Succubus On Top

Now that I'm a successful professional in the continuing medical education industry, I feel that I need to convey a sense of professionalism both in the office and on the road. So, on my flight home from the MedBiquitous conference last weekend (an organization that promotes technical standards for medical education), I should have been reading the latest issue of the Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions or perhaps some photocopyied journal articles about clinical guidelines for antiplatelet therapy. You know, something that would have said, "Wow! That man is truly a professional. I'll sit next to him so that some of his professionalism will rub off on me."

Instead, I was burning my way through a paperback sporting the less than family-oriented image pictured above. I was doing my best to hide the cover on my lap so that parents wouldn't pull their children away from me. Unfortunately, my perpetual smile and constant snickering probably wasn't doing anything to label me as "sane" or "safe."

This is what happens when you read Richelle Mead's books. They are definitely for those of us who felt a deep void in our lives when the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air.

Succubus Blues and the sequel Succubus on Top are urban fantasy novels that tell the story of Georgina Kincaid, a succubus living in modern society. At night she goes out tempting men into sexual relations so that she can suck some of their life force out of them and send them on the road to eternal damnation. During the day she works at a local bookstore and organizes the booksignings. Naturally, her profession as a succubus messes with her desire to have anything resembling a normal life. She wants to develop a long term relationship with one of her favorite authors, but this is complicated by the need for absolute celibacy...you know, so she doesn't drain away his life force. Wacky highjinks ensue.

The books are wildly entertaining. They are not what I would call high literature, but Mead is very good at creating quirky characters, snappy dialog, and interesting explorations of religious and fantasy mythology. One of my favorite characters is her boss, Jerome, a demon who's immense power is balanced by his strange decision to take on the appearance of John Cusack. You get the idea.

The third book in the series, Succubus Dreams, is coming out in October. With any luck, it will coincide with another conference. I can already feel the airline passengers edging away from me.