Rating: 
Summary: weird and wonderful undead doings
Review: "Fat White Vampire Blues", the new novel by Andrew Fox, is probably
one of the strangest books you could read this year, as well as one of
the most enjoyable. It's mandatory viewing for any fan of the
vampire/horror genre in general, and a good dietary supplement for
those whose summer reading is seriously lacking in pulpy, off-beat fun.The fat white vampire in question is one Jules Duchon, New Orleans
born, bred and undead. And his blues is this: too much good livin'.
Too many years of feeding off the fat-rich blood that the veins of the Big
Easy have to offer have taken their toll on poor Jules: he now weighs
in at a staggering 450 pounds, & is worried he's contracting vampire
diabetes. He's definitely not the man (thing? undead fiend?) he used
to be, but still, the scariest fate awaiting him is that of a low-fat
diet--until Malice X enters his (un)life. Malice is the street-smart,
upstart and decidedly buff black vampire that demands that Jules curb his
feeding habits to "whites only", or face the consequences. Those
consequences are what make up the bulk of our bulky anti-hero's
off-kilter journey of self-discovery and liberation--one that seems to
delight in shuckin' and jivin' the reader in all sorts of unlikely and
very rewarding directions. Sure, this is Jules' story, but the real star of the show here is New Orleans
itself. Its' fading locales and details are lovingly evoked by Fox in all
their delicate, eccentric hot-house glory, and the rhythms of that town
define the novel's rhythms: it is at turns funky, obtuse, ornery and whimsical.
Jules can't bear to change his ways anymore than he can bear the thought of
leaving his home town--no matter what Malice X threatens. One of the bittersweet
notes this novel hits is not of Jules' battle with the new flashy hip-hop culture
Malice represents (as opposed to the old school French Quarter jazz Jules and Fox
obviously loves so much), but that of another, undefined vampiric source: the
strip-malling of America, the encroachment of redundancy, where local
names are replaced by brand names, and every place is the same, no
matter where you are. Through Jules' eyes, we see New Orleans slowly
falling victim to this self-replicating virus--its' individuality
wiped clean bit by bit, block by block. Jules is wiser than we are.
He knows a bled-dry victim when he sees one. We simply line up to become one. Old Jules also represents a big, flaming loogie in the face of the whole Anne Rice aristocratic undead pantheon---Fox is practically shouting, "Hey, lady! Take a look at what a real New Orleans bloodsucker looks like!" Ms. Rice even appears as a background character of sorts, in the form of local horror writer Agatha Longrain (yuk-yuk!), whose unholy offspring are the
pasty-faced, Goth-dressing vampiric wanna-be's clogging up Decatur
Street, blocking the way between Jules and his next calorie-rich,
home-grown meal. Another strand of New Orleans DNA deeply entwined in the proceedings here is that of native son John Kennedy Toole's great cult-novel, "A Confederacy of Dunces." Jules and Ignatius J. Reilly share many qualities: they are both
obese mammas-boys out to find their way in the world, prone to endearing
delusions of grandeur as well as epic bouts of self-loathing. They
both represent in their own overwrought ways the twins of inspiration and
sloth that live in all of us--and so we cheer them on even they disgust
us, as we laugh at their fantastically elaborate foibles. Because they
are us, fully dressed in all our glory and (very literal) dirty
laundry. He is heavy, yes, but he's still my brother. In the end, "Fat White Vampire Blues" is that odd bedfellow who wears
its high and low culture roots proudly, and helps to blur the
distinction between the two. It revels in the bayou-like miasmic
paste of its varied inspirations (pulp fiction, horror movies and comic
books, etc.), while turning over that mulch to find surprising tweaks
and flashes of light in those very genre-specific constrictions. Who knew
that a vampire's ability to take the form of a bat or wolf was both
tied to cultural prejudices and Einstein's theories on "Conservation of
Mass"? Well, Mr. Fox knew, apparently, and he's more than happy to pass that information onto us. He's cooked up a spicy gumbo of a book whose racial politics and potty-humor might make you a bit queasy at times, but like any good Bourbon Street drunk, you're still left asking for more.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, Tragic Vampire Novel
Review: "Fat, White Vampire Blues", Andrew Fox's debut novel (rather, his "first to see print" according to the author bio), is an entertaining bit of treacle concerning new twists on vampire lore, as well as tried and true legends. Like other vamp novels set in the Big Easy, it's a novel about decay and complacency, but it comes at the issue from an entirely different angle. Jules Duchon has let everything get out of hand in the eighty years he's been a vampire. He now weighs 450 pounds, lives in a dump of a house and drives a beat up cab for a "living". His only friend is a fellow cabby - the others have been alienated and hounded out of his life, despite their love and loyalty for him. His life turns upside-down when he puts the bite on a homeless black woman, only to have her become the object of a campaign for police reform and neighborhood sympathy. Additionally (and more importantly), Jules? meal attracts the attention of "Malice X", a black vampire with an attitude and a grudge, who tells Jules his days of chowing down on black victims is over. Like a certain other "husky" hero in a famed New Orleans novel, Jules goes into a blue funk, whining and bemoaning his fate, rather than fight back or change his ways. But Jules is neither as vociferous or educated as Ignatius J. Reilly; he is merely whiny and annoying. He runs crawling to Maureen, his vampire parent and ex-lover, who at first sends him packing, but finally relents and enlists the aid of Doodlebug, Jules' own vampire spawn. This is where the novel gets really weird. Fox obviously had a great time writing this book and was influenced by many other writers while writing it. He must have read "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" before writing this. How else to explain the bizarre backstory concerning Jules and Doodlebug's adventures during WWII as costumed superheroes, ridding the docs of Nazi saboteurs? For fun, Fox writes that Doodlebug, a crossdresser, studied in Tibet with an enclave of vampire monks who learn to control their urges, just like a certain werewolf in a novel by Christopher Golden. Some of these elements seem distantly out of place, while others fit perfectly onto the broadly comic canvas of the author's page. In the end, I enjoyed the experience of reading this book, though I often found myself rolling my eyes involuntarily. I don't understand how an author might write that a vampire character is "dead", then talk about his irregular heartbeat and labored breathing, or suggest that he may have diabetes. Or have him gain weight, a function based on metabolism, which a dead character should not experience. But some over-the-top moments shouldn't stop you from reading this fun debut. In fact, you should join me in applauding Andrew Fox for his willingness to be so unapologetically goofy.
Rating:
Summary: Wheels within wheels
Review: A good novel can be read on more than one level and "Fat White Vampire Blues" is a good example of this. On one level, the novel is the humorous story Jules Duchon, the eponymous fat white vampire as he makes his way through the nightlife of New Orleans. This is a New Orleans that residents will recognize, not the Mardi Gras/swamp infested dreamland of movies. On another level, it is the story of a white working class man dragged into this century's New South. After all, Jules is several generations removed from our current society norms. The insularity of New Orleans has allowed him to ignore the growing acceptance of Black and gay culture. He has "exceptions", friends and acquaintances, but his world has not forced him to confront their meaning in his life. The few months of this book compel him to reevaluate who his friends are and who can be trusted.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing ruination of a really good title
Review: As a vampire enthusiast, I wanted to like this book, very badly. Unfortunately, it was very bad. The second half of the book completely diverges from the first, and includes some unwelcome, unresearched, and frankly stupid additions to the vampire mythos.
Run away. Screaming. For all the wrong reasons.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and differt kind of vamp story
Review: Because of his nightly eating habits, Jules Duchon is very obese, weighing well over four hundred pounds. He knows he must cut out the fat rich blooded blacks that he enjoys because Jules concludes that over eight decades of this delicacy has led to his being one way overweight vampire needing to be on a strict low fat blood diet. However, Jules has a new problem to face besides his weight problem as a black vampire has threatened him if he does not change diets to all white meat. Frightened Jules turns to the vampire that converted him, Maureen, also overweight, for help, as he cannot resist the call of fat laden blood. FAT WHITE VAMPIRE BLUES is an amusing supernatural tale that pokes fun at the diet industry, race relations, and taking a bite out of the nosferatu legend. The story line never quite takes itself seriously even when it appears Jules might receive a stake through the heart yet still provides a strong message. However, the rich blood jokes do turn a bit stale after awhile, but readers who enjoyed Love at First Bite will want to read this humorous tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Big Fat Waste of My Time
Review: Coming down from the likes of Jane Austen, D. H. Lawrence, and William Makepeace Thackery, I was in the mood for some light reading. Besides it was Halloween and my city's newspaper had recommended this "thriller" as a cozy fright night read. Let me summarize by stating that Andrew Fox should have never quit his day job delivering meals to New Orleans' disenfranchised elderly to become a pseudo sci -fi novelist, or any type of novelist for that matter. Hey, I love New Orleans too, and I lived five wonderful years there. Go Green Wave!! But as I read this book, I couldn't help but notice that every other paragraph contained cliched metaphors and similes instead of descriptive settings for this wonderful city; it was as if Mr. Fox had spent weeks writing down every single nuance and interesting detail about New Orleans on a yellow legal pad and decided to jam them all in his novel as he wrote it.
I'll compliment the book by stating this novel is plot deficient on a concept that could have been pretty original. As I read the first chapter where Fox introduces us to Jules Duchon, a 450 pound, 100 year old, comic books and blues lovin' vampire who seduces his victims by driving a taxi cab in New Orlean's French quarter, I too thought I was in for a great ride. Little did I know, the first chapter would be the novel's best. Instead of developing the characters in the start of the novel, Fox makes up the rules of vampirism as he goes along, offering the reader more characters, more powers and tricks, and more subplots. Even Anne Rice had enough sense to define her vampire lore at the start of her chronicles. In short, the majority of the book involves Jules avoiding, escaping, and then finally fighting a vampire who Fox tells us hates him simply because they both dated the same woman. Besides his weak motivation for destroying Jules, there is very little else we know about the rival vampire Malice X (oh I forgot he also moonlights as a heroin manufacturer and dealer to the New Orleans elite). I better stop here because the book's lack of depth forbids me from revealing too much else about the characters. Fox would have done better to extend the first chapter into a screenplay and try his luck selling it to Hollywood. By the time I was done reading the book, I was weary of Jules Duchon and his existence in New Orleans and just like the fat free blood Jules drinks during his diet kick, the read was metallic, watery, and unsatisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Confederacy of Dunces Meets the Undead!!!
Review: Got this book after reading a terrific review in Fangoria, and it did not disappoint. The character of Jules, an overweight vampire with a fixation for feeding on overweight New Orleans residents is definately an aquired taste. I do have to agree that some of the novel's racism aspects,were a bit dark, but a great character comes through no matter what,and Jules is truly that. Feeding on heavyset homeless people, Jules has balooned into a 450 pound mess,the vampire who made him won't have anything to do with him, a new vampire comes into town trying to kick him out of the city he's lived in for a century, and the only vampire Jules ever made, a amazing character callled Doodlebug,may be his only hope of saving himself. The author does a great job of balancing all the dark apsects of the story with some amazingly embarrasing comedy that has to be read to be believed,trust me you won't believe what happens once Jules leaves New Orleans, it's awful, but REALLY funny. To wrap up, a great debut and hopefully a introduction to a series that may get better with every book!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Taste of Vampirism
Review: I adored this book! First of all, it was tremendously fun to read, and in this day and age, we can use all of the fun we can get. I also found it to be one of those delicious books that are hard to resist having just a little bit more of, sort of like eating a pint of Hagen Daz, ("I'll just read one more chapter...") But this sense of fun went further than the book being just a good read, for the character of Jules Duchon had a sense of authenticity where in no time I truly felt like I not only knew him, liked him, and believed in him, but also wanted to spend time with him in his beloved New Orleans, (a city I once lived in and whose essence I felt Andrew Fox captured perfectly in all of its exotic funkiness.) I laughed at Jules' foibles, commiserated with his set backs, shared in his triumphs, and ultimately, perhaps because there is a little bit of all of us in Jules (no pun intended,) walked away not only knowing him as an unforgettable character in a book, but also as a very human, albeit undead, friend.
Rating:
Summary: A vampyre for the 21st Century!
Review: I can't believe anyone wouldn't think this is an original,very
inventive take on the vampire story. Jules Duchon is no Lestat
or LaCroix. He's big-boned, husky, plus-sized...oh, hell, he's
just FAT! And therein lies the tale that makes Jules the most
unique bloodsucker in centuries of vamp literature! Jules is
someone many very human and flawed readers(like yours truly) can
identify with. When be bemoans that the food that tastes great
is bad for you and it's unfair,boy, that hit home! How often have
we Cartman-sized people said the same thing? And as for the
accusations that he's "prejudiced", nonsense! His prejudices are
against what a person does, not his or her color! His best cab-
driver friend is black while his worst enemy is, too. It makes him all too human. And his problems with being both a vampire and
a fat man are hilarious--especially when he turns into a bat!(I
won't spoil that--just get the book and read!).This book breaks
the rules and taboos. And it works. Read it! And hope they author
does a sequel soon!
Rating:
Summary: Recommended! Second Best Vampire Novel this year
Review: I love vampire novels and this one is well written and entertaining. I love writers that write for the pleasure of the readers. Only Vampire Stripper by Patrick James is a better novel, but this one is better than most stuff by Pn Elrod or Anne Rice
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