Rating: 
Summary: A darker and stonger Chris Csejthe
Review: In One Foot in the Grave, Mark Simmons introduced us to his half-vampire character, Chris Csejthe. In Dead on My Feet, Simmons shows us the transformation of Mr. Everyday into an Alpha Vampire who still isn't all vampire.
It's in the blood, so to speak. Csejthe has been infected with one of the two viruses which convert a human into a vampire, and he is caught in the middle - a man adrift between two worlds who is hanging on to his humanity for dear life!
In Dead on My Feet, Simmons brings a whole new cast on stage as he's moved his main character from a little town in Southeastern Kansas to bayou country - Monroe, LA. In that sleepy town we find a sho'nuf fortuneteller, a rogue vampire out for a little fun with Chris, a beautiful damsel in distress, a secretary that's the dream of anyone who ever needed to hire one, a vampire who fought in the Civil War, and a plethora of other fascinating characters.
The villains are equally interesting and a couple of them remind Chris of his all-but-forgotten past in some very unpleasant ways. The arch villain is a real blast from the past, an ancestor - maybe - who has come to Louisiana to do enormous evil, and only Chris can stop her. How he manages to survive any number of attempts on his life, and still defeat the utter personification of evil makes for a very strange and entertaining tale.
With Dead on My Feet, Simmons has flexed his story-telling muscle and moved to the head of the class. This tale is wonderfully entertaining, while at the same time, disqueting and edgy. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: From the Publisher
Review: Over the past year Chris Csejthe has learned hard lessons about life or more precisely death. He realizes that it is all about the blood of who you know, but in his case the sera inside him changed by the transfusion from the Lord of the Undead is valuable to one and all. That very special blood type makes Chris the donor of first choice for most of the otherworldly populace and some of those still mortals. It also keeps the police busy interviewing him about a non-zoned gravedigger side business as corpses seem to grow on his front lawn like weeds in the front of Chez Klausner.Chris just wants to enjoy life with his new squeeze, but fears his former were-woman might cause problems. Besides being the target of jealousy and the mark of every creature around, Chris is caught in the crosshairs of the development of a deadly virus. All in a day's survival mode for the tyro bloodsucker except that now the Blood Countess Bathory has her own ideas how to use Chris' rarest of blood types. Readers who desire something off beat but humorous in their fantasy-horror literature will want to read DEAD ON MY FEET, an amusing tale that focuses on the misadventures of a vampire in a world that wants to borrow his blood. Chris remains the center of the Simmons universe while the human and inhuman populaces that graze within his spheres make for a fun tale. Though it would be beneficial to fans to read the prequel (see ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE) for a fuller flavoring, this book is fun. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: off beat but humorous in their fantasy-horror
Review: Over the past year Chris Csejthe has learned hard lessons about life or more precisely death. He realizes that it is all about the blood of who you know, but in his case the sera inside him changed by the transfusion from the Lord of the Undead is valuable to one and all. That very special blood type makes Chris the donor of first choice for most of the otherworldly populace and some of those still mortals. It also keeps the police busy interviewing him about a non-zoned gravedigger side business as corpses seem to grow on his front lawn like weeds in the front of Chez Klausner. Chris just wants to enjoy life with his new squeeze, but fears his former were-woman might cause problems. Besides being the target of jealousy and the mark of every creature around, Chris is caught in the crosshairs of the development of a deadly virus. All in a day's survival mode for the tyro bloodsucker except that now the Blood Countess Bathory has her own ideas how to use Chris' rarest of blood types. Readers who desire something off beat but humorous in their fantasy-horror literature will want to read DEAD ON MY FEET, an amusing tale that focuses on the misadventures of a vampire in a world that wants to borrow his blood. Chris remains the center of the Simmons universe while the human and inhuman populaces that graze within his spheres make for a fun tale. Though it would be beneficial to fans to read the prequel (see ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE) for a fuller flavoring, this book is fun. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Provocative
Review: The only other vampire book I have read was Bram Stoker's. Mark Simmons has updated the genre in technogy and world view. Both books raise issues of life and death. Simmons challenges the reader to think.
Rating:
Summary: Provocative
Review: The only other vampire book I have read was Bram Stoker's. Mark Simmons has updated the genre in technogy and world view. Both books raise issues of life and death. Simmons challenges the reader to think.
Rating:
Summary: Fast, humorous, and enchanting despite flippancy
Review: This is a worthy successor to _Dead on My Feet_. Chris Csejthe has been contaminated by vampire blood. However, unlike most victims, he never died. So, still alive, rather than undead, he walks a narrow line between the blood-hunger and human existence. Despite his best attempts to stay away from deadly supernatural politics, Chris's unique situation calls him to champion the dead--a role that brings a terrifying set of dangers. As in its predecessor, the book is fast and funny. The first-person protagonist is engaging, as are many of the supporting characters. The supernatural world is colorful and solidly anchored in popular myth and less-popular folklore. The mixture of danger, occasional earnestness, and ubiquitous flippant humor sometimes mixes uneasily, but the fast pace and sympathetics characters carry the plot past the awkwardness and provide plenty of entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Fast, humorous, and enchanting despite flippancy
Review: This is a worthy successor to _Dead on My Feet_. Chris Csejthe has been contaminated by vampire blood. However, unlike most victims, he never died. So, still alive, rather than undead, he walks a narrow line between the blood-hunger and human existence. Despite his best attempts to stay away from deadly supernatural politics, Chris's unique situation calls him to champion the dead--a role that brings a terrifying set of dangers. As in its predecessor, the book is fast and funny. The first-person protagonist is engaging, as are many of the supporting characters. The supernatural world is colorful and solidly anchored in popular myth and less-popular folklore. The mixture of danger, occasional earnestness, and ubiquitous flippant humor sometimes mixes uneasily, but the fast pace and sympathetics characters carry the plot past the awkwardness and provide plenty of entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Vampires, Zombies, and Demons - Oh My
Review: Wm. Mark Simmons has done it again. He's managed to weave all the major literary monsters into one compelling story complete with bad puns and a history lesson. Csejthe has to battle not only the great demons of history but also his own genetic past as he tries to figure out his genetic past and his future. Being neither dead nor undead, he has his own issues to work out - including the ghost of his dead wife and a werewolf girlfriend - while saving the world. The story is complex and engaging. Simmons has created characters you genuinely care about and want to know what he's going to do with Csejthe next. Csejthe has all the good elements of the reluctant hero and as such is a joy to see put in precarious and unique situations just to see how he'll get out of them. Cudos to Simmons and his warped sense of humor.
Rating:
Summary: Vampires, Zombies, and Demons - Oh My
Review: Wm. Mark Simmons has done it again. He's managed to weave all the major literary monsters into one compelling story complete with bad puns and a history lesson. Csejthe has to battle not only the great demons of history but also his own genetic past as he tries to figure out his genetic past and his future. Being neither dead nor undead, he has his own issues to work out - including the ghost of his dead wife and a werewolf girlfriend - while saving the world. The story is complex and engaging. Simmons has created characters you genuinely care about and want to know what he's going to do with Csejthe next. Csejthe has all the good elements of the reluctant hero and as such is a joy to see put in precarious and unique situations just to see how he'll get out of them. Cudos to Simmons and his warped sense of humor.
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