The Old Power Returns (Alicia Anderson Novel) [Kindle Edition]

Set in the modern day, The Old Power Returns is a fantasy-horror novel about a group of Wiccans who must combine their powers and talents to confront a murderous vampiric menace. A dark saga of ancient hunger and the women who fought against it - or fell victim to it, The Old Power Returns seizes the reader's attention and does not let go until the final page. Enthusiastically recommended for especially for fans of vampire stories.

Since reading Darksome Thirst some time ago I've been awaiting the arrival of the next book in the series, and this book proves to be well worth the wait. Westfield continues a suspenseful tale of a coven of 20th century witches doing battle with a rather nasty infestation of vampires, all set in thinly-disguised suburban Boston.

Good character development in the principal adversaries really brings them to life (um, or in the case of the vampire, un-life :-) and anyone who worked in high tech in the 70s -- or, for that matter, today -- will find the corporate dynamics amusingly familiar.

Once again, I found this a difficult book to put down, and I did notice that there may be at least a glimmer of an opening left for another book in the series (please!).

Generally I'm not a huge fan of fiction, but I had the opportunity to read this particular novel over a weekend while flying cross country. And I do have to say it's pretty good!

Set in the early 1980s, "The Old Power Returns" features Wiccans, psychics, and vampires, just as its prequel, "Darksome Thirst", did. An added geek feature is the collection of references to circa 1980 computer technology that pepper the story.

It took me a little while to get into the story, partly because there were a lot of references in the first couple of chapters to events from the first book in the series. However, with some reading it wasn't too difficult to get at least some idea of the events leading up to this book, though not enough to spoil the promised fun of "Darksome Thirst", which is now on my wish list.

Westfield does a great job of writing a story that drew me in. There were plenty of interesting twists in the action; Frederick the vampire was one of my favorite characters (and one of the more unique bad guys I've seen created). However, all of them were well-rounded and distinct.

I think I only really have two small quibbles about this book (and don't let them deter you!). One is that the book could have used a bit more editing. There were parts that were a bit wordy, or where the author used a particular phrase in two consecutive sentences. Also, the overall message of "Wiccans are good, not evil" got a bit tedious and heavy-handed. I realize that there are still plenty of misconceptions about neopaganism in general, but the traits of Wicca might have been worked more smoothly into the text rather than mini-essays presented as dialogue. Still, the effort is appreciated, and the info itself was pretty accurate.

Overall I found this to be an engaging read once I figured out the backstory. It may start a little slow, but "The Old Power Returns" is a great page-turner by the end!