Haunting bookshelves of late,the monster mash-up literary craze is more than just rewriting English Lit standards to include giggleworthy gore. Historical figures are having lively fictional makeovers as warriors who chose to slay the supernatural threats to their home and country,with Abe Lincoln defending the nation from vampires and now Queen Victoria taking up the cause to wipe out the demon menace plotting against her throne.
The young Victoria first realizes that there's more than meets the evil eye when she is attacked by a succubus on the night before her coronation and is defended by Maggie Brown,the leader of the Prokectorate,whose duty it is to save the monarchy from the uprising of the demon forces entrenched in Europe for centuries.
While the now Queen Victoria is most distressed by this revelation,she has more pressing matters to attend to such as taking charge of England's social problems and finding the right mate to help her do so. Victoria also wishes to remove her mother's manipulative adviser John Conroy from his position of powerful influence and she's not alone in her suspicions about Conroy but unaware of just how monstrously sinister his alliances are.
Victoria's heart is also a distraction as she falls in love with Prince Albert,who shares an understanding with her about the nature of personal and national politics as well as a true love connection:
Even with a happy marriage and proper political allies in place,Victoria can not ignore the dangers of the otherworldly hordes(which include werewolves,zombies and a variety pack of demonic foes)who seek to control not only the nobility but the downtrodden of the nation by halting social reforms that would quell the revolution they so dearly need to make their ultimate power play.
Since Albert is a strong supporter of reform,he is a prime target and in front of Victoria's eyes,kidnapped by vicious shapeshifters. No longer willing to let others do the dirty work of demon defense,Victoria takes up arms with Maggie Brown and the rest of the Prokectorate in order to save Albert herself.
While Victoria does have some real strength behind her convictions,there are other reasons she has yet to discover why she and her husband are conspired both against and for the powers of darkness,some of which may be revealed by the psychic visions of Maggie's son,John:
Queen Victoria,Demon Hunter was written by A.E. Moorat(a pen name for British author Andrew Holmes) and has the advantage of being freshly imagined material that brings life to several side characters that slowly but surely make connections and gruesome contributions to the plight of the major players in this story.
While the plot line is compelling,the gore show factor is just as prominent as the crown upon Victoria's head. This book is not for the squeamish but anyone who can take a rat attack or two,plus several zombie feeding frenzies in stride should be able to enjoy the rollicking pace of this offbeat adventure that gives new meaning to the phrase,"girl power":
It is said that Moorat is at work on another history horror novel with the focus being on Henry the VIII as a werewolf. While I do look forward to that,I also hope that Victoria gets another tale from the darkside as well. Queen Victoria,Demon Hunter feels like the start of a series and it would good to see more of Victoria in action both on and off the battlefield of the damned:
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