cover image Baltimore, \tor The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire

Baltimore, \tor The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire

Christopher Golden, Mike Mignola, . . Bantam Spectra, $25 (285pp) ISBN 978-0-553-80471-3

Mignola (HellBoy ) and Golden (The Myth Hunters ) create a haunting allegory on the nature of war, fusing the poignancy of Hans Christian Anderson's “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” the supernatural chills of Dracula and the horrors of WWI and the subsequent influenza epidemic. Years after Capt. (and Lord) Henry Baltimore is infected by a demonic vampire bat while wounded near the Ardennes forest, he summons three friends to a mysterious meeting. Demetrius Aischros is the merchant sea captain who had taken Baltimore home to Trevelyan Isle, where they found Baltimore's family dead and his wife resurrected as a vampire. Thomas Childress Jr. is a nobleman and deserter who learns about the vampire infestation from Baltimore, his childhood friend. Dr. Lemuel Rose is the surgeon who treated Baltimore's war injuries. Together they help Baltimore face a final showdown with the terrible Red King. Stark monochrome illustrations from Mignola enhance this dramatic tale of war and fear. (Sept.)