It’s been a good, long while since the last Book Corner. Sorry ‘bout that, but I’m here to make it up to you folks with a couple vampire book reviews. Fun! Special thanks to Patrick and Randy – two very good friends of NOTLP who sent us both books reviewed below. There are Amazon affiliate links below, so if you want to buy, click ‘em and maybe help NOTLP out.
Vampyres of Hollywood – Adrienne Barbeau & Michael Scott
It occurred to me after I finished reading this book that it did indeed feel like Michael Scott of TV’s “The Office” had written it. This is not a good thing. The vampire – excuse me, vampyre – mythology in this novel is laughable. No worries, no one actually sparkles in the sun, but we come darn near close. The premise is this: vampyres are real, a powerful clan runs Hollywood and someone is out to destroy them.
Things I liked:
The shifting POV – we go back and forth between Ovsanna Moore, the leader of the Hollywood vampires, and Peter King, LAPD detective. Famous actors are being killed and Dectective King is on the case. These actors are also vampires, so Ovsanna is also investigating. It was kinda cool how the stories intertwined and how you, as a reader, know more than both characters up until the end.
The noir-ish feel to the story. I’m not a big fan of this style, but I can appreciate what it does for atmosphere. Sure, it ain’t perfect in this book, sometimes it comes off clunky, but it felt fun…until everything falls apart at the end.
Peter King’s character. He was refreshingly superficial. I don’t like books about LA that feature characters that are so above LA and all the phoniness.
Things I didn’t like:
Ovsanna’s character. Her motivations were weird and her dialogue was strange. I can’t put my finger exactly on what I mean, but that’s probably because I read the book months ago. Sorry.
The ending. It was ridonkulous.
The vampire mythology. I will preface my complaints here by saying that I’m a Buffy fan and feel that the mythology built in the Whedonverse for vampires is perfect in my estimation. Here’s what’s twisting my britches in this book:
· Vampires can be born as vampires.
· Vampires are actually vampyres
· When vampires grow especially old, they turn into weird tentacled monsters
· Vampire clans have different abilities. One clan actually go for blood like an anteater at an anthill. That’s weird, right?
· Charlie Chaplin wasn’t a fucking vampire. That’s stupid.
In conclusion, this book could be a fun enough beach read. I guess. I give it 2 out of 5 stars.
The Light at the End – John Skipp & Craig Spector
This was a kickass book and is a big recommend from me. I’m only disappointed it took me this long to discover Skipp & Spector. The plot is simple: an ancient evil visits New York City and makes itself a vampire. This new vampire goes on a killing spree and all hell breaks loose. A group of people discover what’s up and try to destroy it.
Things I liked: Damn near everything. The characters are well-drawn, the action is intense, and the ending is really good. The imagery these authors offer is gross and dirty…the way it should be for a vampire story set in NYC.
Things I didn’t like: I didn’t like the death of a major character I came to love. That bothered me only because I’m a girl. I was also a bit disappointed that a foreshadowed event never really seemed to come to fruition. It felt like a pretty big string was cut short without explanation, but it didn’t ruin the plot so I can forgive.
I don’t want to ruin too much of this story for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure. Do yourself a favor and read it. Now. This one is 5 out of 5 stars.