Book Review: Infection Points by Elena Pavlova
Genre: Horror
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Described as a story for fans of The Strain and Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach series, I jumped at the chance to read this novella, translated from the original Bulgarian.
Works in translation are always a little tricky to accurately judge when it comes to the prose. I can only imagine how difficult it is to capture the author's original intent as well as nuance, connotation, and prosody in a different language, which is why I try to look past some of the clunkier sentence constructions in a translated work. While there was some of that here, especially in the dialogue, I think the translation is handled fairly well overall.
When it comes to the story, this novella should've and could've been longer. It presents a unique and fascinating take on vampirism with a decidedly academic slant that I would've loved to have seen more thoroughly explored. There were gaps in the world building, which I think could've been investigated or explained better had the work been longer.
Our MC is the usual rugged sort who has recently quit smoking and is trying not to drink (too much) while stationed in a decrepit town, ostensibly babysitting a nest of failing vampires for an ethically dubious organization similar to Doctors without Borders, concerned with the conservation of vampires whose presence seems to have an inexplicably positive affect on humans living in the same vicinity. That is until a fungal infection starts decimating the vampire population, turning them feral.
Although this book is described as an eco-thriller, I didn't get many thriller vibes aside from becoming increasingly suspicious of our ecologist MC’s boss. The story definitely slanted more toward horror, especially with the inclusion of a vampiric child facing extermination at the hands of the very organization tasked to protect her. (The interactions between our ecologist MC and the vampire child were probably my favorite parts of the book, and gave me Let the Right One In vibes). However, horror fans may be a little disappointed to find this book lacking a little as the more horrific aspects are only briefly shown at the very end. I was hoping for more body horror too, given the fungal infection plaguing the vampires. I was also hopeful we'd see more of the process of turning and the potential body-horror involved there when certain events in the story seem to be heading that way. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen and feels like a missed opportunity.
Ultimately, Infection Points provides a unique and fascinating perspective on vampirism, exploring the socio-economic impact of these urban predators in Bulgaria by blending horror with academia, and science with myth. The story introduces many intriguing concepts, both novel and borrowed from Balkan lore, to create a world not too far removed from our own that demands greater exploration. A curious reader will no doubt find this novella only whets the appetite, fueling the hunger for more stories where vampires are not only the subject of questionable academic study but also the unwitting victims of complex human eco-politics.
Purchase via publisher Ruadán Books (links to other sites are included)
Review By Xan van Rooyen
ARC generously provided by the publisher for honest review
