Cities are ruled by vampire Princes. Books are outlawed. Humans are treated as cattle, and sometimes disappear. Rabids and cannibal mole-men prey on the ones who stray. 
 That's the world of "The Immortal Rules," the first book of Julie Kagawa's postapocalyptic vampire series. It's very different from her colorful, shimmering faerie books -- this is a dark, bloody, violent story about a world that has crumbled almost beyond recognition, with little hope left. 
 On their way back from a food raid, Allie and her gang are attacked by rabids. A vampire named Kanin offers her either a quick death, or un-life as a vampire. Despite her hatred for all things vampiric, Allie chooses the latter -- and Kanin spends the next few months teaching her all about how to be a vampire. 
 But after the vampire Prince's soldiers attack, Allie finds herself adrift in the world outside the city, with nothing but a katana and her vampire powers. She ends up joining a disillusioned minister and his followers, including the pure-hearted Zeke. 
 It turns out that this ragtag bunch are searching for a legendary city that is free of vampires and rabids, and they believe vampires are "demons." If they discover who and what Allie is, they'll kill her. But when they are attacked by the malevolent Jackal, Allie sets out to save them anyway... 
 Not a lot of authors write about vampires in a postapocalyptic/dystopian future... which is too bad, because if vampires existed it would be a realistic outcome. After all, why would vampires with super-strength, super-speed and super-senses hide in the shadows when they could literally rule the world? 
 The most striking part of this book is just how harrowing it is. Kagawa fills this future with rubble, blood, grime and the lingering stench of rotten flesh, and populates it with street gangs, cannibals and feral semi-vampires that tear their victims to shreds. It's a dark, haunting future, with only faint glimmers of hope. 
 The problem is that Sarren and Kanin drop out of the story very abruptly, and are only really addressed again at the end. Which technically isn't an end, but a "to be continued." 
 But Allie is an excellent anti-heroine -- she goes from a scrappy, tough urchin to a cool butt-kicking warrior, complete with a long black coat and katana. Zeke transcends the usual "pretty teen boy love interest" stereotype by being a genuinely good, unselfish person who sees the best in everyone despite all the horror in his life. And Kanin is an intriguingly dark, tormented character with a big ugly skeleton in his closet. 
 "The Immortal Rules" is a solid start to what promises to be an outstanding series -- it's bloody, dark and gruesome, with the occasional glimmers of light.