Cabaret in Flames

When is a vampire not a vampire? When it is a Gul. These strange creatures are part of everyday life in this version of Brazil, the secret for the humans who want to survive is to stay at home after curfew, lest they be eaten by Guls or taken for enemies of the state by the Fascists who run the country. In this dangerous and magical alternative world Hache Pueyo has set Cabaret in Flames, a dark fantasy novel set in an unreal place.

Ariadne is a doctor of sorts, but she specialises not in humans, but the strange vampire like creatures called Guls. Guls may be dangerous, but if they have fed recently, they do not have the impulse to kill and would not be wise to kill one of the few people that can fix their ills. When Quaint arrives at the door looking for Ariadne’s master, she admits that he left some time ago. With the help of this enigmatic Gul, Ariadne leaves the relative safety of her home and ventures out to a Brazil torn by civil war and prayed on by Guls.

Cabaret is somewhat of a fever dream of a novel, an exotic and layered take on Vampiric lore. I have not read anything quite like it before and this is to Pueyo’s credit. Its Pueyo’s South American influences that makes the book so different. This alternative Brazil is fascinating, but also strange. It takes a beat or two for the reader to get into the rhythm of the story, but once you do, you enter a strange land.

The world is a fascinating one and not spoon fed to the reader. There is an Art Deco feel to the story, of roaring 20s leading up to the 40s. The Guls are not your normal Vampires, they have the same tendencies, but in this land, they play a different role. You have the likes of Quaint, who cannot quite be trusted, but lives by noble rules. You have other who are far more vicious. Others still are sadistic, like the one that punished Ariadne in her youth by eating her arms and legs, she only walks now because her master was an expert in animatronics.

The entire book feels like it is gaslit, with horrible creatures waiting in the shadows. It feels like it could be a romance, a bodice ripper, but there is a far darker tone than that. We learn about what happened to Ariadne and this is only one of the darker moments. Ariadne and Quaint must work with and against some of the most unsavoury characters to find their old friend.

I enjoyed the different feel of Cabaret, although it was not the easiest to follow at times. There is an unworldly, dreamlike quality to it as we learn along with Ariadne about the wider world. It is a short novel, much is left unsaid, but that just adds to the mystery. Although not strictly a vampire novel, it is these fans that will enjoy the book the most, especially those that like their tale dripping in noir.