City of the Undead
Review by Dave Wolff
Author: Evelyn Smith

Available at amazon.com and bn.com
If you read Evelyn Smith’s interview in AEA zine you’ll have an idea her take on vampire fiction hasn’t been attempted by other authors, but the relation is so obvious it feels like something that was waiting to be stumbled upon, Her interview provided insight into the idea presented by this collection of tales and several movies and TV series dedicated to the mythos: that anyone you meet in daily life can be a night creature. Author G.L. Giles, whose Vampire Vignettes series set a Southern bible belt town as the framework for another world thriving unseen behind traditional Christian values, was enamored by the presentation of the vampire world born of Smith’s imagination, so this is a good reference off the bat (no pun intended) if Giles’ stories intrigued you. Inspired by sources as diverse as Stephen King, Hammer Productions and Vampirella, Smith casts her vampires into roles you wouldn’t have expected. In this sense she can be likened to King somewhat, but she goes further in this vein when it comes to abilities some vampires possess that are different from that of other vampires’, and makes an effort to separate some legends from others in terms of how accurate they are in her universe. City Of The Undead compiles the stories They Are Everywhere (which is the sequel to her novel Transylvania, Louisiana), There Goes The Neighborhood, Grow Room, Emily, The Rules, New Neighbors and Death Is A Cowboy. Each of them take their own turns through vampire lore, offering enough diversity to cause you to wonder what’s to happen next. For ordering information contact Smith at http://www.facebook.com/eviesmithx.