Generation V

Generation V #1

by M.L. Brennan

Reality Bites

Fortitude Scott’s life is a mess. A degree in film theory has left him with zero marketable skills, his job revolves around pouring coffee, his roommate hasn’t paid rent in four months, and he’s also a vampire. Well, sort of. He’s still mostly human.

But when a new vampire comes into his family’s territory and young girls start going missing, Fort can’t ignore his heritage anymore. His mother and his older, stronger siblings think he’s crazy for wanting to get involved. So it’s up to Fort to take action, with the assistance of Suzume Hollis, a dangerous and sexy shape-shifter. Fort is determined to find a way to outsmart the deadly vamp, even if he isn’t quite sure how.

But without having matured into full vampirehood and with Suzume ready to split if things get too risky, Fort’s rescue mission might just kill him.…

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Fiction, Urban

312 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 7, 2013

About the author

M.L. Brennan is the author of the Generation V series - GENERATION V, IRON NIGHT, TAINTED BLOOD, and DARK ASCENSION, all published by Roc. Brennan holds an MFA in writing and is employed as an adjunct professor at several New England colleges.

For Brennan's thoughts on writing, publishing, and the world in general, please check out her official webpage at http://www.mlbrennan.com

Reviews

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

3.5 stars

I want to say upfront that this book rocked my socks off. It REALLY did—most potential I’ve seen in a new(ish) UF series in a LONG friggin’ time.

Don’t forget that.

Fortitude Scott is a pushover. He lets his coworkers dump their responsibilities on him without uttering a word of protest, his roommate isn’t paying his share of the rent (and hasn’t for months), and when his girlfriend belatedly informs him that they have an “open” relationship, he does nothing.

He’s also a vampire.

Kind of.

Baby vampires are made when Mommy or Daddy vampires create host parents via MASSIVE blood-exchanges, and afterward have the hosts make a baby the old-fashioned way. The blood-exchange fundamentally changes the host parents DNA, so that any offspring have more genetically in common with the vampire than the modified humans. The baby vampire grows (MOSTLY) like a normal human child, until he (or she) “transitions” into full vamphood sometime after physical maturity.

Fort is 26 years old, and desperate to hold-off his transition for as long as he can, to the bafflement of his mother and siblings.

He also refuses to acclimatize himself to the supernatural world, preferring to live and work amongst humans. But when an Italian vampire comes to visit, and young girls begin to disappear, Fort throws himself head-long into the world he’s thus far avoided to try and save them.

My issues:

1. One of my #1 RAGE buttons in books is when Bad Things happen to children. Bad Things happen to children in this book. VERY Bad Things. To little girls. I don’t like it.

2. I don’t NEED all of my MCs to be hardcore, kick-ass, take-sass-from-nobody types. Those types do tend to be my favorites, BUT I have a healthy appreciation for intelligent, out-smarting types too. And quiet, I-shall-not-be-moved types. AND committed-to-the-cause types . . .

Fort is none of these.

Fort, as I stated earlier, is a PUSHOVER. A passive-aggressive PUSHOVER.

Admittedly, the passive-aggression is oftentimes downright hysterical—really guys, I can’t remember the last time I lol’d this much while reading a book. Maybe First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones?

Anyway, the point is that MANY times while reading this book I was disgusted with Fort. He was such a damn pansy. When his cheating bitch-of-a-girlfriend shows up at his apartment for the first time in three weeks, instead of forcing a Talk like he wants to, he allows himself to be distracted by her manipulations and taken advantage of. Again. He recognizes that his roommate has a lot of money for eating out since he’s not paying rent, but keeps letting Roommate put him off.

Did I mention that the retroactive “open” status of Fort’s relationship with his girlfriend came about after he caught Girlfriend and Roommate having sex?

Oh, yeah. That happened.

Me<——D-I-S-G-U-S-T-E-D.

So this was by no means a perfect book.

HOWEVER, Fort does finally grow a pair (at the very end), and the Bad Guy is of course vanquished. Don’t get mad—pedophile Bad Guys never live to the see the next book. And without those two problems, this book is spectacular. Anyone who enjoys a good Beta character will absolutely love this book. And the transformation is not a transformation—Fort is, and will always be, a Beta. He just won’t sit there and take it (whatever “it” is) anymore. I can live with that.

There are also a lot a interesting secondaries, Suzume Hollis being my favorite of the bunch.

Suze is a kitsune. What’s a kitsune?

A kitsune is fox-shifter from Japanese folklore. They are tricksters that often fall under the same umbrella as Coyote and Loki, and like Coyote and Loki, kitsune can be categorically vicious. Brennan paints a particularly vivid picture of this in Suze who can be alternately cute-as-a-button and absolutely terrifying. Mostly she’s just funny. The combination of Fort’s sneaky, undermining younger sibliing-like antics and Suze’s pranking and hilarious observations gets ALL the funny points.

So ultimately, I HIGHLY recommend Generation V by M.L. Brennan. I had to make myself stop reading Iron Night (book 2) and write this review, so the books wouldn’t run together. Not happy about that. Going back to reading right . . . about . . . now . . .

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just pure fun to read. The plot is not complicated, the characters are not highly complex. It does not have aspirations or pretense to be any higher or more complicated than it actually is; there are no underlying messages or digs upon the nature of man vs. beast, just a simple story of a young vampire trying to come to terms with his own morality and grow his very own spine, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.

I love my beta heroes. Not the snarky, asshole hipster type (à la Hold Me Closer, Necromancer), but the more softspoken types. Fort (short for Fortitude) is definitely softspoken...to the point of being a doormat. His siblings, Prudence and Chilvalry are full-fledged vampires, with the looks and power to match, Fort is just a tropey little half-vampire trying to resist the calls of his baser half, hanging on to his humanity and being a vegetarian while gritting his teeth and resisting the feedings that his body so desperately desires.

He is walked all over at work by his rhymes-with-witch of a boss, Jeanine. Even more pathetically, his roommate Larry not only has not paid his share of the rent for the past four months, but is sleeping with Fort's on-again-off-again girlfriend Beth. "After which they both found it useful to quote Sartre at me to explain how unreasonable it was of me to object."

His relationship with Beth is hysterical, and serves to highlight how completely spineless Fort is initially, I mean, just look at what happens after a fight...if you can even term it that:

"Beth had accused me of having repressively traditionalistic gender and sexual beliefs and told me to read Judith Butler. I’d ended up so much on the defensive that I actually apologized to her when I dropped her off at her apartment. Two days later she’d sent me a sixteen-page e-mail that outlined her view of what a modern and liberated relationship was supposed to look like, which boiled down to her being able to have sex with as many people as she liked.
To give credit where it was due, it was really well argued, and the footnotes were flawless."*

*There are quite a few digs at academia/Ivy Leaguers ;)

Fort's mother, Madeline, is in charge of the New England area, New York, a good deal of Canada. She's got politicians and various other powerful characters under her thumb and in her thrall. The main plot starts when Madeline invites Luca, an Old World vampire into her territory, and offers him hospitality while he is within it.

"'Hospitality grants him the same rights that my children enjoy. To move freely in my territory. To engage with those who live within my borders. To seek prey as he wishes.'"

Luca rather abuses that advantage of hospitality, meaning he molests a child under his protection and starts preying on other young girls and killing their families. Fort has a problem with that, but there's not much he can do witout violating his own mother's laws of conduct within her territory. As he is reminded again and again by his mother and brother and just about every supernatural creature with whom he comes into contact, Fort is altogether too human. His brother reminds him that as hard as it is, Fort is going to have to let his emotions go. Don't feel too much, he's going to be around for a long time, hundreds and hundreds of years, and if he lets everything hurt him as much as it does, it will only break him eventually.

As it has been reiterated in so many vampire novels, Fort is trying to hang onto his humanity despite his true nature; no matter what kind of monster he will be one day, he is not one yet, and he refuses to let an injustice go by unpunished when he can try to do something to stop it. And he does try to stop it despite his lack of strength, his lack of skills, his lack of vampirism, period.

Enter Suzume: his bodyguard. She is his polar opposite, and by far my favorite character in this book. If Fort is lacking a spine, she has enough for two, or nine. Suzume is a kitsune, a fox shape shifter. Generally, fox creatures in legend are mischievous, tricksters, dangerously capricious, and volatile as hell. Suzume is no different. She enters Fort's life and immediately turns it upside down. I could not stop laughing at her first day in Fort's life. He has no idea what he's in for when his mother assigned Suz as his bodyguard.

She can manipulate the mind, manipulate emotions, induce pure terror when she chooses to. She can fight, she can shape-shift. Suzume is just a pure, seductive, and occasionally furry ball of kick-assery. With Fort, she's got her job cut out for her.

“What kind of bodyguard doesn’t stop me from getting mugged?” I asked incredulously.
“The kind who wants to know exactly how much handholding this assignment is going to require,” she answered.
“How much is that?”
“Apparently the same amount as walking a five-year-old girl across the street. Was assuming the fetal position and trusting that they wouldn’t kick anything critical really your best plan?”

She changes his passwords, wreaks havoc at his workplace, engages in Facebook warfare with his ex, creates a scene on a bus where Fort is exposed to an amused crowd as the pushover he really is. All joking aside, Suzume is seriously dangerous and good at what she does.

"'Keep one thing in mind, Fortitude,' she hissed, low and dangerous. 'I'm not some were-critter. I'm not a woman who can turn into a fox when she feels like it. I'm a fox who can become a woman. Try to remember that.'"

Her true nature is that of nogitsune. "It means field fox, Fort. It means to be without kindness, to just be a trickster, a nuisance, a danger. It means not caring about consequences. It means to have to live outside the human cities...But it also means to value your own survival."

The question is, will she go against her nature to help Fort, or abandon him to his ultimately Quixotic venture?

This book is not scary. It deals with Fort and Suzume's nature, and and their question of morality and where they're willing to draw the line when it comes to right and wrong. It deals with humanity when you are a monster, as other books of this nature do. There is nothing groundbreaking about it, but it is well-written, and absolutely hilarious at parts. There is no pretension, the characters are enjoyable and well-crafted, and an absolute delight to read.

Oh, and need I mention the disgruntled elf OB/GYN?

"'I graduated from Harvard,' she bit out. The battle cry of a thousand Ivy Leaguers with their credibility questioned."

[Tanja (Tanychy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too lazy to write a review.
The main character is 28 years old guy who behaves like 15 years old girl. That bothered me the most and the main reason why I didn't enjoy this book is that I couldn't connect with him in any way.
Still interesting idea and it is funny, at the moments. I will give it that.
But not interested in continuing the series. Sorry Lynn.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Update: Interview with the author on my blog: on Japanese mythology, writing underdog characters, creating a new breed of vampires and more http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

Urban fantasy is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres, and I've certainly been reading a lot of it this year. The problem with that, however, is that I've become a lot more picky, so these days for a UF series to catch my eye, its ideas or stories need to be very interesting and it has to offer something a little different. That's why when the author of Generation V sent me a request for an honest review of her book, I very enthusiastically took her up on it. The book looked like it fit the bill for something more unique and original.

In that, I was definitely not disappointed. The book stars Fortitude Scott, who's not your typical urban fantasy vampire because he's, well, technically not even a full vampire yet. He's still mostly human, a trait which Fort is trying desperately to hold on to in the face of his impending transition. Meanwhile, his full-vampire mother and older siblings look upon him as a constant source of exasperation and embarrassment. But then Luca, a new vampire, shows up in his town and Fort realizes that there are worse monsters than his family.

Several killings and abductions drive Fort to take action. Along with the kickass shapeshifting kitsune woman Suzume Hollis, they try to find a way to stop this ruthless vampire. The problem is, Fort doesn't have much of a plan, not to mention the distraction that is his mess of a personal life. He's broke, his girlfriend is cheating on him, and he's on the verge of losing his job. The good news is, all that might not matter when he manages to track down Luca. In his mostly-human state, Fort realizes he is hopelessly outmatched and is probably going to get himself killed.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love an underdog? Fort is not like other urban fantasy heroes. He's not strong, he doesn't ooze sophistication or finesse like the rest of his vampire brethren in the genre, and he's not particularly fashion-minded either. In fact, he's kind of pathetic, albeit in a very adorable sort of way. The poor guy gets pushed around everywhere -- at work by his boss, at home by his hipster roommate, and in his love life by his girlfriend Beth who manages to convince him that their relationship can benefit from her sleeping around with other people. At a point, he almost becomes too painful to read about, but the nice thing about underdog stories is that they always bounce back. But more on that later.

In the meantime I just have to say I also loved the kitsune fox shapeshifters in this novel. They feature prominently in Japanese folklore, and I thought their inclusion here was a nice twist on the usual shapeshifter-in-a-vampire-book idea. Werewolves are fine and good, but it's also so much more interesting when an author works ideas based on mythology into their stories. Come to think of it, this may also be why I adore another one of my favorite UF series, the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs, which incorporates Native American myths on Coyote. It worked well there, and likewise, the kitsune also worked very well in Generation V.

Suzume Hollis, the bodyguard charged to keep an eye on Fort, is one of the kitsune. Her character is very intriguing. Although I think her attractiveness might have been overplayed a little, she also sets herself apart from a lot of female characters in urban fantasy by being mischievous, quirky, and sometimes just downright silly -- like all trickster foxes ought to be. Usually, I find it's often the male protagonist in an urban fantasy who does all the wisecracking, but Suzume can certainly hold her own on that front.

Speaking of which, I love M.L. Brennan's sense of humor. I know I've described many an urban fantasy as "funny", but very rarely do I actually forget myself and laugh out loud while reading -- something I found myself doing several times during the course of this novel. Fort may be a doormat, but he definitely has a way with words.

To balance out all that humor, though, are also some pretty heavy themes in this book. There are some bold new takes on vampires like their nesting habits, the fact they aren't immortal and that they actually age (even though the process is reeeaal sloooow), but it is the manner in which they procreate that takes the cake as one of the most fascinating and yet disturbing ways I've ever read. It's pretty neat, though. And I love it when books make me feel like that.

One thing I think I would have liked to see more of is Fort's growth over the course of the novel, because as it is he doesn't find his backbone until almost the very end. As well, there are some aspects of the story or character motives that confused me or that I thought could be better explained or taken further, but this also just means a lot of potential for this series. I was happy to hear that there will be a book two, but not so happy when I discovered that I'll have to wait until early next year for Iron Night. This is a great choice for urban fantasy fans looking for something fresh and fun.

[Mandapanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not have thought I would be interested in another vampire series but this one is great. Very different take on the trope. I love the Sword of Damocles hanging over Ford's head as he fearfully awaits his transition to full vampire. His friend and love interest Suze is excellent. His family is scary and complex and the mysteries are engaging. I love the humanity and sense of everyday life in Ford's version of vampire. I think that's what makes these books so successful. I'm already up to book 3 and have been enjoying reading so much that I couldn't be bothered stopping to write a review. Recommended.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel came to me by way of Goodreads "Readers Also Enjoyed" feature -- and since my own personal reading challenge in May 2014 was "urban fantasy with male protagonist", I thought it was perfect choice. Plus I liked the cover *haha*

Well, safe to say I'm adding this to "series I'll be following"!! Here's the thing ... I found Fort (his full name was Fortitude Scott; with an older brother named Chivalry, and older sister named Prudence. Yep) to be quite a different character than what I usually encountered in this genre.

Fort wasn't an Alpha character -- in fact, I thought almost throughout, Fort was a bit of a doormat. His family, his boss, his girlfriend, his roommate, practically everyone Fort knew walked all over him. But it didn't mean that Fort was a wimp or a coward. In fact, I found the joy reading how Fort stood up to his mother and (very scary!) older sister when he decided that he would go against a sadistic phaedophile murderer vampire. Fort might not be as powerful but darn if he wouldn't die trying. And I just loved him for it.

There was something humorous to how Fort dealt with the people who looked down to him, like he knew his life was crap, but at the same time, he wanted to stay true to himself. He wanted to keep that humanity (he was a vegetarian vampire!) inside him and Fort was always worry that he would lose it when he fully transformed into a vampire. Although I personally thought there would be something more to his being, what with the clue of Madeleine (Fort's mother) created him differently.

Of course, since Fort was lacking that vampire skill, which probably would kill him, Madeleine assigned a bodyguard to protect her son. Here came Suzume, a kitsune (that was a FOX that could turn into a human, as Suzume told Fort), who simply kicked ass. I loved her too. Suzume was AWESOME. She turned Fort's world upside down and I assure you there wasn't any BORING time with this girl.

I loved how this book still added something to the vampire myth (the whole vampire children creation). I thought Fort's family dynamic was intriguing (I even believed there was something to Prudence, despite her horrible attitude to Fort). I enjoyed this first book a lot -- and I definitely would check out the next book.

Personal Urban Fantasy With Male Protagonist Challenge May 2014: story #4

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met M.L. Brennan at New York Comic Con last year and occasionally interact with her on twitter. I am delighted to say that GENERATION V is as feisty and charming as its author.

Vampires. Probably one of the most overused monsters in literature. Everything's been done, right? Brennan disproves this by adding new and interesting facets to vampire lore. Apparently, there is more to vampires than sparkles, Twilight and Brad Pitt.

Fortitude Scott is an underachieving, self-pitying vampire-to-be doormat with a wardrobe to match. His life is a litany of the sad and pathetic-- crappy job with a shitty boss, cheating girlfriend, freeloading, oversexed slob of a roommate, junkyard-quality car. He was born human but will inevitably transition to full vampirehood. Yet Fort stubbornly wishes to delay the inevitable. Why? He was raised by humans and shares little in common with his aristocratic, sophisticated, amoral blood relatives, pun intended.

Fort's family is Dysfunctional-- yes, with a capital D. Their relationship with one another is tenuous at best, polite and propelled by tradition, but fraught with underlying tensions, unexpressed emotions and disguised interests.

The exchanges between the characters are filled with good humor and quick, spontaneous wit. There is an effortless quality to it, a smooth flow, the way I'd likely converse with friends. I was in desperate need of amusement and this book more than obliged. This is unquestionably an urban fantasy offering-- contemporary dialogue and setting, highly relatable, attitude in spades--

"Was assuming the fetal position and trusting that they wouldn't kick anything critical really your best plan?"

I also rather enjoyed Ms. Brennan's descriptions of the drive through New England's roads, invoking both good and not so good experiences.

Being an urban fantasy tale, I expected the appearance of creatures of urban legend, but I confess that the ones that made an actual appearance were not those I'd have predicted-- another testament to Brennan's original spin. I invite you to contemplate the collection of creatures referred to here: "if you let me use your witch, I'll take the judgmental bloodsucker away and you can get back to squiring elf juice in vajayjays". Oh, did I mention this line is spoken by a kitsune, a type of shapeshifter? Certainly a collection of creatures few would likely assemble together, not to mention anywhere near a human female's vagina.

The best part about GENERATION V is the character Suzume, the kitsune who can transform from a fox to a foxy human female. She is a complex character, in a way that only females can be. While she is definitely stuff-of-fantasy with a touch of anime allure hot, she nonetheless retains a playful innocence, demonstrates poise under pressure and is highly intelligent, all preventing her from merely being decorative. While Suzume is not the central character, she is no sidekick, subordinate or mere love interest, stealing the limelight from Fort more than a few times.

I have few quibbles about this book. The antagonist is a bit two-dimensional, not fully fleshed out and without a level of ambiguity that would create a greater nemesis. Fort is sometimes outshined by Suzume but it's not much of an objection since Suzume is thoroughly engaging and Fort comes into his own towards the end, with a promise of more.

GENERATION V is also not without moments of earnestness. While the Scott family dynamic is a source of amusement, it is also a demonstration of various types of interpersonal relationships. Whether vampire or human, there is a spirit that resides within, a spirit capable of exceeding itself and deceiving itself. While there are real villains in this story, there are some who may seem villainous at first glance but are actually neither hero nor villain, just individuals coping with their unique circumstances in the best way they could. All creatures are imbued with inherent characteristics, a particular nature which, to some extent, cannot be denied. But neither is it absolutely intractable with a little bit of... fortitude.

While the particular conflict in this book has been resolved, there are hints of other controversies particularly Fort's true nature and background and the growth of his relationship with Suzume, whatever direction that may take. I'm excited about the various directions this series as a whole can take. This has been such a satisfying, enjoyable read that there is no question I would keep reading.

Oh, Ms. Brennan? I suppose it's only fair that I give you notice I'm totally stealing 'Buddha's balls'.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posted at Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks

Generation V is the first book in ML Brennan’s American Vampire series and it’s a book that any and all urban fantasy fans have to read. It is stellar.

I know you are seeing the word ‘vampire’ in the title of the series and are probably rolling your eyes a bit. Afterall, hasn’t everything vampire related been done before? Let me tell you that I have never read any vampires like the ones in this book before. And where vampire babies come from? Think about the oddest thing imaginable and you’d still be wrong. ML’s imagination is amazing and how she is able to translate it onto the page is brilliant.

The American Vampire series follows Fort (short of Fortitude) who is a vampire in waiting. In ML’s world, humans born to vampires transition when they are adults. Fort is completely happy being human and has no interest in becoming a full vampire. Looking at his family, vampires are unfeeling and mean and Fort does not want to become like them. There is also a whole story behind why he doesn’t want to become a vampire but I won’t get into it here. I will leave it for when you read this book – and you will read it.

I adored Fort. Absolutely adored him. He is awkward and insecure and totally lovable. I am actually very curious to see how he becomes once he fully transitions because something tells me he’s not going to become like his mother Madeleine or like his siblings Prudence or Chivalry. That’s what he fears. Vampires in this book aren’t immortal but they are long living. They are stronger and faster than humans and their empathy towards humans is pretty much non-existent. He is attempting to slow down his transition for as long as possible and how he tries is kind of cute. He is totally a hero you want to root for. And you also want to hug him and tell him everything is going to be okay.

Madeleine is mostly creepy, for a mom. She is heartless yet not. You want to hate her but can’t. She is wonderfully written. And Prudence… *shudder* She is either a huge mystery or really that cold. I guess we’ll find out in future books. Chivalry I really liked. You think he’s going to be cold like his mother and sister but there is so much more to him than initially meets the eye. And his wife Bhumika seems weak on the surface but she is one of the strongest characters in this book. Such a sad and well told story there. Each and every character in this book has such a rich story. Each and every character is remarkable but there are two that are just a bit more so and that’s Fort and Suzume.

Suzume is freaking brilliant. She’s a kitsune so she shifts into a fox. She is smart and a bit selfish and clever and hilarious. And being a kitsune, she is essentially a trickster. Her and Fort’s dynamic is amazing. I can’t call it sexual chemistry as there is no full on romance in this book but their time together on the page is incredible. Their scenes are some of the most memorable of the book. I can’t wait for you guys to meet her.

The main bad guy in Generation V is Luca. Luca is a vampire trying to father vampire babies and he is one sick f*ck. I’m sorry, but there really is no other way of wording it. He is just sick and you hate him pretty much immediately. Then you loath him. Then you wish he was dead. Finally you think if he were dead that you would want him to come back to life just so you can kill him again. And you feel all of this yet he’s not even in the book much. It’s what he’s doing and how careless he is over the consequences that makes him such a formidable villain. Then there is Phillip. You think you’ve read disgusting characters before? This guy is just gross. He is Luca’s child so I suppose it’s not surprising that he’s just to nasty but really, ew.

Generation V is about Fort and his life but it’s also about young girls going missing and Fort trying to save them…with very little odds of success. The story is gruesome and it really isn’t pretty, so don’t expect fluff. It is true urban fantasy at its finest.

The book ends on a slight cliffhanger. Fort’s father was a cop and Matt was his partner. Matt is involved in the “oh, what will happen next?” that occurs near the very end of the book. The very end of the book is perfect. I re-read it three times. And just thinking about it as I write this, I want to go and read it again. ML ended the book just as it should end. No other way would have worked better.

As you can tell, I adored Generation V. The story is amazing, the pacing is perfect and the characters are superb. I picked this book up on a whim and boy am I glad I did. It is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and will definitely be making my Favorite Reads of 2013 list. If you enjoy urban fantasy, I urge you to read this book. You will not regret it.

5plus stars

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy Review Barn

Fortitude Scott is a baby vampire who doesn’t want to be one. He pretends to be human as much as possible despite knowing that his mother is the alpha predator of New England, keeping all other supernatural in line and wielding plenty of influence over the mortal one as well. Poor Fortitude works at a coffee shop and tries to make rent; not at all helped by a deadbeat roommate skipping on rent and taking advantage of a unique relationship Fort’s girlfriend decided they should be in. He sees his powerful family rarely but when the call comes, he goes.

This is not your typical vampire story. We do not see one, NOT ONE, vampire hunter tracking down this shady hidden society. Fort’s mother is a frail looking old lady, so immortality is out. And while there is no lack of stunning, beautiful people (and things that can pass as them), we don’t have universal flawless complexions; Fortitude himself is slightly gangly and awkward and his sister Prudence is a striking, middle aged (looking) women. And if you were thinking this was going to be one of those other kinds of vampire tales? Well, sorry, nothing I saw was sparkling.

This was a story where the supernatural was hidden, but the supernatural being hidden wasn’t the focus of the story. And to be honest, I can’t think of another story like it. When Fortitude takes interest in a visiting vampire’s habits, and more specifically his conscience is horrified by the man’s actions, that’s when the story gets a move on. After being saved from a mugging by fox that can turn human (kitsune are awesome) he realizes that being the low man in the supernatural totem pole will make stopping this monster hard.

This is a book with a tight plot and great pacing, but it truly is a character book (as in thriving due to characters, not an in depth character study). Fortitude is a great narrator, with self-deprecating humor and always giving just enough info at the right moment. He is something of an average guy as well, unable to rely on super vampire powers to act as a plot resolver. Bodyguard slash tormenter Suzume (the main kitsune) was wonderful; saving Fort when needed and playing practical jokes when the time allowed. She was much more of a typical kick ass Urban Fantasy heroine, and of course she is going to be a metaphorical fox as well as a supernatural one, but if she doesn’t make a reader laugh then said reader is dead inside. And even she avoids perfection, it is made clear again and again that the elder vampires are above all.

Generation V works in several ways. The back ground plot could work as a police procedural with supernatural elements (and amateurs instead of cops) and TV has proven that is a winning formula. The humor, I must repeat, is top notch. I got more than a smile out of much of this book, often I was just laughing. It was also the set up for something larger. Fortitude’s family dynamics should prove entertaining for quite some time. His mother heads something larger than any criminal empire in fiction, yet shows as a frail old lady. Brother Chivalry seems likable, but is also firmly in his mother’s control. And Prudence. Oh, my I couldn’t help but love that bloodthirsty monster.

4 Stars. I enjoyed this book so much I moved right into the next one….

PS, I have repeated this all over the blogosphere but this truly is a horrible cover. I really thought this was a tie in to one of the supernatural teen TV shows that air before Big Bang Theory reruns over here. They should have went with a fox.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Nekako sto mi najvise smeta je slicnost sa velikim brojem drugih kniga slicne tematike. Ali mracni momenti pred kraj knjige ipak je izdizu iz mora slicnih tako da opet dobija svoj indetitet.

Sama knjiga se lako cita, brza je sa dobrim opisima borbe i jasnim motivacijama vecine likova. Dati likovi nisu nesto previse duboki ali ostavljaju dovoljno mesta za fin razvoj u kasnijim knjigama.

I iako pratimo pricu o vampirima sam svet vampira je dosta razlicit od standarda da ce ostaviti traga kod citaca.

Ako ste ljubitelji Urban Fantasy-a onda slobodna preporuka.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is much better than your typical urban fantasy. Though the story does fit the genre well, it is far more entertaining than other novels I have read with the same structure. Brennan is really great at creating unique characters with memorable quirks. The interactions between her characters are also well written, and the plot filled with enough mystery to keep the reader turning the pages.

[Bastard · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bastardbooks.blogspot.com/2013...

This would've been an easy title to overlook; a seemingly by the numbers vampire story from a debut author with a cute guy (or so I've been told) on the cover and not much else. It screamed "Pass!" to me, a book intended for someone else. Thankfully I didn't after seeing a couple of positive reactions to it from like-minded readers, and the level of excitement editor Anne Sowards showed for the release of this novel. I can honestly say Generation V by M. L. Brennan is the most fun I've had reading an urban fantasy novel in the past year or more. Don't make the same mistake and judge the book by its cover, you'll thank me later. It's the first of the American Vampire urban fantasy series.

Fortitude is living an unfulfilling life, and even though he surely is aware of his circumstances, he doesn't seem to care much about improving his situation; content in living a life without confrontations and conflicts while remaining as willfully ignorant as possible. He has a "girlfriend" who's sleeping around, yet has him convinced that it's normal, he has dead-end job with ungrateful co-workers, and a roommate who refuses to pay the rent. If that wasn't enough he's a vampire, in the making, but hasn't manifested yet, something he's praying doesn't happen ever. His plan is to avoid becoming a full vampire like the rest of his family, cruel murderous vampires in his view responsible for a childhood tragedy that has left him traumatized for the rest of his life. This explains why he's now living the life as he is now, being as good and ethical as he possibly can, but with little ambition. What's a goody-two-shoe to do though when a maniac vampire comes to town, and no one is willing to stand against him? With the help of the kitsune Suzume, Fortitude looks to change the fortune of his life or die trying doing what's right.

Generation V is a multifaceted novel which took care to depict precisely what Fort's life is all about. It's fun and funny, as it's dark and tragic. We spend a few days with Fort in a story that is character focused, and are invited to experience all as he does from the dullest to the most exciting of moments. What follows is a well balanced novel which contains a mixture of slice-of-life, family drama, comedy, mystery, suspense, action, and horror. A combination that works and provides perfect contrast between the lighthearted moments and those that are surprisingly dark and horror filled.

The characters were a big plus, probably Brennan's biggest storytelling strength in my opinion. Not only did she create memorable characters, she also provided some terrific character interaction which is one of the elements I'm most interest in. That's not to say everything was smooth sailing. I mean, I spent the whole book wishing I could punch Fortitude in the balls to see if he finally grew a pair. He was living in denial and extremely naïve, to the point that is was unbelievable and frustrating. By the same token, in the end it becomes part of his charm, but still...fist meet Fort's testicles.

Besides him, we have an assortment of incredibly good secondary characters starting with Fort's siblings with similarly eccentric names: his brother Chivalry and sister Prudence. Both who are aptly named, which I'll leave at that. We also have Madeline, his mother and head vampire of the region and a character who's clearly playing the long game. Lastly we have the kitsune Suzume who easily stole the show in this book. Generation V was a pretty good read, but when Suzume was introduced the novel just went to a whole different level. She was awesome. Before I began reading, anime was my passion, so when anything concerning Japanese culture gets introduced I get quite excited. Bias aside, Suzume was simply amazing. She was fun and funny, as well as incredibly mischievous and quite badass. To that point, I say screw Generation V , when are we going to get Generation K ? I kid I kid, but hey that's an idea... She really complemented Fort, and they made an incredible duo as the story progressed to say nothing of the fascinating banter between them. When Suzume was around, life didn't suck all that much, "even if you're a vampire".

World-building is still a work in progress, it's clear that the world being created here is quite expansive, but not much of an opportunity to get into just yet. There was a point where Brennan tried to expand by introducing a couple of minor characters as an attempt to show different supernatural beings that exist in this world, but the attempt felt a bit off to me. Like it didn't quite fit either the world that's being created, or the story that was being told in this particular book. But at the same time we met the full kitsune contingent, and that worked perfectly, so I hope that as Brennan expands on the world, things will get more interesting.

That aside, the vampire mythology was incredible and quite unique. I can honestly say I haven't seen something quite like this, so kudos to Brennan's creativeness. From the way vampires are created, to the way the have relationships, to the effects bloodsucking has, everything was well thought-out. And we can't forget how she reinvents the meaning of what it is to be a Renfield which was very intriguing.

The novel is not action packed, but there's plenty of energy and movement. And yes, it has action and it's well executed when there is. The story was quite funny at times, I think it actually made me laugh a couple of times, which the written word finds hard to do with me. It has an abundance of great confrontations though, usually in the form of Fort with his family members. Just the same, the story goes quite dark at times, disturbingly so on occasions and fascinatingly violent. This to say, that there's a little bit of everything here for all kinds of readers.

Generation V is a refreshingly unique novel that all urban fantasy enthusiast should read, and a book capable of encouraging even the most ardent critics of the genre. Very much a page turner, a story that has a lot of heart and much to offer. With an extremely fun novel full of charm, Brennan has written a winner. Very much looking forward to future adventures featuring Fort and Suzume. They can't come soon enough, Iron Night comes out next January.

[RachelW (BamaGal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but fun. Not traditional vampire lore, but an interesting and different take on the genre; quirky. Ford is an almost vampire, and a good hearted young man. His family, though, are all seriously warped vampires. Loved Suzume the fox shifter.

Good read, looking forward to the next book. Ford was making some changes by the end of the book that will take the next story in another direction. This was the authors debut novel, and she did well. Seriously do not like the cover or title, though. They are both bland and make it look/sound like the book would be YA, which it's not.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of UF these days, outside of a few long running series that I've been reading for years, because most of it is the same-old-same-old, recycled stuff. This book was a pleasant surprise. It offers up a fresh take on vampires (it can be done!) and gives readers a totally average hero in the guise of Fortitude Scott, Fort for short. He's a vampire, yes, but he's a baby vamp and thus not very strong at all. He has no fighting skills to speak of. In fact, he's usually the punching bag for others, both literally and metaphorically. When he pisses off a powerful, visiting vampire at a dinner hosted by his mother, he gets assigned a kistune bodyguard named Suzume. I liked her but her schtick did get a little old by the end. As an introvert I'd find her utterly exhausting to be around in real life. And the constant reference to how sexy she is and how seductive her every move is got annoying. I get it already. I assume she's meant to be the eventual love interest but I was really more interested in Fort's relationship with his much older brother, Chivalry. I liked the bond that seemed to be there and I'm a sucker for sibling bonds. The humor in this book was another highlight for me and I laughed aloud several times while reading this.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urban fantasy isn't a genre I step into often, but with Generation V, I was confident I was going to get something I could really enjoy. Why? Because I suspected that M.L. Brennan's amusing, snarky, and fun personality that I've had the pleasure of chatting with online would sneak into her writing.

I was not wrong.

@nightxade @MMOGC THE SNARK MUST FLOW. #MLBGenV

— ML Brennan (@BrennanML) August 13, 2014

Which is why I invited Brennan to participate in a livetweet of her book, which, turned out to be even more hilarious fun than I had expected it to be.

Generation V isn't your typical vampire story. In fact, Fortitude Scott is doing his best to avoid his vampire lifestyle. He dreads the few times his mother, Madeleine, demands his presence at family dinners with his brother Chivalry and sister Prudence, even if his self-imposed exile means working at crappy coffee shops and struggling to pay the rent. Though he does endure, Fortitude doesn't quite live up to his name when it comes to letting others walk all over him. Until Madeleine extends visitation rights to a vampire with questionable morals. Fortitude is not a fan of this European vampires pedophilic tastes, but his mother and siblings refuse to do anything about it.

Enter: The Kitsune.


Suzume Hollis is instantly a favourite, with her sexy sexiness and absolutely unapologetic attitude. I love how Brennan lets Suzume's foxiness translate into her human attitude and actions. She is not afraid to speak her mind, no matter how utterly inappropriate it might be. And she's not afraid to use her sexuality to get what she needs, whether that be a donut, or Fort's participation in her questionable plans.

Hired by Madeleine to be Fortitude's body guard, she gets caught up in Fort's bleeding heart antics when a local family is murdered, and the young daughters kidnapped.

As I said, Fort is not a typical vampire. Nor is Brennan's vampire-making process, which turns out to be one of the most fascinating aspects of the story, even resulting in #bookflail moments for me in the epic showdown. When we meet him, Fortitude is still quite human, save for the pesky need for blood from time to time. He clings strongly to his human nature, despite his family's admonitions, and fears his pending vampire transition because he does not want to lose that humanity.

This is a very sexy book, not just because of Suzume's presence (though the foxy lady helps LOTS). I really like the way Brennan teases with Suzume's obviously sexual nature, offering a lot of promise with what's to come. While she doesn't get raunchy or graphic with the sex talk, and Fortitude is a shy gentleman, I love that Brennan doesn't shy away from sexuality. As much as she is teasing me with promises of hot Suze/Fort sex, I love that sex can simply be a topic of conversation in this book. Sometimes serious, sometimes silly, but like everything else in Brennan's writing, so very natural.

With everything that happened in book #1, and the doors it opened for the future of the series, I am definitely looking forward to reading more!


***

Visit www.BiblioSanctum.com for a chance to win a copy of book #2 of M.L. Brenan's American Vampire series, Iron Night! Our giveaway runs from August 17 - 24, 2014, and is available to U.S. citizens only.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Generation V is a new urban fantasy debut from Ace-Roc books and was a debut that Anne Sowards had said out to watch for. The series cleverly plays on its title and features Fortitude Scott as its primary protagonist. I was intrigued enough to request a review copy and so dug in as soon as I got one. I enjoyed this book a lot for a couple of reasons first the author has given a very reasonable explanation in regards to the existence and propagation of the vampire race. Plus the addition of Japanese mythology was a cool touch and further refreshed this tale for me.

The story begins with Fortitude who has a degree in cinematic theory that is obsolete in the current market and so he works a crappy job in a coffee shop, while also having trouble with his roommate, who is refusing his rent share. He's not a slacker but lives a life, which doesn't offer him much motivation. He's had difficulties with his family because of an incident involving his elder sister Prudence and his foster parents. Fortitude also is a vampire in the making and doesn’t quite share the enthusiasm for turning into something other than human. His elder siblings Prudence and Chivalry however are at times perturbed by his behavior but react to it in completely different ways. Then there’s their mother Madeline Scott who’s the matriarch and the head vampire of the clan and the surrounding states. The trouble begins when a European vampire comes visiting and certain aspects of his life rankle Fortitude enough to potentially disobey his mother’s commands. He also acquires the help of Suzume, a kitsune who chaperones Fortitude in a way and thus begins Fort’s odyssey to reclaim his heritage.

This book while seeming full of tropes offers its own spins while delivering a very good story. Primarily what I liked about this story is the small but unique touches that the author put on the story. Beginning with the vampire mythos, the author smartly inserts a horror edge to the proceedings and makes the entire mythos a different one from what is prevalent in the urban fantasy subgenre. I thoroughly enjoyed this move and then moving onto the characterization, which is aced beginning with our protagonist, but truly comes to the fore with the secondary characters such as Suzume, Madeline Scott, Chivalry and others. I very much enjoyed the extended secondary cast and I look forward to see how the author develops them. There are also a lot of secrets that are hinted about almost all the characters and therefore I’m very excited to read the sequel to see what all is revealed.

One thing that I must point out about the book is that while Fortitude is an intriguing protagonist, during the middle chunk of the book, he becomes nigh unbearable with his attitude. For some time I felt as if he was refusing to grow up and accept what he truly was or will be and that really struck me as a bit odd. However once things began to change, I enjoyed how he accepted his destiny and how quickly the story moved along since then. Lastly the ending really brings the story full circle in terms of the plot as well as the chapter of Fortitude’s evolution. It also reveals quite a bit about what might have happened and possibly might in the future.

All in all this quite a good debut and makes very eager to get my hands on Iron Night the second book in the American Vampire series as I can’t wait to read more of Suzume, Fortitude and the rest of the characters.

[T. Frohock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the most fun that I've had reading in a long time. Brennan serves up snappy dialogue, a tight story, and really lovable characters all in one novel that moves with breakneck speed. I loved the new take on vampires and the old world mafia feel to the entire supernatural hierarchy. And while I know I'm supposed to love Fort (our hero), it was his brother Chivalry who won my heart. Brennan handled his characterization subtly and so very well, I think I fell for him. I think I fell for all of them. I think you will too. I can't wait for Iron Night.

[Maygirl7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! I'm hooked. Now I just have to wait the second to come in to the library.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars: 3 out of 5.

This was a fun book with some rather hilarious moments (anything to do with Suzume). It had a different take on vampires and how "baby" vampires are made. I don't think I've seen this particular idea before.

My problem is that the protagonist takes way too long to grow a spine. Don't get me wrong, I like beta male heroes, since that usually makes for a different (and often better) story. But Fort is a doormat for most of the book, utterly incapable of dealing with any sort of conflict and getting stepped on by everyone in his life, including his roommate, his girlfriend, and his boss. Yes, he finally grows a pair by the end of the book, but for most of the story, he was just irritating. Especially since he is also whinny and woe me kind of guy.

And how willfully ignorant he was of vampires and other supernaturals was also irritating. Yes, you don't want to turn, yes, you want to pretend like you are human, but ostriches also stick their head in the sand when scared... usually, that doesn't work out too well for them. Also, it's hard to follow a character that considers himself as a victim all the time.

I might pick up the second book to see if Fort's attitude towards life got more decisive, but it won't be immediately.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5

*First Thoughts*

Generation V takes on yet another look at what it means to be a vampire in a human world. Our lead character is 26 year old Fortitude Scott who is more human than a vampire and that is absolutely fine with him considering who is family is and how they feel about humans in general and especially about him since he's so much different from the rest of his family.

His brother is named Chivalry, and his sister is named Prudence. I actually got to the point of liking Chiv when he became somewhat protective of his little brother when he was out putting his life on the line to help people nobody else would. He's also got a human wife, Bhumika, who knows exactly what Chiv is, and stays with him anyway. I really didn't much care for Prudence. She was seriously cold, unemotional, unfeeling, and really didn't care if Fort lived or not. Madeline, the so called mother of this eclectic group, is very old, very powerful, and was responsible for the creation of Fortitude. More on that later.

When we are first introduced to Fort, we're told that he has a degree in Film History which is about as worthless a degree you can have in this economy. His current job is slaving at Busy Bean's while trying to deal with a cheating bitch for a girlfriend Beth, and a roommate who is so far behind on his rent that Fort really doesn't believe he will ever see a dime of the money he is owed.

Fort ended up growing on me in the end, but at first I was really wanting to slug him and tell him to quit the freaking bitching and moaning like a little girl. Reviewers would call Fort EMO. NOBODY told him to go to college for a worthless degree. The entire situation with Beth was just plain nuts! Anyone else would have dumped her to the curb and be done with it.

I truly believe the most interesting, enjoyable, and awesome character in Generation V was Suzume Hollis who is a Kitsume fox shifter. Loved Suzume. Loved her continued nagging and pushing of Fort. Loved how she put people into in a funk with her constant teasing. Loved what she did to both Beth and Fort's roommate in the end, and I especially loved how she put her life on the line for Fort when he went after the bad vampire who went off the reservation as it were. I even liked that even though there wasn't any romance per se in Generation V, there is definitely the feeling of a pending relationship between Fort and Suzume.

Obviously, with this being the first book in a new series, there's a bit of world building and information dumping so that the reader can understand why Fort really didn't want to transition to a full vampire and lose any and all humanity that has remaining. The whole idea that vampires are not really immortal and can basically die just like humans can, was appealing to me. I also found the creation of new vampires to be highly, well, creative in nature especially knowing that Fort is a different kind of vampire which I'm hoping to find out more about as the series continues.

I think another character we will definitely be seeing a lot more of is Matt McMahon, a Private Investigator who has never believed the story behind Fort's parents murders. He may be old, but he doesn't really let sleeping dogs lie. It will be interesting if there's a confrontation between Matt and Madeline.

Overall, this ended up being a better read than I thought when I started the book. I'm sure there will be opinions and commentary all over the place about Fort, about Suzume, and the rest of the characters. Me, I'll be waiting patiently to see what Brennan has in store next.

*Received from Publisher* Expected publication: May 7th 2013 by Roc

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

As a member of the “now what do I do with this liberal arts major” generation, like Fortitude in GENERATION V, I was curious how this sort of post-college existential crisis would play out in a book about vampires. Vampires are generally known as rather confident, sexy and definitely wealthy, and Fort was about as far from those qualities as one could be. He has a cheating girlfriend, a job in a grimy coffee shop, and about $7 to his name for 90% of the book. The result is a very relatable main character that gave me a reason to invest in GENERATION V.

Fort wasn’t the only thing keeping me reading GENERATION V, but he was a large part of it. I liked him as a character- he grew from a bit wimpy to a lot stronger, both in personality and physically. And while he had a bit of a tendency to let people take advantage of him, his singular focus in the book is saving somebody else. Most of the other characters were also well written and multi-faceted. For example, Fort’s mother Madeline seems like a conniving mastermind, but you also get the impression she really cares for Fort. That depth made her interesting and sympathetic (even though I wanted to hate her a little).

Other than Fort, Brennan’s vampires are callous and uncaring about human life. They creeped me out in that kind of psychopath serial killer way. On top of that, the vampire world building is different than any other vampires I’ve come across. For example, the vampires have to create hosts to bear children for them, and they aren’t immortal, they can die of old age. The unique mythology plus the inclusion of Fort’s kitsune bodyguard Suzume gave the book a different vibe than most urban fantasy I’ve read lately. It is easy to fall back on typical vampire traits and I felt Brennan’s new, creative take on vampires was a breath of fresh air. Creepy fresh air, but fresh nonetheless.

As the first book in the American Vampire series, GENERATION V offers a nice complete story line but leaves plenty of questions open for future books. A little of this is due to the fact that it sometimes tended to jump around a bit, but in the end, I’m left very curious where the series is going. After such a solid debut, I’m sure the second book, IRON NIGHT, will be every bit as enjoyable as the first.

Sexual Content: References to sex and rape

[Molly Mortensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By now you all probably know how much I love a funny and sarcastic protagonist, but Fort upped the ante by being a nerd too! I loved all the geeky references!

These are some of the most unique vampires I’ve read about. (And I have a bit of a vampire addiction as long as it isn’t a romance book) Also there’s the Kitsune, (fox shape shifters with illusion magic) which are a favorite of mine from Japanese mythology and they were also really well done.

Fort’s full name is Fortitude and his siblings are Prudence and Chivalry. His family are vampires, so they have questionable morals, but despite not being exactly good people they were interesting and I liked them. Fort and Suzume the fox were my favorites though.

A few reviewers complained because Fort is very much a doormat and a wimp, but I could relate to him and I figured that way he has room to grow into being a hero. (It’s only when a previously strong character gets weak that annoys me)

This book was quick and enjoyable. Feels like more. :)

Point of View: First (Fortitude)

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is George RR Martin (If the characters make a plan or think about the future I know it isn’t going to go that way.) And 5 is Cinder (where I guessed what was going to happen long before it did, but it was still a great book.)

Warning: Violence and gore (mentions child rape)

My Rating: 8/10 Stars

My Summary: Fortitude Scott works at a coffee joint, due to his useless degree in film theory. His roommate owes him months of rent and his girlfriend is cheating on him. He’s also a vampire, or he will be after he transitions. Something he dreads and is doing everything he can to postpone.

When a girl is killed and two others are kidnapped and Fort knows a vampire is responsible he can’t just do nothing.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am wavering between a 3 and a 4, and only cos I really did enjoy it, but what if the second book is even better? Oh well then it will be :) So more a 3.75 or something ;)

I liked Fort, he was so not kick-ass. He let his room mate walk all over him, his girlfriend, his boss. But you know what, I do not always need kick-ass. Would I be able to stand up to everyone all the time? No. So it only made him more human. But as the progresses he doe get better, which I liked. Because sometimes you really do need to stand your ground.

Fort is a vamp, but has not really become one yet. And he likes being "human" as long he can. His family is rich and arrogant and all vampire. While he has a shit job, a room mate who does not pay his rent, and a degree that gives him nothing.

The world was interesting. Vamps, we saw kitsunes (I have always liked those), and humans who know nothing (as I like it).

Conclusion:
There was a bit of action, a hunt, and just good times. I enjoyed the book nad I certainly look forward to book 2. *fingers crossed it will be good too*

[Django Wexler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stuff. It's always nice to see an original take on the vampire mythos. (Including, for once, a reason why vampires haven't overrun the world!) Also refreshing to have a main character who's considerably less than super-human.

Also great: Kitsune (fox-girl shapeshifters) with just the right teasing, playful air. And some hints of a wider supernatural world to delve into in the sequels.

All in all, delightful! Take a look if you like urban fantasy.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Urban fantasy became a worn-out and tired mish-mash of old horror tropes and soft porn in the last decade or so, moving quite far from its noir roots. This novel is a breath of fresh air. Very tightly written, with an excellent command of both language and style, Brennan's first novel is at absurdly high level of quality, easily equal to early Laurell Hamilton and some of the best works by Jim Butcher.

[Nickolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW SUMMARY: An entertaining and thoughtful urban fantasy thriller.

MY RATING: 4.5 stars

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Vampire and college graduate Fortitude Scott must embrace the supernatural world he has so long avoided in order to stop a vicious monster.

MY REVIEW

PROS: Great characters, great dialogue, great themes.

CONS: Forgettable villain, lead character is occasionally eclipsed by support.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a strong debut with a lot of heart, with an interesting take on the vampire mythos.

I haven't had a whole lot of time for reading lately (blasphemy, I know) but I was recently able to finish M.L. Brennan's Generation V and boy-howdy was it a fun novel! I'm not big on vampires. I don't find them as boring as zombies but they've never appealed to me like other monsters. I do love the movie 30 Days of Night for making vampires frightening (perhaps I should check out the comic) and Jonathan Maberry's portrayal of blood suckers in Assassin's Code is insanely awesome. Brennan's vampires are extremely interesting in a completely different way.

Fortitude Scott is living the post-college dream. He's got a cheating girlfriend, a lousy job, an obnoxious roommate, a crappy car, and one other thing - he's a vampire. Fort fears losing his humanity and so he has rebelled against his very nature for his entire life. He comes from a prestigious vampire family that practically owns the East coast. It isn't until a foreign vampire comes to town that Fort is thrust head first into the supernatural world he has tried so hard to avoid. Fort's mother has granted this monster the rights of hospitality and his siblings refuse to get involved, leaving Fort himself to prevent the spill of more innocent blood.

First and foremost, I love the cast of Generation V. As a college student nearing the end of my education it is impossible not to sympathize with Fortitude Scott. He's a decent guy doomed to suffer an eternity as a barista for the unforgivable sin of majoring in film theory. His girlfriend and his roommate treat him like a door mat and Fort is too timid to do anything about it. Then there's his family to consider. Madeline, is a major power broker and matriarch of the clan, appears to be a kindly middle aged woman when in fact she is a calculating vampire. Chivalry, is Fortitude's charming, handsome, and well mannered brother. And then there's Prudence, Fort's sociopath sister.

The family dynamic is endlessly entertaining. There is a certain etiquette that these vampires choose to observe and it's funny to watch Fort blunder through it with all the style of a 21st century young adult. Fort's interactions with his family members serves to highlight the differences between predators and prey. Because Fort was partly raised by humans he thinks like a human, whereas the rest of his family regards humans with varying degrees of dismissal. I grew a soft spot for Chivalry, and to a lesser extent Madeline. I do believe that Madeline and Prudence would have benefited from more development but this is, after all, the start of a series.

And then there's Suzume Hollis, a kitsune under the employ of Madeline, who becomes Fort's bodyguard. I can't remember the last time I grew such an attachment to a fictional character. Suzume is dangerous and sexy but more importantly, she's hilarious. Suzume is constantly finding new ways to annoy Fort, and through this, help him grow a pair. She is overactive, with a short attention span, and super adorable. One of my biggest pet peeves is bad romantic subplots. It's rare that I read one that feels organic. Suzume Hollis is a character, not a love interest, and because Brennan takes time to establish a believable relationship between her and Fort I won't feel put upon if they eventually hook up. In fact, I'll probably cheer - Suzume is just that awesome.

And that might be one of the few problems with Generation V. Because of Fortitude's passivity and Suzume's eccentricity, she does tend to outshine our protagonist. Brennan is able to scale this back later on, and remind the reader that this is Fort's journey and Suzume is support. Fortitude develops over the course of Generation V, not too much that there won't be room in future books for continued growth but just enough that he doesn't feel static as a character.

The plot takes the semi-standard urban fantasy detective route, but Fort's lack of experience and skills makes this feel refreshing rather than tedious. The appearance of other supernatural creatures came as a surprise, though I'm not sure why. If vampires are real, why not kitsune, elves, and witches? The antagonist is suitably despicable, though not entirely memorable. Luca is a creepy euro trash perv, but beyond that his personality is lacking.
It's the family dynamic and Brennan's approach to vampire lore that makes this such a standout read. The vampires have an aristocratic air - they're sexy without being sparkly and unforgettably sinister. What's most interesting perhaps, is that Brennan finds a way to depict Fort's family as dangerous in a variety of ways. Madeline has power, Chivalry has charm, and Prudence has anger problems. And Fortitude? He's not bound by traditional vampire etiquette. How can you justify hunting evil when you come from a family of monsters? It's a theme I hope that Brennan further explores in future entries.

Generation V is unexpectedly awesome. Fortitude Scott manages to confront the issues of life after college and the struggle against genetics in entertaining ways. He's not your average, hard-boiled urban fantasy protagonist. He's not your average vampire either. What I find even more exciting than Generation V is the potential this has for a series. There a lot of unique and interesting ways Brennan can explore and develop the complex relationships that are built around Fortitude. And though there are already enough crime procedurals and urban fantasy shows on television I'd suggest that Generation V could make a great series. The investigation angle would be fun enough, but the interplay between the characters? That would make for some good television viewing if you ask me. Oh, and if Brennan eventually decides to make a kitsune spin-off series that would be totally awesome too.

Nick Sharps
SF Signal

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at http://smexybooks.com/2013/05/review-...

Favorite Quote: “What are you planning to do next, Miss Marple?”
“Miss Marple?”
“I’ve promoted you from Nancy Drew.”

Fortitude Scott is not having a good life. At 26 years old, his degree in film theory hasn’t done much to advance his placement in life. He can barely afford his apartment, he works a dead end job as a coffee barista, and his girlfriend has decided to take a time out from their relationship so she can find herself aka to sleep with other people.

Oh, and he’s a vampire.

As the baby of the family, Fort has not made his transition to full vampirism so he retains a majority of his humanity and prefers to keep it that way. He eats regular food, enjoys the sun, and avoids his family at all costs. When a new vampire enters his family’s territory and young girls suddenly goes missing, Fort finds himself embracing his heritage.With no help from his nonchalant family who can’t imagine why he even cares about these girls, Fort begins investigating the missing girls with the help of a sexy and insane kitsune shapeshifter, Suzume Hollis. Fort knows he isn’t ready to take on this dangerous and deadly vampire and with the possibility that Suzume will split when things get too dicey, this mission may very well grant his fondest wish. To die a human.

Generation V is the first book in a quirky humorous new Urban Fantasy series by M.L. Brennan. Ripe with mystery, suspense, and a cast of eccentric characters that will have you laughing and rolling your eyes at their antics. A clever mix of dark humor and seriousness, you get an intimate front row seat as our hero, Fortitude Scott, tries very hard to retain his humanity and do what he feels is the right things to do in life. Fort is an interesting mixture of bravado and self deprecation. While he is not comfortable with being a vampire and has no real defensive skills, he is more than willing to go up against those stronger than himself to save a life. His internal dialogue will leave you rolling at his running commentary of his family, friends, and his life in general.


“If Chivalry looked like the guy who could put on pancake make up and play a vampire in a movie, I looked like the guy who would fetch that guy coffee.”


Brennan offers us a new and refreshing outlook on vampire lore and legend. In here, vampires aren’t made, they are born through interesting and somewhat horrifying means. Immortality is a myth; vampires age and die though they do have an extremely long life cycles. The normal advantages and restrictions granted vampires in most books is addressed but with a subtle twist that makes sense. It’s all very modern. Family is important and I like the way Brennan manages to convey that even while acknowledging that vampires will always be uncaring narcissistic beings. Brennan also avoids the whole different species conflicts by using the playful kitsune rather than the normal alpha “pack comes first” werewolves. I liked the exploration and explanation of Japanese culture and the legends behind the kitsune and how they came to America.

Heavily character driven, I enjoyed meeting the highly individualized slew of characters that inhabit this world. Well developed, personable, and filled with so much life; I found myself in awe of how easily they slipped under my skin. Plenty of dark humor infiltrates the conversations and dialogue, much at the expense of Fort. Though this is Urban Fantasy, there is a strong New Adult tone to it as this is definitely Fort’s coming of age story. Fort’s interactions with his family have a “human” feel to them that further differentiates this story from other vampire stories on the market. His mother, a centuries old vampire, looks like Barbara Bush and insists on monthly family dinners. While her age almost guarantees her humanity is gone, she does show signs of caring for Fort.


“I am sorry this hurts you so much, my darling. I don’t understand what it feels like to care for the lives or suffering of people you’ve never met. I will not break our oldest laws for you. But I am sorry for your pain.”


His older brother, Chivalry, is an enigma. While he was born during the Civil War, his love for the normality of life and Fort shows itself in some odd but well meaning ways. Fort’s older sister, Prudence, hates him with a passion for reasons not yet revealed. I find it hilarious for some reason that she’s a stockbroker and is attached to her Blackberry. Suzume, Fort’s shapeshifting bodyguard, is an amusing somewhat obnoxious handful and makes it her mission to shake Fort’s life up while guarding it. The villain, whom Fort is disgusted to see is nothing more the Euro trash, plays his part well.

While there is no romance in here, you get the feeling that somewhere in the future, Fort may find someone. The plot executes brilliantly with plenty of action that does not instantly grant Fort amazing supernatural powers in order for him to prevail. Multiple sub plots circle around, giving us background into Fort’s childhood and clues to future storylines.

I recommend this series to everyone who enjoys dark humorous non romantic urban fantasy and is looking for something new and fresh in an over-saturated genre. Word of caution though. As I mentioned before, this has a strong NA (New Adult) feel to it due to the age and attitude of hero and his sidekick.


Overall Rating: B

[David Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy on Goodreads Firstreads.

Fortitude Scott is a vampire, sorta.He hasn't undergone the transition from near human to vampire yet.But seeing the rest of his family and how they act, being almost human is fine with Fort.In fact, he would be happy never changing into a full vampire.He would also be happy never seeing his family again.But that isn't the only thing wrong with Fort's life.His film theory degree pretty much insures he is stuck in crappy jobs which means he will have to keep his crappy car.His roommate has quit paying rent and his girlfriend sleeps with whomever she wants(including his roommate).Unfortunately Fort is a welcome mat when it comes to standing up for himself(even the reader may want to smack him at times so he will stand up for himself).So when Fort's mother requires his appearance at a dinner to welcome a new vampire to her territory,he doesn't imagine things could get worse.Unfortunately Fort is wrong.The new vampire is causing young girls to go missing and Fort is the only one willing to take action.Only with the help of a mischievious(possibly crazy) and dangerous(to Fort as well as those they face) shapechanger who is likely to run away when things get too dangerous, Fort is facing the greatest challenge of his life.

This isn't your typical vampire/shapechanger novel.The author has come up with a new and creative take on vampires.The idea of the host is great and gets rid of a lot of the problems presented in most vampire tales.Vampires aren't immortal, just very long lived.They continue to grow strongeras they age.They also gain many of the weaknesses(like having to avoid the sun) as they age.Instead of werewolves( and the many shortcomings that have been attached to then in most books), the shapechangers are kitsune (a fox that can turn into a human from Japanese mythology).Using kitsunes allows the author to avoid all of the pack menatlity associated with werewolves.It also allows the kitsune,Suzume Hollis, to have a much more mischievious and playful attitude than most people would accept in a werewolf.Together these different approaches make an original and much more convincing take on the supernatural world and the creatures that exist there.

There is plenty of(frequently dark)humor in this book.This is another deviation fron the "normal" books in this genre.Usually these books take themselves so seriously that is hard to even imagine the characters smiling, let alone laughing.Even more of a change is that a lot of this humor comes at the expense of Fort himself.Vampires are back to being uncaring(especially as they get older).In never really reads true to hear a creature who has been feeding off humans for hundreds of years(and with all of that experience) becoming smitten for a human(again usually so yopung they wouldn't even attract someone in their thirties , let alone their 300+ years).

I would have no problem recommending this book.It is original and stands out in a sea of books.It is well worth a read.

[Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2013/06/...

Fortitude Scott is 26 years old and not yet quite a vampire. According to his mother, Madeline, and siblings, brother Chivalry and sister Prudence, he should be, but if Fort has his way, he’ll never be full vampire, never mind the cravings that he has to satisfy from time to time. He refuses to live at home and his job at a local coffee shop is nothing short of miserable, but he’ll do whatever he needs to not to have to rely on his mom. He’s even gone so far as to go vegetarian, which seems to help hold the cravings back a bit. When his mother summons him to dinner to let him know that a new vamp will be in town, and he must join the family for the night for a show of power, Fort’s not thrilled, but there’s not much he can say but yes. This new Italian vamp, Luca, wants to know how Madeline has been so successful in her breeding, and Madeline grants him hospitality, which usually wouldn’t be a problem, but after meeting Luca, young girls begin disappearing and Fort is sure Luca is responsible.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Oh no, not more vampires. Sooo done to,er, death.” Well, normally, I might agree with you, but if you let your vamp fatigue keep you away from Generation V, it would be a mistake, trust me! Told in Fort’s voice, Generation V is quite a unique, and sometimes very scary, take on the vampire mythos. Fort hasn’t quite come into his own as a vampire, so his “abilities” are dubious at best, but where his heart is at is never in question. He can’t stand by and watch young girls be victimized, and without any help from his family, he vows to stop Luca (who oozes an oily creepiness that will get right under your skin.) He does have some help with a vivacious kitsune named Suzume Hollis, who’s been tasked with keeping Fort safe by his mother. Speaking of “mothers” here. In Fort’s world, vampire babies are made in very interesting and creepy ways. Seriously creepy. This was one of the most interesting parts of her mythos and I’ll leave it to you to discover. It’s a doozy.

I really, really like Fort, with my only squabble being is the abuse he takes from a deadbeat roommate and a “girlfriend” that redefines sleazy, but these things only manage to highlight his humanity, which he is very much determined to hold onto. Fort is a wonderful, and wonderfully vulnerable, hero to root for and his willingness to fight the good fight, even when his death seems near certain, makes him especially endearing indeed. Suzume is a delight, as are the rest of the supernatural denizens in ML Brennan’s wonderful debut. I didn’t want to put this one down and I didn’t want it to end. I’m more than ready for more of Fort, his beyond weird family (although I grew rather fond of his brother, Chivalry, but Prudence takes the creepy cake), and the author has definitely given us some reasons to expect some big changes in his life in the next book. I say, bring it on!

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I happened to see Iron Night on the library's 'new' paperback shelf, and I thought, "Hmm, this is a series. I'll give it a try." Thank you, Serendipity!!
Generation V is at times darkly horrific and absolutely hysterical. These vampires, elves, kitsune and witches are not like anybody else's monsters. The world building sucked me in and spit me out into my much less intriguing mundane world. Fortitude is struggling to not be what his family is, and he has divorced himself so far from the supernatural world that he is very clueless about the creatures that surround him. Suzume is absolutely hysterical, and fox charades may be my new favorite game.

Generation V passed the second read test with hysterical laughter... and a few tears.