URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: 666 Charing Cross Road - Paul Magrs

Release Date: 27/10/11

SYNOPSIS:

From olde London Town to the juicy heart of the Big Apple, something is waiting to bite

In a Manhattan gallery, a strange, undead woman, who's been lost for centuries, is found in a basement and becomes the centrepiece of Shelley's new museum show. Nicknamed Bessie, the Scottish Bride, she becomes an overnight celebrity as Christmas approaches.
From the dusty vaults beneath the famed bookshops in Charing Cross Road, Shelley's bibliophile aunt Liza receives crumbling volumes by post, while her friend Jack prefers brand-new books and his brand-new lover. When a small leather-bound book of spells arrives, Liza finds it repellent. But its arcane magic brings Bessie to life, and enthrals Shelley's posh boyfriend Daniel - literally. It contains the quintessence of evil in the form of a dark bloodstain marking several pages: vampire blood. As Daniel's power grows, everyone's lives are infected. Soon the vicious vampire infestation rife in NYC threatens to spread to London - and only the Scottish Bride and her new friends can stop it...


REVIEW:

It’s always tricky when an author takes a break from an established series to put a new one out there. Partly because fans want to keep hanging out with their “literal friends” and partly because its an unknown quantity. As such the new series has to have something special about it to help it stick out from the many other titles out there and to show that the writing is just as good as well as fresh for readers to grab their attention.

What this new title by Paul Magr’s does is bring a whole new cast to his world of the weird and wonderful as the Vamps are on the march and the forces reigned against them are not only outnumbered but on the back foot. Its quirky, it has some cracking characters and best of all it is something pretty unique in the genre that is already established as Paul pokes fun with plenty of quips. Add to this his usual style of prose, some great one liners and of course his fast paced plots. Great stuff.