Title: Outside the Box
Author: P.N. Elrod
In: Hex Appeal (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: The vamp had kidnapped the poor girl, forced the change on her, and buried her deep in a box in that old cemetry.

A tale of vampires, witches and pointless bureaucracy – and how the intersection of these can go completely wrong sometimes.

This was an amazing short story – it had vampires, witches and pointless bureaucracy. The voice of Mars, the woman telling the story was strong and realistic, she’s bored with the tedium of a government job and worried about money. I love when writers pull the concerns that we all have, such as money, hobbies, careers, into a paranormal setting, like waiting for a newly turned vampire to rise.

The idea of bureaucratically controlling newly risen vampires was a great commentary on how everything in our lives appears to be governed by rules. Yes, without them things could fall apart, but with them, sometimes those who do the right thing, such as Mars and Ellinghaus, are punished to make the governing body look good. The fact that this regimented system was part of the cause of the carnage that followed just helped to highlight how important flexibility can be within such a system.

This short story is set in the world of the Vampire Files, but it is still separate. It is an easy way to spend half an hour and immerse yourself in a wonderfully constructed world.

Image source: Succubus