The Eternal Battle

by Keith Gouveia

1st Books
www.1stbooks.com
ISBN # 1-4033-1318-0 (ebook)
ISBN # 1-4033-1319-9 (paperback)
298 pp at 14.95 paperback
(Review based on paperback)

 

In his debut novel, The Eternal Battle, Keith Gouveia does what the horror field has needed for a long time, that of breathing life into an over written sub-genre. He has expanded the horizon of modern day vampire stories into an area that, at least to this reviewer, is one never seen before. As Gouveia writes, the eternal battle between good and evil rages on each and every day, but this particular battle stands out as one of both great courage and tragedy. That is the premise we are given in the beginning pages of the novel, the author setting up the cosmic level this takes place on by the mention of God and Lucifer, yet manages to not make it sound preachy, instead informative and doctrinally sound.

The story then switches to a small cargo plane as it makes its way from London to Boston. The two men flying the plane have no idea that they are transporting two vampires, but once the sun sets on their travels, the unholy pair awaken, thirsting for blood. In the onslaught of violence that follows, both the pilots and one of the vampires, lose their lives, leaving one lone vampire to see to the survival of his bloodline. As the plane goes down, the vampire escapes, and begins a search of the area for a meal.

The novels’ main character, Police Detective Mike Caisse, finds himself thrown into a strange world of vampires and their zombie slaves after his wife Julie has a physical affair with the last of the vampire bloodline from Europe that escaped from the plane, Jean Pierre. From this unholy union a child named Daniel is born, half human and half vampire. Not long after, Mike’s wife willingly becomes one of the undead, leaving him with the responsibility of raising the child alone. Daniel begins aging at an alarming rate, and Mike realizes that he needs to put an end to the vampires before any more innocent lives are affected.

The story becomes even more enthralling when Julie and Jean Pierre want their son. Mike, with the help of John, his friend and partner on the police force, and Daniel, now aged to that of a teen, make it their mission to eradicate the vampire couple along with any newly created vampires. Julie seeks vengeance on Mike, and in a failed attempt to turn him into her slave, she unwittingly grants him powers beyond those that her and Jean posses. The battlefield now much more evenly matched, both sides make the necessary preparation for the melee that is to result.

The vampires need to come up with a way to destroy Mike before he has a chance to end what they have worked so hard to establish. They must build up their forces and gather the necessary tools while hoping that Mike will not find them as they rest. Mike has to destroy his wife, the woman he once loved, in order to save humanity, and free himself from the curse she placed upon him. However before he has a chance to do this, John is drawn in further, making the decisions Mike faces that much harder. His own fate, as well as that of Daniel, and John now relies on him being able to win this battle.

The style of writing shown by Mr. Gouveia draws you in quickly and keeps you through the end, making it hard to put the book down. The story is not bogged down with unnecessary descriptive narrative as you find with so many stories of this type, no endless paragraphs describing leaves on a tree, or the cut of someone’s coat. It is refreshingly, highly character driven, and filled to the brim with action and dialogue. No matter what you feel for the characters, they will grab hold of you, as you are drug right into the center of the melee, with the eternal battle ensuing around you. Perhaps the highest compliment that I could pay is that once the story ends, I want to see more of the characters. I hope a sequel is forthcoming.