Jacqueline Lichtenberg, author of the cult classic Sime-Gen series (“science fiction in the grand manner”-The New York Times Book Review), has become known for her complex worldbuilding and fiery characters. Those of My Blood is her most ambitious work to date, a big, bold novel of alien contact, obsessive love, and lunar adventure.

They have been living among us in secret: the luren, a race of extraterrestrial vampires. Some luren, such as the brilliant scientist Titus Shiddehara, call themselves “Residents” and consider Earth their home; others, known as “Tourists,” regard humans solely as food. A simmering conflict between the two groups has left the luren divided for generations.

When an alien starship crashes on the moon, Titus and his allies must stop the Tourists from using their technology to contact the luren homeworld-a move that would lead to the subjugation of all humanity. But when Titus’s enemy on the moon is revealed as his “father”-the man who awakened him to the existence of a vampire-he knows he faces a battle he cannot win without taking humans as pawns. and breaking an oath he swore long ago.

The wild card in the deck is a survivor of the crash, whose very existence is a guarded secret. Neither Tourist nor Resident-but very definitely luren-the alien may hold the secret of salvation for both humanity and luren. if the ties of blood can be reconciled with the ties of honor.

Rich in the power of the vampire legend, Those of My Blood is a sf adventure of epic scope.

Jacqueline Lichtenberg’s recent books include Mahogany Trinrose and the Dushau trilogy (Dushau, Farfetch, Outreach). She lives in Spring Valley, New York, and is currently at work on Dreamspy, a companion volume to Those of My Blood.