The Show That Smells by Derek McCormack

Published by Akashic Books on July 1, 2009

The Show That Smells is a short novel (more novella length, if that) that casts its author, Derek McCormack, as a reporter for Vampire Vogue ("the bible of the fashionable fiend"). Vampire Vogue is published by Elsa Schiaparelli, an Italian fashion designer who (Wikipedia tells me) was Coco Chanel's most prominent rival between the two world wars. Coco Chanel is also a character in the novel; Chanel No. 5, being blessed, is as effective against vampires as holy water. Singer Jimmie Rogers, actor Lon Chaney, and the vampire hunting, gospel singing Carter family round out the cast ... unless you count the carnival freaks (but they only show up as dressmakers).

The novel is part of the Little House on the Bowery series so you know there's going to be blood ... but you knew that as soon as you heard about the vampires, didn't you? There's very little true gore, however, even during the descriptions of a vampire carnival (where babies are awarded as ring toss prizes).

This is a fun if slightly bizarre story. I am probably not a member of this novel's target audience. I know nothing about the world of women's fashion, and according to Schiaparelli, vampires are gay (this should come as a shock to the millions of women who elevate ridiculously bad vampire novels to the top of the best seller's lists).  I don't know that I related to the novel as well as other readers might, but I thought it was quite funny (most of the time) and I appreciated the luxurious rhythm of the sentences (all of the time). Open minded readers of offbeat fiction should enjoy it.

RECOMMENDED