THE ROSE

World War III has just ended, and a peace treaty has been signed. In the United States, Sandy Cox,who’s pregnant and separated from her husband, finds herself on the run with a mysterious man named Phil. He’s trying to bring her to Atlanta, where she’ll be safe from the American, Chinese, and Russian soldiers who appear to be indiscriminately eliminating American men and boys, despite the peace. The pair’s plans are interrupted when they’re attacked by strange beings who kidnap Sandy; now, Phil must try to break her out of an underground compound staffed by gray, humanoid aliens and alien vampires called Dracs. The Dracs have been experimenting on human subjects in a quest to create a drug that enhances the taste of human blood, making for better feeding. However, Sanos, the leader of the Dracs in this compound, is driven mad by a new drug, and his rage drives him to imprison Telas, his second-in-command. Telas has been overseeing an attempt to make Sandy’s baby into an alien/human hybrid. Meanwhile, both Phil and the Dracs make use of a meditative ability they refer to as “the rose,” which gives them mysterious powers: “It is protection, a shield where anything that enters your sacred space is yours to bend and manipulate.” This ambitious novel plays unashamedly in the pulp-SF sandbox; as an American soldier puts it at one point: “For God’s sake, friggin alien vampires exist!” Alleva offers detailed descriptions of violence and of the Dracs’ physical appearance, and his writing is fast-paced and generally engaging throughout. However, it also offers halting, staccato moments that sometimes interrupt the narrative flow. Although he sets up the Dracs as clear villains, he provides plenty of insight into their culture and motivations, allowing readers to better understand the complexities of this dystopian world. Readers who can appreciate the conspiracy-minded plot will have a great deal of fun, as will fans of nonstop, high-stakes thrills.

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