Blood Blade

Title: Blood Blade (Skinners Series #1)

Author: Marcus Pelegrimas
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror
Pages: 336 

I first became aware of Marcus Pelegrimas' writing when he wrote under the pseudonym Marcus Galloway.  As Galloway, he wrote a western series, "The Man From Boot Hill", which was an utterly fantastic series. I loved it so much I did not want it to end. Needless to say, I had high hopes for his new series, and I am happy to say that i was not let down.

Blood Blade is the story of Seattle video game designer Cole Warnecki. While on an extreme vacation, he gets more than he bargained for when he survives and encounter with a "full blood", a were-wolf like creature that is very deadly, very dangerous, and very hungry. After this encounter, he gets a job with the Midwestern Ectological Group (MEG), who puts him in touch with an experienced skinner, Paige Strobel. Paige drags Cole to the front lines of a war against an insane vampire by the name of Misonyk, who likes to infect his victims with vampire spores and then encourages them to go and drain their victims dry......and then steal their souls.

There is blood and gore galore. Whats even better than that is the character development. This is not one of those urban fantasy books where things are totally unbelievable. While I was reading this book, I was constantly looking over my shoulder wondering where the vampires were, not to mention feeling the Full Bloods rancid breath on my neck during the attack. This is one of those rare books that runs like a movie in your mind. Not only do you read it, you feel as though you have lived it!

So far, there are four published books in this series with two slated to come out in 2011. They are as follows:

1) Blood Blade (2009)
2) Howling Legion (2009)
3) Teeth of Beasts (2010)
4) Vampire Uprising (2010)
5) The Breaking (2011)
6) Extinction Agenda (2011)

I have to warn you that these books are a lot like potato chips. You cannot just stop with one. Yes, they are that good.

5+ out of 5 stars (If I could go higher, I would)
Re-readable factor of 5 out of 5 (especially during the Halloween Season)