Rating: Summary: I've lost sleep reading this! Review: This is a book to read and re-read again! You can't absorb it all in one visit. The characters are rich and seductive and you ache for each one of them, be they good guys or bad. It's detailed with familiar acurate Texas sights and lush with breathing characters that draw you into a completly believable plot... I have lived in Dallas all my life, and now I'm watching for these guys/vampires as I drive down the street! Light a candle and read the first chapter...take a sick day, keep reading... this book will stick in your head for weeks.
Rating: Summary: The hunt is on Review: This book is less about Vampires and more about the men who hunt them. This is what makes this book very good. Instead of just throwing a bunch of stakes around, the book delves into the characters and finds out how being a Vampire hunter can ruin your life. Though the book changes a bit in the middle, to a more Anne Rice type feel, the thrill of the hunt is in every page. Great read
Rating: Summary: This is a two day book, which means... Review: This is a two day book to me. What I mean by that is that you don't eat, sleep, drink, water the dog or cat for the duration of those two days so that you may read this book. I really didn't put it down. I don't know if I should curse John for letting my studies fall behind or thank him!
Rating: Summary: Great, if you like purple prose. Review: I had high hopes for this book because I'm a great fan of vampire literature and like James Woods and all that but when I first started reading this book I couldn't figure out what was bothering me, distressing me and then I figured out it was Steakley's writing style which goes on and on like this forever and forever with no letup, beating us, blinding us, giving no quarter, making me wish for just one period, even one, and then when he finally comes to the end of a sentence he ends it.In the next paragraph. And when he's not doing that, he begins paragraph after paragraph with the same word: And this got really irritating. And it was because the story was weak. And the characters even weaker. And maybe by the end I just didn't care.
Rating: Summary: these vamps can do everything! Review: John Steakly is an incredible author, with such books as Armor, which not to mention kicked *#!, and Vampire$, quite the thriller, a little, say, morose though. I thought that Crow was a well put together character, even if he was a little macho. (hah! a little?) This is a great book anyway, why, that even makes it better! This is second only to Armor. Go get it! It's great!
Rating: Summary: Butt kicking Vampire hunters vs. Vampires who kick butt!! Review: Great action/adventure story of a team of hard-core vampire hunters for hire. A fast paced book that has men who are men and vampires that are vampires. Interesting characters, both hunter and vampire. All in all a great read that does not over-analyze the vampires psyche as some books in this genre do. The Vampires are not "tortured souls" who doubt themselves and their unnatural thirst. Instead they revel in their un-natural existence and display an arrogance worthy of their powers. As a side note I think that the new John Carpenter movie "Vampires" that is due for release Oct.30,1998 is based on this book. I do not know this for a fact but the previews of the movie that I have seen look very much like the novel.
Rating: Summary: Interesting, but a bit overblown, perhaps..... Review: I enjoyed this book immensely. It doesn't give in to the 'Anne Rice' version of the vampire; none of this 'noble vampire' absurdity. The vampires in Vampire$ are not noble, misunderstood fellows, they're monsters, dark and evil and without the slightest mercy or humanity in their hearts. The vampire hunters are believable, too- i particularly enjoyed the Jack Crow, Cherry Cat and Felix characters, even though they were a wee bit too macho and overblown. The book accurately depicts the horrible fears and stresses placed on the vampires, but as a trade-off, it's a little depressing. Also, drinking, cussing, and violence abounds- proceed at your own risk. There are several flaws and poorly done sections to this book, but overall, this is an interesting and thoughful adventure. I enjoyed the quality of the writing and plot, as well. Highly recommended. Also, read Steakley's earlier book, Armor,which in many ways is even better.
Rating: Summary: Well done, if morose. Review: John Steakley's first novel, Armor, ranks with my top ten books of all time. If you haven't read it, it's even better than Vampires. I have long awaited a sequel to Armor, which I hope may still come. I was happy to stumble across Vampires, which is also well done, but left me a bit depressed. Any fan of Armor will see many parallels in these two books, aside from the obvious reincarnation of the Jack Crow and Felix characters (in name only) from Armor. The "Antwar Saloon" was cute. As with Armor, we have a powerful character endowed with extraordinary strength and a sense of duty to wipe out evil, despite the toll it takes on his loved ones and his own psyche. You find yourself enthralled by the action, but drawn into a morose, visceral world where the characters all have pretty depressing lives but are connected by a kind of macho doomsday comaraderie. You can really feel how immensely TIRED everybody in the story is. For all of its action noir, it's a great read. Just keep the Prozac handy.
Rating: Summary: Excellent description of the war between GOOD and EVIL. Review: Loud, proud and full of adventure. A well written story of Vampires with such a seductive,bittersweet agony and the Men who hunt them. This is a general review. I would not want to spoil your pleasure by giving any away. All I can say is 'Supernatural.'
Rating: Summary: an excellent gripping tale. Review: It's not your typical story. Nothing is predictable, the characters are memorable, and the story is unbelievable. Good versus evil. It sounds like a simple concept, one that has been done a million times before. Steakley's vision of a world of vampires that are more than able to fight for their existence as as they are perscuted by the Vatican. It is the characters who face a seemingly invincible foe who possesses an intellect armed with an incredible weapon - knowledge of who is after them and why. This is what makes this story so facinating, the hero's are not the only one's capable of logic. It is a story that doesn't ignore reality while staying true to the legend of vampires. An excellent read with an anti-Hollywood ending.
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