J.D. Nixx (akaJ.D. Rhoades) has tried his hand at fantasy/science fiction. He's managed to take the well-worn vampires vs. zombies (and werewolves and cowering humans) and make it palatable for adults. Or at least us adults who had to sit through at least one of the Twilight movies with a giggly pre-teen.

Nixx's vampire Laura is not a supernatural being, but a genetically engineered weapon of mass destruction, as are the zombies (DeadBoys) and the werewolves (Hellhounds). If you're going to take over the universe, what better way to promote fear than to attack a planet using blood thirsty vampires with enhanced strength and reflexes?

The problem is that these killing machines developed feelings and autonomy, no longer following the orders of the human empire they were created to serve. So all of the vampires, save Laura are wiped out with a virus, leaving Laura to seek revenge.

I especially enjoyed Nixx's description of the Free Trade Zone, a colony founded on the belief that "people freed from government would eventually arrive at a viable society through free market competition and enlightened self-interest." The result is chaos, where local bosses and their militias constantly fighting to maintain control of their tiny pieces of turf and every warlord is for sale. Cheap.

Take that Ayn Rand fans!

Laura's journey to find those responsible for killing her people, along with her friendship with Mirmir, a sentient being created through artificial intelligence made my stationary bicycle workouts bearable. The body count goes sky high, and there's a fair amount of blood and gore, but I really liked how Nixx handles the genre, combining "Dracula's Daughter" with a bit of "2001, A Space Odyssey" thrown in.(less) ( )