Jul 7, 2009

Bloody Good by Georgia Evans

Bloody Good by Georgia Evans is the second of my five books for the War Through the Generations: WWII Reading Challenge.

"This was not, he was convinced, some foppish, effete English vampire. This was one of his Aryan brothers. The brain rhythm was strong and reassuringly familiar. He'd sensed the same in his homeland in the Hartz Mountains. Only one other vampire hailed from that part of Germany. Could it truly be Gerhardt Eiche, or as he no doubt posed himself: Gabriel Oak?" (Page 18)

Georgia Evans' portrayal of Germany's invasion of surrounding European nations by the Nazi party as the backdrop for her novel set in the English countryside, Bloody Good, has a wide cast of characters, including vampires, witches, pixies, and dragons.

Alice Doyle is the village doctor and a pixie who has denied her heritage and her powers to rely upon science and medicine. Peter Watson is a conscientious objector to the war who underwent several years of veterinary training before the war began. Alice's grandmother embraces her pixie heritage and is keenly aware of the "others" living in the town.

In an effort to gain an advantage in the war effort, the Nazi's enlist vampires to blow up secret munitions plants across the English countryside. Evans does a great job of establishing a surreal world in which Nazi's and vampires work together for the same cause, at least until the vampires deem themselves able to take over. Dr. Doyle, her grandmother, and friends work together to uncover the secret Nazi mission and stop the vampires from succeeding in destroying the munitions plant.

"The talk on rabbit-keeping was boring enough to let Peter's mind wander onto more enthralling topics, notably Alice, Dr. Doyle, and the woman he was head over heels in love with. She beat out furry rodents, and even edible furry rodents, any day of the week." (Page 182)

Readers will enjoy the vampire tales, the pixie legends, and other surreal elements of this story, but the real treat is watching Dr. Doyle come into her own powers and accepting her heritage. However, some readers may be put off by the graphic sex scenes in this novel, though there are not too many of them. Some of the depictions in the book were a bit odd, particularly when Peter Watson compares Dr. Doyle to furry rodents. Overall, Bloody Good is a light read for the beach or camping in the woods.

This is the first in a series of novels by Georgia Evans, and readers who enjoy this one, should check out the next installment, Bloody Awful. I know I'm looking forward to the next one.

14 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

You know, you may be onto to something here. I best this is the least depressing WWII book in the bunch. And the most unique! I've read a few reviews of this one. You've got to give the author credit for some serious creativity!

Anna said...

Great review! Don't know what's up with those furry rodent comparisons, but I enjoyed this one simply because it was a different take on the WWII genre. I'm looking forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Serena said...

I really love the creativity in this novel. I can't wait to read the next ones in the series.

bermudaonion said...

If I run out of books when I'm at the beach, I'll look for this one.

Serena said...

bermudaonion: Its a fun read about a dark time in history.

Mari said...

This one sounds interesting. Great review.

Unknown said...

Sounds really interesting! I've seen this around, but your review finally convinced me to read it!!

Toni said...

Awesome... that cover is cool. It sounds so unique. had.. this review has me wanting to say Bloody Good all day at work... I am sure my co-workers will be so pleased.

Serena said...

Toni: I love the cover and title of this book. I love walking around saying "bloody good" and "Jolly good show."

The Bookworm said...

This sounds unique!!
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Iliana said...

I never got around to doing my review of this one but I found it a bit odd. I liked the vampire stuff but didn't expect the others - pixies, etc. And, I think that put me off the book a bit. I may give the second one a try though.

Jill said...

I hadn't heard of this series - it sounds like fun. I will have to check it out! Thanks for the review.

Serena said...

Darla: I think you'll like this series. the first book was fun. I have two others to read.

Anna said...

You're review was posted on War Through the Generations.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric