Charlie Huston - No Dominion

This will be a pretty quick post. I just finished up No Dominion, which is the sequel to Already Dead (see my review below). I really enjoyed Already Dead, so I was waiting for the mailman to deliver the follow-up.

No Dominion picks up after the events of the first novel. I'll try to keep things spoiler-free, but I think that in the early parts of the book Huston was torn about how much to explain to the reader. He spent some time recapping the events of the first book, but not enough to actually set an adequate stage for people who hadn't read it. The same goes for the general workings of his world (how the Vampyres feed, who the major Clans are, etc.). And for people who have read the first book, it feels a little tedious and comes off as somewhat aimless. Thus, an unsatisfying middle ground.

Luckily, the book moves with almost the same pace as the first in the series (a third book is due out in December). Where the first book dealt with a story both personal and political, the second book deals more with the political side of things. It's still got the intrigue and discover of a good mystery, but the events of the book revolve around power struggles and uncovered conspiracies. I personally enjoyed that aspect a bit more than the first book, which got a little too complex at times.

One of my complaints about the first book was that all of the fictional elements were integral to the story; nothing was there for atmosphere or flavor. The same can be said of No Dominion, but for some reason it didn't bother me as much this time. Maybe that's because I was more familiar with the book's version of Manhattan and was focused on the story more. That makes sense, but actually I think it was because the story, once it got going, was more engaging for me than Already Dead's.

I was sad to see that Huston didn't do a ton to further develop the main character's love story, but knowing that there's a third book on the way gives me hope. Overall, I would say that No Dominion is just as good as its predecessor, though in different ways. I heartily recommend both books.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

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