Ilona Andrews – Kate Daniels books

Compendium of Vampire Typological Traits and General Characterization in Contemporary Fantasy Novels
Part 6

Ilona Andrews – Kate Daniels books

Overview:
“The world has suffered a magic apocalypse. We pushed the technological progress too far, and now magic returned with a vengeance. It comes in waves, without warning, and vanishes as suddenly as it appears. When magic is up, planes drop out of the sky, cars stall, electricity dies. When magic is down, guns work and spells fail.

It’s a volatile, screwed-up world. Magic feeds on technology, gnawing down on skyscrappers until most of them topple and fall, leaving only skeletal husks behind. Monsters prowl the ruined streets, werebears and werehyenas stalk their prey; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.

In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But sometimes even trained killers make friends and fall in love, and when the universe tries to kick them in the face, they kick back.”
[Source]


What is vampirism?
Vampirism is a viral disease that kills the host and transforms it into a senseless, soulless, moving body with empty brain and just one intent left – kill any- and everything alive. Left to their own devises, vampires would kill until nothing alive would remain on earth and then starve to extinction.
However, their dead, empty brain is ideally suited for necromancers. They are used as one might an avatar in a computer game or a puppet – by taking control over brain and piloting these creatures for any number of nefarious – or mundane – reasons. They are very resilient against physical hardships, making them ideal tools for safely approaching and entering high risk sites and situations while the pilots themselves do not leave the safety of their homes or offices many miles away.
Obviously, not every person is suited to become a necromancer which seems to require a very specific brand of magic. Selective few undergo lengthy, intensive training process provided by necromancers’ organization called ‘The People’, the most talented of them become ‘Masters of the Dead’ (equivalent in our world could be branch manager in a large corporation). The purpose and main goals of this organization so far is unclear.