Blood Harvest · Virgin New Adventures

"Doc's peddling bootleg liquor in an illegal speakeasy. You're carrying a gun for him, Ace - which makes you no better than any other gun-moll."

Dekker is a private eye, an honest one. But when Al Capone hires him to investigate a new joint called "Doc's", he knows this is one job he can't refuse. And just why are the Doctor and Ace selling illegal booze in a town full of murderous gangsters?

Meanwhile, Bernice has been abandoned on a vampire-infested planet outside normal space. There she meets a mysterious stranger called Romanadvoratrelundar — and discovers an ancient and malevolent power, linking 1929 Chicago with a lair of immortal evil.

The consequences of this story are inextricably linked to events in the Doctor's past.

This review contains spoilers!

Say what you will about uncle Terry, fella knows how to make a story entertaining, his simple and very easy to read prose makes this book fly by, the plot is interesting, I found the 2 split sides of the adventure (the Vampire world and Chicago) to be fun, each time we’d switch perspective I’d be excited to get back to the other while still enjoying the one I was on, the issues with this novel stem from the really … stupid decisions the antagonist makes? And the very devs ex machina ending, don’t get me wrong I love a good Gallifrey story and it was nice, but man…. It just felt so rushed and weird. Overall a very easy read which I can’t say about most VNAs!

Voyxger

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Review last edited on 2-03-25

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Mixed feelings on this one. I enjoyed the overall plot, especially everything with Romana and Benny, and I liked a lot of the political maneuvering in the Chicago side of the plot. However, Dekker was a flat, annoying character to me, I really wasn't a fan of some of the ways Ace was characterized, and the misogyny got quite grating. I also found the climax to be a bit rushed.

Content warnings for violence, gore, death, attempted rape, and the use of a racial slur.