Walking Shadows

The Vampires of Melbourne

by Narrelle M. Harris

Lissa Wilson has had one hell of a year. When people she cared about kept turning up dead, she discovered that The Opposite of Life is not always death – at least, not final death anyway. When they tried killing her too, life went from bad to worse.

On the plus side, she made a friend.

Gary Hooper may be the most inept vampire in the world, but he’s taught Lissa the real value of life and so has become possibly the best friend she’s ever had. But, like everyone, Gary has secrets. Secrets that could end their friendship, if Lissa ever discovered the services he provides the undead community.

So what is an ordinary geek-girl librarian to do when hardcore vampire killers begin knocking off the vampire population of Melbourne? She may have no battle skills, let alone supernatural strength, but is that enough to stop Lissa from throwing herself into mortal danger (again) and risking everything to save her bestie?

Lissa discovers that everyone has secrets, everyone gets trapped by their own history. How many can learn to change? How many will live long enough to try?

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Horror, Crime, Paranormal

327 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

I grew up in a home bursting with books. My father was in the Royal Australian Air Force – we moved roughly every three years – and my parents were passionate advocates of reading and the importance of access to a library of ideas, no matter where we lived.

Between a childhood spent on the move yet steeped in literature, and a naturally dramatic personality, it’s no surprise I became a storyteller.

At home, and at libraries all over Australia, I read everything from Little Golden Books to The World Book Encyclopaedia. As my family moved so frequently, my companions wherever I went were the Pevensies of Narnia, a horse named Flicka and the Hardy Boys. I grew up with the characters created by Diana Wynne Jones as they too learned independence and responsibility. Miss Marple and the Dragonriders of Pern were always at my side.

Writers like Eric Frank Russell and Lois McMaster Bujold were as influential on my character and my writing as surely as Shakespeare and the Brontes. I’m still always picking up new influences, from modern writers like Emily Larkin and Neil Gaiman as well as classics by PG Wodehouse and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Before you figure I am always and forever reading, I’m a traveller too. My early years spent moving from state to state led to itchy feet. After moving out of the family home, I lived in Perth, then met Tim Richards and we decided to have adventures of our own. We moved to Egypt to teach English as a Foreign Language, then went on to Poland.

After we finished teaching, we kept travelling: we’ve been to the UK and US, to Thailand, Germany, Hungary, Syria, Jordan, France, Italy, Slovenia, Czech, and Canada – and we’re not done travelling yet.

The places I’ve visited – London, Hungary, Canada – often appear in my work, but the home of my heart is the place I write about most often.

Melbourne, Australia. The town we chose to live in always. The city I love so much she is practically a character in her own right in books like The Opposite of Life and short stories like Near Miss. I even researched the Marvellous Melbourne of the 1890s for my Holmes♥Watson romance, The Adventure of the Colonial Boy.

Given my background and all my literary influences, it’s hardly astonishing that my storytelling is eclectic: crime, adventure, fantasy, horror and romance – separately or combined.

For all the different genres I write in, everything I write generally includes the same tone and the same type of themes. They are full of the families one is born with and the families we make for ourselves. The protagonists all face challenges they’ve made for themselves as well as external threats that test them. They’re full of people who’ve made mistakes who seek to learn and to make better choices.

Whether you’re reading a vampire adventure in modern Melbourne, a Holmesian mystery in London or a racy lesbian romance in the Middle East, you’ll find humour, heart, friendships and love.

Awards

Jane: In 2017, my ghost/crime story Jane won the Athenaeum Library’s Body in the Library prize at the Scarlet Stiletto Awards, hosted by Sisters in Crime Australia.

Other nominations and shortlistings include:

Fly By Night (nominated for a Ned Kelly Award 2004)
Witch Honour (shortlisted for the George Turner Prize as Witching Ways in 1998)
Witch Faith (shortlisted for the George Turner Prize in 1999)
Walking Shadows (Chronos Awards; Davitt Awards in 2012)

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Narrelle's erotica published as NM Harris is listed on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 4.5 stars.

I got Walking Shadows at the launch the day before yesterday, started it yesterday evening, was laughing out loud by page three and read straight through to finish in the early hours of this morning.

"Walking Shadows" is an excellent sequel to "The Opposite of Life". Characters we know and love are back, along with those we know and will never love and a few significant new ones for added interest and plot development. All are well formed and believable within context.

The dialogue rings true for the characters and scenes and the writing is brilliant! Melbourne lives as a background character within the pages. As a local I appreciate that greatly. It feels right. If you don't know the city and if you ever visit, you'll find what you've read about as you walk around.

I've been told that Narrelle's new publisher, Clandestine Press, will have an ebook available shortly, so my overseas friends will be able to get this at an affordable price far sooner than was available for the excellent first book "The Opposite of Life".

This series offers a different take on the vampire mythos than has become standard fare of late. I can't recommend it enough to friends who love urban fantasy or who simply enjoy a good read. You don't have to start with "The Opposite of Life" but I recommend you do if you haven't read it yet.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so what I'm really saying is that I don't get vampire fiction, unless it's Swedish or funny, and it probably helps to be set in my home state. To be honest I doubt I would have even given WALKING SHADOWS another glance, only I was doing the formatting of the ebook, and phrases, passages and paragraphs kept catching my eye. (Sorry Lindy and Narrelle ... I suspect it took me a little longer to do that ebook than would normally be the case). So anyway, at the end of it, I just figured I had to sit down and read the thing properly.

Which meant I did laugh out loud. Frequently. WALKING SHADOWS is basically a story of the trials and tribulations of friendship. Only this time the friends are letting some slightly weirder personal traits go. I think it's fair to say that Lissa is letting some rather major elements of Gary's life roll. Mind you, I'm not all that up to date with what vampire's do or do not like, so it could very well be that it's a given that Gary's letting stuff roll at the same time.

There is a lot of action in this book, there's a bit of lust and longing, but really, what is at the core of the story is the unlikely friendship between two people. On that aspect you could quite easily ignore the reason for their difference (that whole human / vampire thing) and just as easily see a bit of beauty and the beast. That's what struck me the most about WALKING SHADOWS - at the core, ignoring much effortless climbing of buildings and a lot of other superhuman goings on, there's a story about strength in difference and ultimately acceptance.

Aside from whatever it is about all this vampire palaver that attracts readers, the thing that really delivers in WALKING SHADOWS is a quintessentially Australian voice and sense of humour. Laid back, understated, frequently laugh out loud, it's a book that cleverly balances some of the gory, weird stuff that goes on with vampires and their ongoing battles, with a very modern day, urban, Australian feel. Combine that voice and that very current day scenario, with the underlying message, and there's something very clever about WALKING SHADOWS. A modern-day Beauty and the Beast, a message tale wrapped up in a lot of good fun.

Not, I hasten to add, should my liking WALKING SHADOWS be taken as any indication that I'm changing my mind about vampires. The proviso is now unless they are Swedish or funny and come with a rather clever underlying message. However, something this good comes along again, and I completely reserve my right to change my mind.

(Disclaimer: I wrangle the website for WALKING SHADOWS publisher Clan Destine Press. The wonderful Lindy knows I'm reading this book, but has no idea what I'm thinking / saying about it. Yet.)

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Paula Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I read The Opposite of Life (the first from this series) back in 2008 and thoroughly enjoyed its wit, originality and unexpected poignancy, so it was fun to get reacquainted with librarian Lissa and her very uncool (but lovable) vampire buddy Gary.

In The Opposite of Life, Lissa considers becoming a vampire to avoid the pain of losing people close to her. But she has a change of heart when she befriends Gary and understands there's more to being alive than having a heartbeat.

This time around, Lissa is drawn further into Melbourne's vampire underworld - not because she's a bad ass, but because she wants to protect Gary (the first of many wonderful ironies). Someone is hunting vampires and Gary's on the hit list, despite the fact he doesn't bite people or drink blood. (In this original mythology, vampires don't need human blood to survive, it simply enables them to feel alive.)

This sets the scene for a fast-paced thriller. There are still themes of death, grief and consequences of choices, but these are balanced by moments where simple joys in life are celebrated and relished. I really enjoyed the deepening friendship between Lissa and Gary - theirs is a unique relationship in the world of vamp-based stories.

Narrelle M. Harris clearly loves her home city of Melbourne (the good, the bad and the ugly) with Walking Shadows paying homage to its inner city and sub-cultures.

Walking Shadows is laced with wit, snappy dialogue and plenty of action as Lissa and Gary inadvertently keep having run-ins with vampire hunters and not-so-friendly vamps.

This is a great read and I look forward to more in this series. (And how can I not love a book that has rum baba in it?)

[Suzanne (Doppleganger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how Narrelle Harris has largely escaped notice in the US and why her books aren't selling off the shelves as quickly as Charlaine Harris or Patricia Briggs. As happy as I am to have discovered the gem of her writing, I wish more people knew about her too!

I adore these characters! Gary is back at his awkward best, and Lissa is more confident but just as likely to stumble headlong into trouble. They make an unlikely pair, which makes their adventures together tons of fun to read.

Like The Opposite of Life, Walking Shadows seamlessly weaves philosophical thoughts on immortality into an endearing story with humor, action, and colorful Hawaiian print shirts. I am now mentally dressing all my favorite vampiric romance heroes into silly Hawaiian shirts (Hey Wrath, Bones, Leo, and Zarek - I'm looking at you!) The looks on their imaginary faces are precious. I think Gary and Lissa would get a giggle out of it too. *grins*

A solid 4.5 stars.

[E.H. Alger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vampires are not my thing at all, but that said, I did enjoy this book. I didn't realise it was a sequel when I picked it up, but it stands on its own very well. Loved the Melbourne setting and laughed out loud on discovering that Gary the daggy vampire lives in Glen Waverley. (I dunno why that's so funny, but having lived in Glen Waverley for much of my life, it just is. I'm still chuckling.)

[Jason Franks]

Another iconoclastic and look at vampires, wrapped in humour and humanity and tied with a bow of Melbourne culture. Great characters and pure class. You should read it.

[Tsana Dolichva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walking Shadows by Narrelle M Harris is actually the second novel featuring these characters, something I didn't realise until after I'd bought it. However, I can happily report that reading it without reading the prequel first in no way affected by enjoyment of it.

Lissa is a Melbournian librarian whose best friend, Gary, is a dorky vampire. Shenanigans ensue when the vampires of Melbourne start being killed in dramatically permanent ways. Lissa, concerned for Gary, can't help but stick her nose into matters to protect him.

I really loved this book. I was expecting to enjoy it after having read Harris' Showtime collection, in which the titular story featured Lissa and Gary, and it surpassed my expectations. Walking Shadows was full of amusing narration (in first person) and entertaining exchanges between Lissa and the people in her life. I laughed out loud many times (and silently a few times when I was reading during a bout of insomnia and didn't want to wake up the husband). The fact that it was set in Melbourne didn't hurt, either.

I liked the vampire mythos Harris has used. In this world, vampires don't have to drink blood to survive, but they get a buzz if they do; the human blood moving through their system makes them feel a bit more alive and helps them think. Most of the time, they have difficulty with new concepts (hence living in the past) and can't think creatively. In short, they're less smart than humans and one of the reasons they might keep humans around is to help them with the thinking their less active synapses have trouble with. (Of course, that also means some of them are stuck in a killing for fun rut...)

Taken at face value, the main plot isn't the most surprising aspect of the book. However, Harris includes many layers to Lissa's life, beyond the vampiric associations. Despite the life-threatening situations, she continues to care about her job, sister, friends and pet dog. I liked that she retained a sense of perspective and cared that she was making people worry about her (unlike some main characters I won't mention).

I am definitely going to read the first Lissa and Gary book, The Opposite of Life, some time soon. It has moved dramatically up my "to buy" list. (I hope I can get it off Book.ish — does anyone know if their geo-restrictions care about IP addresses or only about credit cards? Rest assured you'll see me ranting on Twitter if I can't.)

Walking Shadows was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for highly entertaining urban fantasy. I'm tempted to say it's a light read, but that's not really true as it tackles some serious issues albeit without taking itself to seriously. I loved the characters and I particularly recommend it to people looking for somewhat non-standard vampires in an Australian setting.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog.

[Ace Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

reread. originally read June 2012.

Originally posted: http://www.novelthoughts.org/review-w...

Friendship. Love. Awkwardness. Lust. Drama. Adventure. Action. Tribulations. Family. Vampires. Melbourne.

I was introduced to this series by a friend in 2011. It appealed to me for a number of reasons beyond the fact it was written by a local Melbourne author. Beyond the fact that the Vampires in these books are different to most others the main human is a socially awkward Librarian. For those who don’t know me, well I’m socially awkward and a trained librarian! The fact that it’s also based in Melbourne is great too. There’s something I like a lot about being able to read a book and go oh I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE and actually be able to picture the area instead of imagining it/basing it on the descriptions within the books.

Plus Gary is so adorkable that it is brilliant.

Narelle (a lovely lady if you ever get the chance to meet her) writes in a way that is highly immersive. Perhaps it’s the points above combined, perhaps also her writing style but I find it quite hard to actually put down her books. The world building and how she has differentiated her Vampires to the other Vampires in literature (also a Vampire that researches ‘fictional’ Vampires for a living is a BRILLIANT idea just saying).

Narelle’s books explore not only what it is like to be a Vampire in a modern time but also the morality of Vampires and how different Vamps accept vs don’t accept being Vampires. Not only that but it’s funny. Helped along by two socially awkward main characters (Lissa & Gary) they’re supported by their friends and family who don’t know about Vamps or some do. A drunken father, a mother who… Well is dead and a sister who isn’t sure what to make of Lissa being best friends with a Vampire. Oh and a possible romance thrown in and add a heap of action you have one rollicking read.

While the characters might have a rough ride during the book it is worth it in the end.

[Ben Langdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first vampire book I've read which is set in Melbourne. I think Narrelle Harris has that particular niche market covered, and she does a great job with the descriptions of the city. She also imbues the vampire community with an ancient history which sort of goes alongside Victorian history too, to an extent.

The story itself is okay. It sets up adversaries, untrustworthy 'allies' and an opportunity for Lissa and Gary to show their heroism while also painting the other vampires as a cowardly, self-serving lot.

Gary is a stand out here. He is more human than any other vampire, and ... well, he's more charismatic than Lissa. He is described as a geeky vampire and that works well for him. He is a bit sidelined by his vampire community and has a close relationship with Lissa the librarian because she shares his geeky interests and social ineptness.

Lisa, on the other hand, doesn't really work for me. She is plucky, but bossy. When she leaps in to defend people, she shows heroism, but too often she just comes across (to me) as a bit self righteous and annoying. Her bluster is a put-off where to other readers it might be a draw card. I really never cared for her, which is a problem for a series like this. Gary saves it for me, though.

My rating is 3.5 stars.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to Harris's The Opposite of Life, this book expands the backstories and history of her characters while still being a new story.

I liked this better than the first one. The relationship between Gary and Lissa is a great friendship and we can all wish for someone like this in our lives. While some of the surprises weren't a surprise (I knew Evan was not going to be a chance encounter, but hey that's what happens when a strange new character suddenly appears) the pace of the story moved along at a rollercoaster pace and made me want to keep reading to find out what happened next.

I enjoyed her take on the fictional vampire. Anything that doesn't f&%king sparkle is a good start. But this was a nice blend of traditional and modern, with some interesting presentations of why vampires are the way they are.

That and having a novel set in your own hometown has extra appeal :-)

It's angst-light and is probably as much a story about dysfunctional relationships as it is about vampires.

[Tamara Witika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Lissa and Garyʻs friendship, reminded me of the intense but finite friendships one is capable of having with other people when in your early 20's. No one has babies, wives or mortgages to get in the way of connecting with many people on different levels, to fulfil different needs. Narrelle Harris takes us on a thorough trip across many parts of Melbourne and shows us the cool things we have here (NGV, St Kilda Esplanade) and the dodgy alleyways of the CBD, ripe for all sorts of dark exploits. Gary the geekboy vamp living out in uncool suburban Glen Waverly is a great balance for Lissa, the modern city dwelling upper middle class young woman. It takes all kinds and some of the best stories are slow burns with sustaining intensity. Funny, laconic, lusty, longing for things that can never be is just as worthwhile as these other books jammed with the formulaic HEA between two hetero people that canʻt live without each other. More Lissa and Gary, I say!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading small Australian publishers. Australian authors, characters and locations. Greatest vampire story I've read in a long, long time. There's snark and there's style in this book. Melbourne comes to live in clear scenes, bustling with energy and people. The heroes are well drawn and a perfect example of being stronger than their individual parts - alone they are lost, but together they are fierce. Highly recommended!

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that this book is set in my home town, which is a rarity. I can picture exactly where the characters are, and follow the tram routes in my mind. Also love that, while there may be some romance, it is not between the two main characters - they really are just good friends. This is so refreshing in urban fantasy these days - actually, in books in general. Well written and fun, four stars.

[Kyla Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to "The Opposite of Life" (Pulp Fiction Press, 2007) that somehow manages to intensify the stress between horror and 'joi de vive' that is the author's hallmark. The most grounded vampire stories out there, both interesting and well-written.

[Cerulean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 to 4.5 stars

[George Ivanoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! See my review: http://blog.boomerangbooks.com.au/vam...

[Kate Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun. I'm officially a fan!

[Stephanie]

Aurealis Awards entry; review to be added after judging finishes.