Twelve

July 12, 2010
Kent's sprawling historical horror debut, the first of a quintet, brings blood-gushing brutality back to vampire fiction. As Napoleon's army nears Moscow in 1812, four Russian spies meet with a dozen uncanny marauders who agree to harass the French. By the time Aleksei realizes that the fiends are literally bloodthirsty, the 12 have begun feeding on Russian civilians. Aleksei instinctively despises the vampires, while his friend Dmitry insists they can be useful allies, and his mistress is tempted by endless youth. Aleksei's sometimes plodding self-examination doesn't impede densely detailed, hard-driving action as winter and the vampires drive the invaders from the ravaged city. The novel's earnest conviction saves it from being mere ghastly melodrama, and the vampires are genuinely scary villains, more vivid than most of the living characters. With no romantic yearning or teen angst in sight, this is just a bloody good tale.

September 15, 2010
This is the American edition of Kents 2009 debut novel, a superb treatment of Napol'ons invasion of Russia, and it stands out among vampire tales. Shortly after their flight from Smolensk, four officers of the irregular forces meet in a tavern in Moscow. One of them reveals that he has sent for the Oprichniki, warriors from the south who can turn Napol'on back. When the Oprichniki arrive, Captain Alexei Danilov is uneasy, but his friend Dmitry insists that thesebeingscan help save Russia. By the time Alexei realizes exactly what they are, winter has arrived, and the vampires are feeding on fleeing French soldiers and Russian civilians alike. Kent has blended fantasy and history to produce an awesome picture of the battles from Smolensk to Berezina. The characters fit the action, although with so many (in that respect it is a Russian novel), their quality varies. Twelve is definitely high-quality reading. It is also the first of a planned quintet.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)