LAWSON VAMPIRE

Lawson is an agent with the Council.

A whole lot needs explaining to really understand that opening statement.

First, Lawson is the name we know him by because that is the name everyone uses for him. First name? Maybe. More likely last name with the first name not being noticed by me so far. It does not matter much, though, because he is, well, Lawson.

Second, agent is correct as he works for and on the behalf of his employers. He and they refer to his position, though, as Fixer because that is what he is called to do - fix a situation. Usually that means eliminating someone from this plane of existence; it does not always call for such extreme solutions but more likely than not, it does. Lawson is very good at his job so there are an impressive number of people no longer walking this world because of him. He does not particularly like having to go that far but he does like his job overall and he plans on keeping it.

Third, the Council is the governing body for beings like Lawson. I say 'being' instead of human because Lawson is a vampire. Which in the Lawson-universe means that he is a race similar to but definitely not human. There are other races as well but as far as Lawson is concerned, the two main ones are Human and Vampire. Well, there are the Lycans which Lawson will have to deal with from time to time but for the most part, it is the two mentioned.

The important thing to keep in mind is that vampires know, obviously about humans, there being over seven billion of them on the planet and nowhere eve close to that number of vampires. But the humans, except for a very, very few, have no idea of the vampires, except in fiction. The vampires for the most part want to keep it that way as they have for several thousand years.

Lawson's attitude towards the other race as well as his job is described by him as, "I had nothing against humans. But my sole purpose for existing was to protect the Balance - that line between humans and vampires that had to be guarded at all costs. Knowing that there were humans fully aware of the existence of vampires could mean one of two things for me: that humans would eventually embrace us, thus putting me out of a job; or that they'd hunt us down, meaning my job would get a lot busier."

Lawson is described in the blurbs about his adventures as being "a cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance - the secret existence of a race of LIVING vampires that have evolved alongside humanity for thousands of years". He is, as stated above, a Fixer, "part-spy, and part-commando - James Bond (or sometimes Jason Bourne) with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home".

The blurbs for some of the adventures describes Lawson as "Bond with fangs" and "Bourne with fangs"; the latter is better because being a natural vampire with vampire parents, he was literally "born with fangs". (Okay, I amuse myself.)

Of the two literary giants, though, the former is more apt because Bond is routinely sent to investigate problems and rectify them, using his license to kill if it proves necessary. That is spot on with Lawson's 'fixer' vocation.

The writing style of the author, Jon Merz, is terrific for these adventures; conversational and descriptive without trying to be moody or dark. Lawson is of another species, not a undead stalker of the night. The prose moves the story quickly and surely and, more importantly, entertainingly.

I am especially pleased with his frequent use of the short story and novella mediums to tell swift and succinct adventures without trying to stretch them out. In today's digital era, I think this is a good idea that more authors should try.