When looking to the world of science, there are many worthy fields of pursuit that can expand our knowledge of the Universe and ourselves as a whole. From astrophysics to chemistry, the world is vast and filled with never ending mysteries that will keep
scientists exploring and furthering our collective knowledge for centuries to come. One major field of study is biology, allowing us to understand our own bodies and the study of life as a whole. As Richard Dawkins once said, “Biology is the study of complicated
things that have the appearance of having been designed with a purpose.”  In authors Don W. Hill, M.D. and Tom Cavaretta’s Vampiro: Volume II: The Obsidian Knife, the author takes biology to an all new level as an ancient virus unleashes a seemingly supernatural threat upon the world. While a viral outbreak that brings human vampirism to life threatens to overrun the American Southwest and racial tensions between Americans and Hispanic people near the border intensify as a result,  powerful Obsidian blade takes center stage, as reports of its ability to slay any vampires brings danger to a young woman and the boy she has sworn to protect. As the military hopes to turn vampires into elite commandos, and others search for a cure to the illness, violence and mythos come to life in a blend of medical science and bio-horror which will leave fans hanging on the edge of their seats. The authors did such an amazing job of building a narrative that felt balanced between historical and cultural world-building with haunting imagery and horror-driven storytelling. The attention to detail the authors used when building the suspense and atmosphere of the world this novel’s story took place in was incredible, as the Hispanic culture and Mexican and South American history and development truly blended well with the modern-day medical thriller aspect of the “vampire virus.” The thing which really grabbed my attention though was the character development, as it helped elevate the authors and their mythos, especially Lorena. Her evolution takes a sharp and shocking turn as the story progresses, and dives into the culture and mythos of ancient Mayan people, and the way in which the authors wrote really did an amazing job of keeping the reader guessing what is true and what is explainable by modern science. This is the perfect read for those who enjoy horror and medical thriller novels, especially
those that involve history, mythology, culture, and medical science in a fictional setting. As someone who enjoys horror and the expansion of well-known mythologies, I loved the direction the authors took in developing this virus aspect of vampirism and the
historical and cultural applications that take the story into very deep-seated belief systems and cultural understandings.
Captivating, entertaining, and mesmerizing, authors Don W. Hill, M.D. and Tom Cavaretta’s Vampiro: Volume II: The Obsidian Knife is a must-read horror-driven thriller and mythological novel. The unique mythos and world-building meshes so well with the amazing character development, and the shocking twists and turns these characters go through will have readers breathless by the book’s final pages.