Mehket: Shadows in the Dark (Vampire: The Requiem Series) Book

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This book states it as a fact that originally the Mekhet created new vampires by reanimating actual corpses and only later did they discover that there is an easier way and so they mostly abandoned it. Mostly, the main character in the book is one of these exceptions. And technically other clans can do that as well, it's simply that only Mekhet still remember this possibility. And yes one of the vampires who seems to be from Encient Egypt really seems to have gotten reanimated after being mummified, she literally says "In this lovely head of mine is nothing but salt and spices. And yet, I think. And yet, I walk. And yet, if you behead me, I will die."
Now this method of creating a new vampire is not only more complicated, under the "right" circumstances this not only creates a new vampire but a living shadow copy of the vampire which can act on its own, eats carrion and creates havoc.

Vampires in this book are explained by Egyptian symbolism which separates the human soul in several parts, so basically a vampire is an incomplete soul that cannot therefore go on into the Afterlife.
Here the vampire is a being that is at the balance, which is what Mekhet in this book means, since its soul was never judged against the Egyptian Ma'at feather. They seem to have put some thought into this.

The two letters "Testimony of the Plague Angel" and "On The Necessity of Atheism" I liked very much:
1) Testimony of the Plague Angel
That reads every bit as disturbing as the title suggests. A little jewl in this book. Nice horror, would ever someone make a comic out of it, it would surely be rated M.
2) On The Necessity of Atheism
That might be a first in a vampire book. The vampire actually suggest for vampires to be atheists in order to herd their cattle via religion without being in danger of "contamination" by religion. Usually vampires are used rather for religion and not against it.

The Mnemosyne are a vampire bloodline that can literally drink the memories of others. It does remind me of the concept shown in Underworld but unlike in those films, here they do it right. The Mnemosyne are valued and feared for it, they often fill crucial roles in vampire society and their powers can leave them often mad due to all the memories they absorb.

The Norvegi look like a pretty interesting bloodline with their lack of fangs and ability to grow sharp bone appendages. But I think they overdid it a bit with the whole outsider status of the Norvegi.

That shadow cult called "The Moulding Room" is downright weird and the Detournement power the Moulding Room vampires use, sounds as weird as they themselves are.
I guess I get the power of information but this is really odd.

That Bloodworking power of the Norvegi vampires sounds cool. On level one you grow tiny hollow bone needles that allow you to drink blood through your hands, but at level 5: The Norvega's entire body explodes into an array of blades and spikes, some of which leave her body altogether, like a porcupine's quills. The power shreds her clothes but impales anyone and everyone around her within a range of about five feet.

However the Meminisse power of the Mnemosyne was boring, but the Sethithe rituals and devotions (power combination) were ok.


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