Gothic fantasy writer A G Slatter had never intended to write a vampire novel, but here she is with The Crimson Road, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-inspired odyssey that pits her protagonist Violet Zennor against the blood-sucking Leech Lords of the Darklands. Violet is headstrong, clever and compassionate. She is also a killing machine trained by her father Hedrek for the sole purpose of atoning for his appalling moral crime – the consequences of which could be apocalyptic.
The Crimson Road reckons with lost childhood, destiny and free will, avarice and power in a fantasy world filled with ogres, witches and god-hounds. Wealth, freedom and power drive the story’s central crisis: the threat of a plague of Leech Lords across the land. But these themes and ideas are explored without nuance in a book that paints in broad strokes. Violet never grieves her father’s death. We see a loneliness in the main villain that is never examined. Violet longs for a loving family, but simply goes about collecting one without acknowledging own childhood trauma.Â
The first third of the book deals with the coaxing of Violet by her dead father’s associates to fulfill her destiny and it really sags. We all know Violet will journey to the Darklands and the 100-odd pages spent on her indecision is a frustrating read. Exposition weighs the book down and the reader is forced to trudge through the diary entries of a long-dead wayfarer presented in an annoying font explaining the lore of the Leech Lords. We essentially spend an inordinate amount of time watching Violet read.
Another problem is the book’s tone. Violet’s odyssey to save the world feels like a lark. She is so unflappable the reader never feels she is in any real danger and she is very c’est la vie about her mission. Her journey into the Darklands suggests an epic showdown, but ends in a disappointing whimper. There are also inconsistencies. Leech Lords seem impervious to their own kryptonite (garlic) and yet Slatter writes herself into a corner having to explain away why they can be near garlic.
She also suggests the Leech Lords long for a freedom, but then takes great pains to show how they enjoy staying in the Darklands. In fact, whole passages of the book are devoted to papering over plot holes Slatter correctly anticipates the reader noticing.Â
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The Crimson Road tantalises, but ultimately does not deliver on its promise of a dark coming-of-age story. It is too glib and cartoonish for that. Violet’s arc does not come from within; the book’s plot hands it to her. Her quest is never in doubt and the story goes through its motions interrupted only by plot holes and contradictions. And the Leech Lords will go down as one of the more benign takes on vampire lore. For a road that is supposed to be crimson Violet’s odyssey is surprisingly anaemic.Â
The Crimson Road, A G Slatter
Publisher: NewSouth Books
ISBN:9781803364568
Format: Paperback
Pages:Â 400pp
Publication:Â 11 February 2025
RRP: $27.99
