Of Scions and Men

I, as a reader, often wonder if it is harder to create an entirely new world like in a fantasy novel or a world just like today's but with a few crucial changes as Courtney Sloan does in Of Scions and Men? Whichever is harder, establishing a world in the first novel in a series is always a challenge. Mrs. Sloan does an admirable job of creating a "realistic" world in this novel. You know, as realistic as a world where vampires are the ruling faction in North American and Europe at least.

There was a lot to admire about this novel. As I said the world building is quite good, and the characters in general react in ways one would expect in the environment they were placed in by the author. In a place where blood is the coin of the realm, it is entirely conceivable that humans would enter into an agreement with the vampires, but still feel the bitterness, the main character Rowan Brady, feels in committing herself because she had no other choice.

The story is engaging, and the characters are realistic. At first, I was a tad annoyed by the main character's attitude towards the vampire she is scion to, but the more of her story I read the more I realized, that although she made a choice to become a scion, it was not because she truly felt it was her place. I mean how many of us have taken a job we did not want, just because we had to have income. Ok so her decision was pretty permanent as far as jobs go, I mean once you have bonded with a vampire, it's not as if you could just go on Jobfinder and look for something different. But to me that makes her frustration all the more realistic, she took a job that is "for life" because she felt she had no other choice. Who wouldn't be bitter by those circumstances?

Although there is no sex in this first book, there is a strong undercurrent of sexual tension running throughout the story. But if a brilliant twist, the tension is between Rowan and several characters. Because there is no resolution between any of the characters, sexual speaking, the author has left herself wide open on where she wants to go with this character.

This openness is really my one complaint about this novel. By the end of this first novel, there are so many paths Courtney Sloan could take for her next book it is most frustrating as a reader. Will the author pursue the romance angle, the human uprising, the supernatural LGBT community, the geopolitical vampire agenda? All these choices lead to a double edge sword. In a first novel, it is ok to throw so much at the reader, this is a way to show all the turmoil in this society. But if it continues in future books, the author runs the risk of becoming to "sloppy" with the storyline. I look forward to seeing how Ms. Sloan works through this in future novels.