Title: Vampiro Trilogy: Volume III: Brotherhood of the Bat
Authors: Don W. Hill, M.D. & Tom Cavaretta
Publisher: BookWhip Company
ISBN: 1953537618
Pages: 412
Genre: Vampire / Horror
Reviewed by: Liz Konkel
Pacific Book Review
A discovery goes horribly wrong when a young teenager finds an artifact that comes with a horrifying secret. Soon he becomes infected with a virus that changes him and his friend into vampires. Meanwhile, Dr. Zachary Hawk unearths more than he bargained for when an artifact infects him. He soon meets vampire children that have joined forces to rampage a community. Elsewhere, Blake continues to search for his son’s whereabouts which brings him to Mexico and up against a dangerous cartel, while what remains of a bio-weapon team soon surfaces, and Lorena has found purpose by leading what remains of the Mayan people in a fight to bring justice against a deadly war lord.
This explores the concept of vampires through the idea of a virus which has been explored in the previous books. In this third book, the story is digging a little deeper into the roots of this virus through paleontology discoveries – which can still pass on the virus. The Vampiro Trilogy places originality on the idea of vampires with the use of paleontology, specifically the discovery of bones and artifacts. The story put a unique perception on vampires by rooting it in the idea of digging up vampire bones, viruses which thanks to the pandemic hits a very specific note, and the evolution these characters face. Each character infected has their own experience with this virus and how it evolves them such as the journeys of Blake, Miguel, and Romero from the previous book. The writing style makes great use of poignant and vivid word choices such as prank prowler, fainted into a blissful fog, and direct spell of an admixture of potent aromatic chemicals.
Several characters are seen again in this installment such as Parker who ties directly into the exploration of the vampire origins and Blake in the midst of searching for his son. One of the characters that truly came into her own this go around is Lorena who has grown into a leader that guides her people and protect them by seeking justice against a war lord. The introduction characters Jesus and Isaac gives an interesting voice to the idea of vampire beginnings through the perspective of kids experiencing vampirism and the addicting power that comes with it. Their story captures the theme of innocence that is corrupted by darkness as you see these children drawn into this world of blood and violence. This group of children are also the catalyst that digs into the essence of the plot which focuses on the creation of the Brotherhood of the Bat.
The plot balances each thread of story to draw elements of suspense and action, connecting each character’s journey that wraps up nicely. The setting maintains a grittiness to the details that comes from elements such as blood sucking, murder, violence, and drugs. This tone comes from elements typically associated with vampires such as violent and blood though this trilogy offers a character-oriented tale. The characters are at the forefront of the story as vampiric elements push them to confront the darkness within and face the effects this virus draws out. Illustrations included have a similar style to previous books with a darker color scheme that captures fine details that capture various elements such as landscape, vampire skull, and flipped over car. These illustrations also feature visuals to the violent and gory moments presented throughout such as a man skewered, eating a heart, and a giant bat attacking someone.
Vampiro Trilogy: Volume III: Brotherhood of the Bat, written by Don W. Hill, M.D. & Tom Cavaretta delivers a new lore on the origins of vampires in a story that explores a variety of characters with a gritty tone and an original perspective.
