Stoker's Wilde West

August 1, 2020
The sequel to the fun, action-driven historical horror Stoker's Wilde (2019) brings back vampires, secret societies, and of course, the monster-fighting duo of Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. This time, they leave civilized London society for the American West where they are enlisted by the government to root out vampires and to stop a rich land developer from opening a portal into a dark realm. While the first book followed the style of a Victorian novel, this one channels its setting through a cadence steeped in the traditions of the Western, using genre tropes and real-life characters like Calamity Jane as a foundation for the paranormal adventure. Once again, the epistolary style serves readers well, allowing multiple voices to emerge while magnifying the immediacy of the danger. Stoker and Wilde, with their amusing odd-couple relationship, still take center stage, but Stoker's wife Florence also blossoms into a major player. Suggest to fans of paranormal alternative history featuring well-drawn characters and strong world building, such as Molly Tanzer's Creatures series, Robert McCammon's I Travel by Night series, or The Hunger by Alma Katsu.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)