We also get to find out how Jamie's ancestor, John Carpenter, first met Frankenstein, saved his life, and then the latter making a vow that goes on to be honoured for generations of the Carpenter family. I actually really liked the concept and enjoyed the story, however, Jamie isn't a particularly likeable character with his tantrum type outbursts. In fact, very early on in my reading of the book it wasn't so much movie treatment I was thinking, but just how easily the plot, characters, monsters, locations, weapons and vehicles would transfer over to the PS3 or X-Box as a superb First Person Shooter. These monsters are Homicidal (and yes, I meant that with a capital H): think the sheer single-minded evilness of Kurt Barlow from 'Salem's Lot, the ambition of Deacon Frost from Blade, the sadistic bloodlust of Marlow from 30 Days of Night. The Goldsboro exclusive edition of "Empire of the Damned" by Jay Kristoff will feature block sprayed.

I can't tell you how many passages I had to reread because I processed absolutely nothing I had just read.

The only exception is The Rising which doesn't open with a quote from Dracula, but from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I love the idea that each book is numbered and limited, they're extra special because they're personalised with those sought-after signatures, and they are not on tip-in pages. The action occasionally leaps back in time, and as readers we are able to follow the adventures of Van Helsing and gang in the early years of the Department. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it’s packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy.

But that's not all: said stake has a trailing wire attached to it, which then pulls the stake back into the barrel, and it is reloaded and ready to fire all over again. I was glad he wouldn’t easily shut up and do what he was told, because at times I almost thought some of the “good” guys were worse than the vampires. I am interested to see what happens so will eventually continue on to book two but it won't be at the top of my TBR. I have already stated that another book will have to be pretty darn special to beat Department 19 to the top spot in my list of Books of the Year for 2011 – I am more than happy to be proven wrong as that would mean yet another outstanding book is on the shelves, helping even more young people to develop an enjoyment of reading for pleasure.In a secret supernatural battle that's been raging for over a century, the stakes have just been raised – and they're not wooden anymore. However, Will Hill very cleverly tacks on a couple of epilogues that have the reader salivating even more for a sequel as he teases us with a couple of very short scenes that in just a few pages set us up for some very exciting plot developments that no doubt will appear in the sequel.

In the secret supernatural battle that's been raging for over a century, the stakes have just been raised – and they're not wooden anymore. Dracula is recovering, while Department 19 is only a remnant of itself after Valeri Rusmanov's attack on Blacklight's headquarters, the Loop. It is also a book about relationships and the angst of being a teenager working in an adult and very dangerous environment. Violence and paranoia spread around the globe and, when it finally comes, Dracula's opening move is more vicious than anyone could have imagined. These are certainly not the insipid, vacuous blood suckers that we have had to endure in recent years - Will Hill has drawn on the nastiest examples of these creatures to create his monsters for his inspiration, and in doing so has reclaimed the vampire from the girly, fawning Twilight brigade.

Matt Browning is working to find a cure for vampirism and Larissa Kinley is on a secondment in NS9, the Amerian counterpart to Blacklight. But I eventually adjusted to it and even came to appreciate the fact this might be a gateway book for younger readers to seek out the original stories if they were curious enough. However, just 3 chapters later in Chapter 31, "One Rule For Everyone", Larissa says that she was turned 4 years ago. Jamie Carpenter's father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous creature named Frankenstein. Jamie begins to train as a vampire hunter, learning the history and practicing with weapons, while also uncovering some secrets of the Department, secrets that some would kill to keep hidden.

One of the escapees has a deep connection to one of the darkest moments in the history of Department 19 and embarks on a quest that threatens to expose the existence of vampires to the public. Even though I liked the presence of other fictional characters - Van Helsing and his crew - Frankenstein somehow felt like an overkill.Department 19 takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond - from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Down the Rabbit Hole" (chapter 37) is most likely a reference to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. The department was organized by none other than Abraham Van Helsing and his friends from Bram Stoker's Dracula years ago when they found out after killing Dracula that he was not, unfortunately, the only murderous vampire on the loose.