Sunglasses After Dark - Nancy A. Collins

...this trilogy.

Sunglasses after Dark opens with Sonja Blue’s (the principal character) incarceration in the high security ward of the Elysian Fields mental asylum. Unconsciously she slips into the nightmares of both the inmates and warders, perhaps to unrealisingly feed off the tortured emotions being paraded in these nightmares.

This is not a vampire novel of the normal mould. The main character displays features ...
...of literature and film i.e. fangs and amazing strength, but in addition she can reach into the minds of others to read their thoughts and heal at vastly accelerated rates. Lastly we find that she is also immune to silver marking her as a unique creature within this mythos.

Throughout the book we are exposed to an inner beast referred to only as the Other. Whenever Sonja’s mental grasp on this creature slips it immediately strikes ... more

The Sonja Blue Chronicles

This trilogy of books (Sunglasses after Dark, In The Blood, Paint It Black) encompass a very interesting concept; a vampire hunter who herself is a vampire. This is a review of the first book of this trilogy.

Sunglasses after Dark opens with Sonja Blue’s (the principal character) incarceration in the high security ward of the Elysian Fields mental asylum. Unconsciously she slips into the nightmares of both the inmates and warders, perhaps to unrealisingly feed off the tortured emotions being paraded in these nightmares.

This is not a vampire novel of the normal mould. The main character displays features of the normal vampire we know via the mainstream mediums of literature and film i.e. fangs and amazing strength, but in addition she can reach into the minds of others to read their thoughts and heal at vastly accelerated rates. Lastly we find that she is also immune to silver marking her as a unique creature within this mythos.

Throughout the book we are exposed to an inner beast referred to only as the Other. Whenever Sonja’s mental grasp on this creature slips it immediately strikes out at its keeper. It is an interesting insight that other books of this genre have largely ignored simply by paying lip service to the lost humanity of the creature. The constant conflict between Sonja and the Other is a source of real interest throughout the book in fact I would say throughout the trilogy (Sunglasses after Dark, In The Blood and Paint It Black).

As a result of this conflict and the style that Nancy A. Collins uses throughout the narrative of Ms Blue’s life and unlife, the horror of what Sonja realises herself to be slowly becomes apparent to the reader as more of the layers concealing Sonja’s background are stripped away.

This book does not just revolve around vampires, there is exposure to other races (ogres, succubi, werewolves, the classic renfields and gifted humans known as sensitives).

All in all this book is a cracking read and I believe should be rated up with the classics of this genre. A marvellous introduction to a brilliant and exceptionally different characterisation of the vampiric individual.
 

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