Department 19
Will Hill
Subjects
- Spinetinglers - shivers up the spine time
- Fantasy Worlds - awesome adventures of magic and mystery
Average rating
In a secret supernatural battle that’s been raging for over a century, the stakes have just been raised – and they’re not wooden anymore.
Reviews
Department 19 is a book about a government organization that hunts vampires and the supernatural. Sound familiar? That's because it is. There have been many many books with a similar premise, but I think Department 19 stands out because of how closely it links itself with the original Gothic literature, and the high quality standard of the writing. The book is action-packed and features a plot which pulls you in and doesn't let you go. The book's hero, Jamie Carpenter, is a fairly generic action hero teen but his relationship with his mother makes him very sympathetic. The writing style is immediate and open, with a plot that is very engaging. The highlight of the novel though is the villains; the vampires in this book are wonderful, particularly the older ones who retain a sense of the old Gothic in the face of what is otherwise a very modern book. The book is in many ways about that contrast between the Gothic of the vampires and the modernity of the Department which is where its real strength lies, in how it puts these two elements together. All in all Department 19 is an enjoyable Gothic romp which is a must for fans of Gothic or spy fiction which can be used to introduce fans of either to the opposite genre very easily. (Also, in the inevitable film of the book Alexandru is so going to be played by Andrew Scott.)
Anonymous 24.08.2015
amazing book
Anonymous 23.06.2014
