bloody Red Baron, is called "Vampire Romance" and takes place at the estate of one Agatha Gregson (known to her schoolgirl niece Lydia as "Bloody Aunt Agatha" or B.A.A.). B.A.A., with the help of her assistant Mr. Spode, gathers many of the important vampire elders from around the world in order to appoint a new vampire king or queen--or so the assemblage thinks until one of the guests is murdered. Lydia, an avid reader of Rosie M. Banks and other "vampire romances," hopes that the gathering might bring her soul mate.

Bertie and the Drones Club receive only passing mentions, but it is a fun read that offers more than a few swipes at certain modern vampire novels.