Nicky Negrón, a family-oriented Puerto Rican insurance salesman has his life cut short when he is lured into a torrid rendezvous with a sultry woman that turns out to be a vampire. After the attack, Nicky rises, learning that he is now one of the undead and that his disappearance has resulted in a public sex scandal embarrassing his surviving family. Having retained a level of conscience because of a genetic resistance, Nicky satisfies has thirst for blood by becoming an urban vigilante preying on undesirables of society such as sexual predators, domestic abusers and drug dealers. Deciding that the ugliness of his current reality is something he should protect his family from, Nicky observes them from a distance, as they move on with their lives, until outside threats force him to intervene.
Carlos Colón has penned a gem of a noir thriller in Sángre, the best vampire novel to come my way since Dracula. Meet Nicky Negrón, a thoroughly likeable and very reluctant vampire suffering from the burden of his own genetic resistance, which places him in a curious space in between being a fully fledged vampire and dead. He is a vampire with a conscience. Consequently, Nicky is the most fully rounded-out vampire character there ever was. He has scruples. He agonises over his every action. He is consumed by the intricacies of his moral position and his desire to do no harm, and his blood lust. And he is consumed with guilt and grief over the betrayal that led to his demise.The story opens in Rahway State Prison, where Nicky is forced to find his next feed and the reader is confronted almost straight away with the raw reality of Nicky’s existence. What unravels is the story of how Nicky became a vampire and how he copes with his undead life. After his own ‘death’, Nicky encounters two other genetically resistant vampires, Travis and Donny, who educate him on the reality of his situation and offer guidance. Nicky discovers he was killed by a complete vampire, Simone, who Travis and Donny are determined to banish forever. Will they succeed? Or will Simone continue to kill and create a whole army of true vampires? And what of the curious Dr Teresa Gunder, bent on proving the existence of vampires with her groundbreaking investigations?I loved the narrative style and the urban vibe. Told with compassion and insight, the narration in Sángre is upbeat, droll and sharply observant, the setting distinctly noir. Colón exercises superb narrative control, with excellent dialogue and perfect pacing. Exposition is kept to a minimum, carefully placed to keep the reader abreast of the reality of a genetically resistant vampire. The author has structured his novel with finesse, the movement through time, back and forth from past to present seamlessly intertwined, chapter by chapter, and culminating in a breathtaking and satisfying conclusion. Yes, there is horror here, but it is nothing the average dark thriller reader cannot take.Sángre is laced with social commentary on the Bronx in the 1960s, on life for Puerto Rican New Yorkers, their values, culture and challenges. The author clearly knows and has a deep empathy for his subject. A rich and immensely satisfying read. Can’t wait for the next instalment!
Nicky Negrón is dead. Well, really, he’s undead. He’s a vampire.A rogue vigilante, he feeds on the scumbags of society—prostitutes, rapists, murderers. You might call him a hero or possibly a grim reaper, but, in actuality, he’s just a conscientious vampire. He can’t fathom to feed on the innocent, yet he prefers to drink blood that is free of drugs and disease, because that would make him sick.“My projection to those around me is the handsome Nicky (if I may say so myself) that died twenty seven years ago. To me that face is a memory from photographs. On the occasions when my projection is not present, like when I’m feeding or when my emotions take over, the only version I get to see of myself is that of my death face—the face that belongs six feet under.” (23)This is the story of a vampire cursed to live out his immortal days with the memories of his past life and a heart for the innocent souls. Flashbacks of his childhood and family interject as he prowls the night in a wandering blood lust. On the outside, he’s a fiendish monster; but the inside shows a sensitive and vulnerable creature. You can’t help but feel for him as he hovers near the presence of the family he left behind.The book is a delectation of raw and powerful words that bring the story to life. The story line, as well as its soulful imagery and beauty, is reminiscent of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, which follows a vampire named Louis as herelays his 200-year-long life story to a reporter. In Sangre, Nicky Negrón tells his story. He recounts his birth into vampirism and correlates it with the color red, which is the last thing he saw. Typically, red is “a color that humans connect with love—red roses, red cherries, strawberries, lipstick, hearts…it’s the primary color of Valentine’s Day, the color of love.” (90) But at the time of his transformation, when everything he loved was being taken away, he indicates it as the “color of dying.” Not only is this book poetic and insightful, but the author kicks it up a notch by adding his own Spanish flair with cultura and barrio phrases, settling the reader into a prideful comfort as if you were sitting at the kitchen table surrounded by tamales and familia.Colón is a talented and witty writer that has reinvented the dark genre with candid prose and lucid expression. His knowledge and compelling fascination with vampires enabled him to craft a well-written story that you can sink your teeth into. A remarkable tale!
Nicky Negrón has been a vampire for 25 years. He has his routine set for getting the blood he needs – working in a blood bank and feeding on low-life criminals. He’s a vampire, but a rare individual who didn’t lose his conscience completely. He even visits his widowed wife to watch her and see that she’s well treated by his replacement. Despite being a long time dead he’s still in touch with his humanity, his family from afar, and the habits of his old life.The story is told in the first person and it’s through that point of view that we get to know Nicky. He gives us his biography, his story, interspersed through the present day events. We learn about family relationships, life growing up in the Bronx, playing baseball, and meeting and courting his wife. These are some of the things that kept him from becoming a merciless bloodsucker. The fondness of the character for these aspects of his life really comes through and makes him a likeable and genuine protagonist.We get his point of view of the vampire life, from blood quality to debunking popular vampire myths. We see the unglamourous struggle it is to be a vampire. His inability to let go of his family and to avoid relationships gets him in lots of trouble.There are those out there looking to destroy his kind – those who’ve lost loved ones to his kind. Then there is the woman who turned him. She’s powerful, more powerful than most vampires. She ruined his life and she’s back to take his city.As much of the focus is on Nicky and his journey and relationships, it is a slow burn in parts. It’s a character piece and so there is not as much violence as you might expect. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as his story and coming to terms with his vampirism is interesting. This is a more human spin on vampirism and it’s definitely worth a read.
