"Fangland" is several stories in one book. The book opens with the story of Evangeline Harker, a producer on the TV news magazine show The Hour (The Hour..."60 Minutes"...get it?) who is sent to Transylvania to investigate and possibly interview the infamous Eastern European crime boss Ion Torgu. Harker disappears and is feared dead, until she returns months later with no memory of what happened to her.
Meanwhile, strange things are happening at The Hour's New York office. Videotapes arrive unexpectedly from Romania and now the office sound system is having difficulties. Editors and engineers begin complaining of fatigue, insomnia and horrible nightmares. Someone at The Hour is sending emails in Harker's name, large mysterious crates are delivered to the office, and almost all employees are exhibiting violent tendencies towards themselves or others.
Who is Ion Torgu and what is he doing to the staff of The Hour?
About the Author:
John Marks is a former "60 Minutes" producer who currently resides in Massachusetts.
What I Liked:
"Fangland" is presented in a unique way: Harker's travel diaries, a colleague's series of email exchanges, a network executive's last will and testament, and a coworker's therapy journal allow multiple first-hand accounts to be presented with a voyeuristic thrill for the reader. The well-known, traditional vampire legend has re-imagined and merged into 21st-century corporate life. Is your job sucking the life out of you or is it a vampire? The soullessness, depravity and despair in the workplace are mirrored by the diabolical, soul-sucking vampires. I found this to be an interesting comparison.
What I Disliked:
The ending. I won't give anything away, but I must note that the resolution of the storylines didn't quite live up to the expectations set up by the first two-thirds of the book.
Bottom Line: A melancholy, creepy, non-traditional vampire story. The disappointing ending doesn't negate the other two-thirds of the book.
Rating: B
"FANGRRL" is ©2007 by Lisa Ciurro. All graphics, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2007 by Nolan B. Canova.
BOOK REVIEW: