Gabriel Pope

Gabriel Pope is the main protagonist in The Book of Falling. The latest in a long line of supernatural investigators/hunters from the Pope Family, he is currently at the forefront of the fight against the “undead underworld” in the city of Roseburg.

Gabe is still in his early twenties, but began his career at an early age. Split between the cities of Roseburg and Sundry after his parents’ divorce, he was trained to be a hunter by his father Lazarus between the ages of nine and fifteen, and went on to work and learn alongside other prominent hunters such as Gerhardt DeSilber, Jim Russell, and Fester Spitze (the “Bloodhound of Prague”). After several years working in Europe, Gabe was called back to Roseburg to take over the family business following Lazarus’ murder.

Gabe is extremely skilled and dedicated to what he does, to the point of being awkwardly out of place amongst “normal” people, and has very few friends. He can be exceedingly ruthless in his methods, and fosters an almost bigoted attitude towards vampires. His sense of duty to his family history and dedication to his crusade is what guides most of his actions.

Gabe protects himself against supernatural attacks in a variety of ways, the most striking being a pattern of tattoos on his arms and shoulders in which the major religious emblems - the Cross, the Cresent Moon, the Star of David and the Aum - are key features. He also has a collection of t-shirts emblazoned with large Celtic crosses, apparently purchased on the street from "some kid in Estonia".

Weapons of choice: Gabe's main sidearm is "Old Webley", a mildly-enchanted Webley MkVI service revolver handed down from his great-grandfather's day. Unable to afford a regular supply of silver ammunition, he generally uses hollowpoint rounds filled with iron. In close combat he wields a custom-made baseball bat carved from ash and plated in silver (its precise origins are unknown, though it's been in the Pope arsenal since at least the 1950s). His "favourite shotgun" is an Ithaca 37 Stakeout, given to him by his late father. Depending on which particular creature he expects to encounter, he carries the usual tools of a monster hunter including stakes, knives, holy water, salt, and so on, attached to a leather harness worn under his coat.

Gabe first appears in "Blood Will Out," and has featured in all of the stories in the series.