Vampire's Waltz

Rating:
Summary: Fantasic Book
Review: An amazing book that pulls you in... and keeps you. The characters are some of the best you will find in any novel, all of them are complex and with a purpose. At the same time the action is "edge of the seat". If you enjoy fiction novels this one is a must.

Rating:
Summary: Okay, so the name has to be phony...
Review: But what's in a name, eh? I can't tell you that, but I can tell you what's in Staab's book "Vampire Walt." And that is a unique blend of action, drama, romance, and dark humor that'll leave you turning the pages and slobbering for more.

Brooklyn has been leveled by earthquakes and hurricanes. Armondo Moreno finds himself drawn to the city by the first dream he's ever had--he's an Immortal, and therefore prone to nights of dreamless sleep. In the dream his old nemisis, Glynis (I don't know if this is part of a series or not, so don't ask) shows him the Twin Towers (the novel is outdated, though I hate that this is the only way to identify that). It is an unmistakable sign: the evil Vampiress has taken over eight million people...and made them her Blood Slaves!

But Armondo is not alone in his crusade against Glynis, thankfully. Enter his shapeshifting Guardian friend John Pastore. John is drawn by a dream of his own, and a desire to seek revenge for the millenia his kind spent as slaves to the Vampires. To achieve this he'll use his impresive ax to kill anything that drinks blood.

However, thrown into the age-old battle is a young girl (human) Christine, and her unborn baby Charity. Glynis wants the child so she can create a race of super Vampires...beings that can not only reproduce sexually, but walk in the daytime as well. These are two traits Glynis's kind lacks.

But she also needs Armondo. And the Vampiress, who has harnessed the power of Mother Nature Herself, will find seducing the Immortal no difficult feat. Armondo is now torn between his good friend and his centuries of teachings, and the one woman who promises to make more of his kind, so the loneliness in his heart will be washed away.

What follows will intrigue you immensely, as John and two humans he finds on the street--one a black man with a regretful past, the other a teenage racist with some parental issues--fight to protect Christine and Charity, and Armondo fights to keep his sanity. And all the while eight million vampires threaten them...for Glynis is the master of her terrain, and her terrain is now Brooklyn.

While the grammar in this book certainly leaves something to be desired, the plot and the characters will drag you into it. The history alone--which Staab paints with dabs of hatred and regret--will enthrall you. Entire the world of the Vampire...enter the world of your worst nightmares. Enter the "Vampire's Waltz". It's okay...you can cut in anytime.

Rating:
Summary: Bad from start to End
Review: First the earthquake then the weather left the city of New York devastated. Ironblood Armondo Moreno knows that the death of millions was not caused by a freak of nature, but that Glynis lives and has brought death and destruction to millions. Having spent several lifetime alone fighting vampires, Armondo wonders if Glynis' offer of hope for him is worth taking to end his isolation. She cannot convert an Ironblood into a vampire, but the mingling of their bloods would lead to a new superior being that would allow the two of them to rule the world.

To prove his worth and loyalty, Armondo must bring in the innocent human Christine Ferranti carrying the unborn who will serve as the matriarch of the super race. Christine does not want the child and Glynis projects feelings of inadequacy to Christine, enhancing the pregnant woman's doubts. Adding to her woes is an army of vampires searching for her as well as the nearly invincible Ironblood, who has doubts of his own.

VAMPIRE'S WALTZ is an entertaining apocalyptic horror tale. The exciting story line is well written although Thomas Staab tries to bring in too many concepts thus occasionally stalling the plot. In spite of his over enthusiasm, the tale for the most part remains taut and succeeds because readers believe in the terror gripping Brooklyn due to the authentic feel of the characters. Mr. Staab is a talented writer providing vampire lovers with a fresh, modern tale in some ways reminding the audience of Ira Levin's work.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it
Review: Granted I don't read many vampires stories so I may not have the same point of reference as some of the other reviewers here but other than the typos (which the author's website said are being fixed for the next printing) I really enjoyed this story and the characters. Pretty good for a first book in my opinon. Also the ending was far from expected, not your typical "hollywood" happy ending.

Rating:
Summary: ENQUISITOR'S REVIEW
Review: I have read this book from cover to cover. It is one of the best fiction books I have read in years.It definately has everything it takes to keep you reading more. And I find it hard to put away while traveling to work. I 've almost missed my stop on the train being so wrapped up in this book. I can't wait til' Mr. Staab comes out with his next book.

Rating:
Summary: He needs a good editor
Review: I purchased this book from the author at a convention two years ago. Reading it was a somewhat painful experience. Although there are some excellent concepts, his use of language is immature and highly repetitive. Everything is "like" something else. Some of his comparisons are so far-fetched, even after long pondering, the point is lost.

I believe this must be a first effort and a self-published book. It is in need of the blue pencil of a good editor, and at least one re-write.

As a collector of vampire tales, I am happy to have it in my library, but I would be hard pressed to recommend this to anyone but a hard core reader of tales of the undead.

Rating:
Summary: This book defied my expectations - unpleasantly!
Review: I'm a ravenous reader, a major collector of vampire fiction and, admittedly, somewhat critical when it comes to reading material. Despite that, I've never before felt compelled to air my grievances until this book, which was an extremely unsatisfying read. I kept wondering throughout whether or not the publisher actually EMPLOYS a copy editor - the occasions of synonym-abuse were so prevalent throughout that it was downright distracting. There were the traditional errors in this regard such as using "there" when he should have used "their", but one notable example used "insight" rather than "incite" as in "the attack began to insight his blood..." Among my other complaints are that the author bludgeons you with too many descriptions for the same thing - piled on top of each other - leaving the action for so long that you nearly forget what was happening before he overwhelmed you with metaphors for a single emotion. He also tended to refer to characters who had not yet been introduced, leaving me to wonder whether I had missed something and then explained who that person was a couple of pages later. I enjoy a challenging read, following plot twists, deciphering foreshadowing and discarding red herrings. But this one was just too much work for too little payoff. If you want the best in vampire fiction, check out Brian Lumley or Laurell K. Hamilton. If you want to be annoyed and frustrated, wade through the mire this book creates.

Rating:
Summary: This book defied my expectations - unpleasantly!
Review: I'm a ravenous reader, a major collector of vampire fiction and, admittedly, somewhat critical when it comes to reading material. Despite that, I've never before felt compelled to air my grievances until this book, which was an extremely unsatisfying read. I kept wondering throughout whether or not the publisher actually EMPLOYS a copy editor - the occasions of synonym-abuse were so prevalent throughout that it was downright distracting. There were the traditional errors in this regard such as using "there" when he should have used "their", but one notable example used "insight" rather than "incite" as in "the attack began to insight his blood..." Among my other complaints are that the author bludgeons you with too many descriptions for the same thing - piled on top of each other - leaving the action for so long that you nearly forget what was happening before he overwhelmed you with metaphors for a single emotion. He also tended to refer to characters who had not yet been introduced, leaving me to wonder whether I had missed something and then explained who that person was a couple of pages later. I enjoy a challenging read, following plot twists, deciphering foreshadowing and discarding red herrings. But this one was just too much work for too little payoff. If you want the best in vampire fiction, check out Brian Lumley or Laurell K. Hamilton. If you want to be annoyed and frustrated, wade through the mire this book creates.

Rating:
Summary: Not a classic, but it's good.
Review: My orginal review was not that good, I basically blasted the book, however I was discussing vampire fiction the other day and realized this was one of those books I was talking about. So it can't be all that bad!