Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte’s 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD is an original novel set in the world of Niles’ acclaimed comic-book series about vampires taking advantage of a remote Alaskan town’s month-long absence of sunshine. If, like me, you’ve never read any of the comics, don’t let it scare you away; after an initial 20 pages of confusion, RUMORS finds its groove.

It’s the story of FBI Agent Andy Gray, whose longtime partner Paul has – according to all evidence – turned into a vampire and already killed a few Californians while getting used to his new life. Believing Paul’s death has something to do with an Alaskan woman they had under surveillance who wrote a book about vampires in her tiny town of Barrow, Andy withdraws from his family and risks his life in order to delve into the process of finding the truth. His search for closure takes him to seedy bars, seedier motels and finally to Barrow itself, during the dead of winter.

RUMORS’ emphasis on the procedural reminded me of the excellent DEAN KOONTZ’S FRANKENSTEIN books, which distinguishes the book from all the tired, been-there-done-that vampire fiction out there. Yet Niles and Mariotte leave plenty of room for the hardcore horror as well, so this novel won’t disappoint Niles’ fans thirsting for his oddball touch. The recent DARK DELICACIES anthology gave us proof that Niles could pen a short story as captivating as his comics work, and RUMORS builds upon that promise in the long form.

One scene pays tribute to the greats of vampire literature, as Agent Gray heads to the library for research and dips into Bram Stoker’s DRACULA, Stephen King’s ‘SALEM’S LOT and Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND. While I doubt RUMORS will have the kind of impact to allow it to be mentioned in that company one day, it’s a gripping, solid start of a new series that’s so exciting, I can feel it in my … er, blood. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.