The Hunt

Rating:
Summary: If Truth Be Told
Review: "The Hunt" is the first in a new vampire series, "Laws of the Blood," written by Susan Sizemore. While the series appears to have some similarities with the vampire tales of the Masquerade, Sizemore has put together a vampire milieu that has its own subtle nuances and flavor. This is an impressive accomplishment in a genre which is perpetually searching for yet another new plot device. This first volume takes place in Los Angeles.

Sizemore's vampires are the strigoi, who follow the dictates of a hidden council, and strigs, who live on their own. The Strigoi Council sets the rules for public display, the making of new vampires, the hunt for victims, and anything else that effects vampire survival. Sizemore's vampires rarely need to hunt, since they feed on many human emotions in addition to human blood. But sometimes the Hunt is a needful thing. And for the making of vampires, it is required.

On the top of the vampire food chain are the enforcers, loners who make sure that the dictates of the council are followed and protect the vampires in their areas of control. Enforcers don't need to feed on humans at all. Indeed, they prefer their own kind when they need a snack. Selim is the Enforcer for Los Angeles. He is relatively young for a vampire (200 years or so) and must control the city as much by unerring diplomacy as by violence if he is to survive. The nests he is responsible for contain a fractious and argumentative group of vampires that chafe under the rule of the council and yearn for a more modern and enlightened form of government.

Now is come a time when the vampires of Los Angeles need to hunt, and it is up to Selim to provide what is needed. Hungry vampires are more than usually irritable, and Selim has to balance the need of the strigoi against the need for secrecy, which means that he is at odds with the heads of all the major nests. In Los Angeles there is another special danger; someone is trying to make a film about the vampire subculture, outing vampires everywhere. Selim must remove this threat or the hunt will be impossible.

Beautiful Siri has been Selim's human companion for almost a decade, her skill at clairvoyance having helped him many times. But, for the past year, Selim has been avoiding sex and blood sharing with her because he loves her, and is afraid he will need to change her too soon if he isn't careful. By law, the newly changed must leave their maker. This might work for Selim, but Siri is badly torn over his apparent rejection. Torn enough so that she is vulnerable to manipulation who seek the death of Sebastian, dhamphir child of Don Thomas, one of the most powerful of the city's vampires.

Half vampire and half human, little Sebastian is the stuff of vampire nightmares. Istvan, the only other Dhamphir born in the last 500 years, is a legendary enforcer who is the terror of every vampire who has heard of him. Sebastian is under Selim's protection, but the Strigoi Council expressly forbids the turning of dhamphirs and many vampires would just as soon see Sebastian dead first.

Sizemore shows considerable facility in weaving these subplots together into a tight whole. Selim's quandaries are engaging. He and his fellow denizens of the dark are believable and sympathetic without losing the horror of what they are. In a single volume the author lays all of the groundwork for the rest of the series and produces an imaginative dark adventure tale which will leave the reader looking forward to more.

Rating:
Summary: Disjointed with poor grammar
Review: Although some of the concepts in this book are new and intriguing, the grammatical errors were extremely distracting. I Hope Ms. Sizemore finds a new editor for the rest of the series.

In retrospect, the story is pretty good---but in the reading it was disjointed and hard to wade through.

I'll probably read at least the next one in the series, but will give up if it doesn't have dramatic improvements in continuity, style and grammar.

Rating:
Summary: A solid beginning for a new series.
Review: Even vampires have laws. Humans have police to uphold their laws. Vampires have "Enforcers".

Enforcers are an elite group of vampires. Selim is the Enforcer in Los Angeles. Much time has passed since the vampires in the city last tasted fresh human blood. A hunt is needed ... and soon. As Enforcer, it is up to Selim to name the time, the place, and the prey.

Because ONLY Enforcers kill other vampires, Selim's job does not make him popular. He can never waver or show any weakness whenever he gives the Laws. To do so could easily cost him his life and the life of his mortal love/companion Siri.

**** A very solid beginning for this series! When an Enforcer must go hunt another of his kind, one of them WILL die. It looks as though this will happen at least once in each of the books in the series.

This series is NOT for readers who want a vampire like the one Stoker created, nor for the ladies wanting a vampire hero to dream about. You should ONLY consider this book if you like the idea of vampires living among us in the world today, in clans. Recommended reading. I hope the second book is as good as this first. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Rating:
Summary: A solid beginning for a new series.
Review: Even vampires have laws. Humans have police to uphold their laws. Vampires have "Enforcers".

Enforcers are an elite group of vampires. Selim is the Enforcer in Los Angeles. Much time has passed since the vampires in the city last tasted fresh human blood. A hunt is needed ... and soon. As Enforcer, it is up to Selim to name the time, the place, and the prey.

Because ONLY Enforcers kill other vampires, Selim's job does not make him popular. He can never waver or show any weakness whenever he gives the Laws. To do so could easily cost him his life and the life of his mortal love/companion Siri.

**** A very solid beginning for this series! When an Enforcer must go hunt another of his kind, one of them WILL die. It looks as though this will happen at least once in each of the books in the series.

This series is NOT for readers who want a vampire like the one Stoker created, nor for the ladies wanting a vampire hero to dream about. You should ONLY consider this book if you like the idea of vampires living among us in the world today, in clans. Recommended reading. I hope the second book is as good as this first. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Rating:
Summary: Let the Hunt Begin!
Review: Finally, after reading Partners and Companions in the Laws of Blood series by Susan Sizemore, I managed to get my hands on The Hunt, the first book. I wasn't disappointed. It was all I thought it would be and I still find myself fascinated by the series.

Los Angeles Enforcer Selim finds himself in the position of having to give his approval for a hunt. It seems that every so often the vampires of the city need to taste fresh blood. Each nest (small community of vampires) is given the ok to hunt for x amounts of humans. Now this has to be handled very carefully. You see a vampire in need of a hunt is apparently in the same state of someone who needs a fix. You know what I mean, someone desperate for drugs, alcohol, chocolate (just thought I would throw that in there to see if you were paying attention) and will do anything to get what they need. The trick is maintaining control and not letting the hunt turn into a blood bath.

Since Selim is the Enforcer, it is his job to take control, organize the hunt, select the victims, and everyone is supposed to accept his decision and abide by it. Things don't quite work out that way. Some of the other vampire leaders resent his authority and try to undermine him. Meanwhile his mortal love, Siri, isn't afraid to question his decisions and has a few secrets of her own to hide. Selim soon finds himself with bigger problems than controlling the hunt and Siri when he hears someone is about to commit an act of betrayal that could destroy the their existence.

While I enjoyed The Hunt and found it worth the read, it was almost too much. There are so many subplots that it got to the point it became distracting keep up with what characters where involved in what plot and why they were involved. There were some cool moments in the book. I particularly liked the young vampire Sterling and how Selim has to explain the difference between stalking and courting. It was almost in a comical sense how Sterling kept showing up (hero worship?) when Selim needed backup.

While I don't consider this story up to par with the two that come after it, it is still a worthwhile read. It has all the elements, which make up what I expect from this series: blood, gore, violence, sex, and fascinating characters. Susan Sizemore has an interesting series going and I hope it expands past the five books, which I understand are supposed to make up this series.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, Original, and a Bloody Great Book
Review: From the moment Valentine starts penning her "come-back script" about the seemingly make-believe world of Hollywood vampires I was hooked! A witty, wicked, and fast-paced introduction to a well-planned and fascinating vampire universe. Encore, Ms. Sizemore, encore!

Rating:
Summary: Never reveal the truth about your own kind...
Review: happens to be the first law of the vampires. One of many laws the Strigoi follow. It just happens to be the most important. Selim, the Enforcer for Los Angeles, finds out that somebody is breaking that law. In fact, this somebody is about to throw the vampires' truth onto the big screen.
On top of that, he has to approve a Hunt, because many of the vampires in the city want to taste blood. The nests want blood REALLY bad and the leaders might not wait for him to give the OK.
To add to his problems, he is having issues with his female companion (in other words, his lover).
What's a Hunter to do?
Found the first book kind of bland. Might buy the next one to see if it gets interesting. Might not.

Rating:
Summary: Never reveal the truth about your own kind...
Review: happens to be the first law of the vampires. One of many laws the Strigoi follow. It just happens to be the most important. Selim, the Enforcer for Los Angeles, finds out that somebody is breaking that law. In fact, this somebody is about to throw the vampires' truth onto the big screen.
On top of that, he has to approve a Hunt, because many of the vampires in the city want to taste blood. The nests want blood REALLY bad and the leaders might not wait for him to give the OK.
To add to his problems, he is having issues with his female companion (in other words, his lover).
What's a Hunter to do?
Found the first book kind of bland. Might buy the next one to see if it gets interesting. Might not.

Rating:
Summary: If you like Anita Blake, you'll love Selim and Siri....
Review: I became a big fan of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series (after reading Anne Rice's series of vampire books) and reading "The Hunt" helped make the wait for the new Blake book in January much more than just tolerable. Sizemore's created a great new universe. I was willing to pick it up in the first place because I loved her romances, but she's hooked me on this new series. Now I'm trying to wait patiently for her new Selim book....

Rating:
Summary: An interesting twist on the vampire novel
Review: I enjoyed The Hunt. It was well-written, and Sizemore has come up with a detailed and original take on the vampire myth. I'm intrigued with the series, and I can't wait to read the next one.