Book Reviews and More: Amber Fang: Revenge - Arthur Slade - Librarian. Assassin. Vampire. Book 3

Saturday, 17 February 2018

Amber Fang: Revenge - Arthur Slade - Librarian. Assassin. Vampire. Book 3

Amber Fang: Revenge
Librarian. Assassin. Vampire. Book 3
Arthur Slade
ISBN 978-0995288751
ASIN B0787JMVNL

Before we get to Amber Fang, let's discuss Arthur Slade for a moment. I first started reading his books back in 2002 when I was a bookseller and a mature student in university. I read two of his books that year, one as personal selection for a Children's lit course. I have been a big fan ever since reading that first book Dust, and have read all of the books he has published both as Arthur Slade and as Stephen Shea. But I am always hesitant to read the last book in a series, in part because some have gone downhill, and also because some stories you just do not want to end. But Arthur has hinted enough that thill will likely be other Amber Fang stories in some format, so that fear is alleviated. This story was so entertaining that the first fear was also extinguished.

In my review of book 1 I stated that this series "reads like a cross between the TV series Dexter with Angel except the lead is a woman, and an aspiring librarian at that. Or a mash up of Tom Clancy, Anne Rice but with more than a little humour smattered in." And after book two I would say even more so. Though maybe a dash of Spider Robinson thrown in this time just to mix it up. But first some back story. Amber is a vampire with ethics. Her mother raised her to only take victims that are responsible for terrible crimes and who feel no remorse for it. After her mother disappeared she continued to work on her Masters of library science, research her meals, and search for her mother. Then things changed when she was recruited by a government organization. She became an assassin on contract. That organization has nearly been wiped out. She has discovered a secret organization of librarians around the world who know about the vampires, about Amber and her mother. They try not to interfere but have run a catch and release program.

These books span the globe, and Amber has certainly travelled a lot since learning her studies in Montreal. In the beginning of this book Amber is in Belize, then she journeys to Sweden, climbs a mountain, storms a hidden fortress, battles an intelligent computer. And makes a promise we might all regret. Because of her code of ethics she must keep her promise even if it is to an AI.

Will amber rescue her mother? Does Dermot survive? Will the librarian guild break their rules and help her? There are a lot of questions before we begin this third book and a few new ones that arise.

What is there not to like about Amber, she is a librarian, she is beautiful, and she has a code of ethics. She keeps her promises, and she is devoted to those she cares about. She just happens to be an ex-assassin, and a vampire.

This book was a great wrap up to the first Amber Fang series. From the hints by the author will be producing more works with Amber as a character. As readers we can only hope so. In my reading list I have read books by Arthur Slade a total of 34 times. And the humour and action in this series is very different from anything else he has written. So pick up this book or the whole series the trilogy is worth sinking your teeth into!

Books by Arthur Slade:
The Dragonfly's Journey (1996)
John Diefenbaker: an Appointment with Destiny (2000)
Dust (2001)
Tribes (2002)
Monsterology (2005)
Villainology (2005)
Megiddo's Shadow (2006)
Jolted (2008)
Shades: 17 Startling Stories (2011)
Flickers (2016)
Crimson (2018)
Death by Airship (2019)
Mr. Universe (2021)