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Summary: RONALD KELLY DOES IT AGAIN!
Review: Discovered Ronald Kelly when I picked up his book "Fear" on a whim and just loved it. Just got done reading "Blood Kin" and couldn't put it down. I normally don't enjoy vampire novels because they are usually slow and uninteresting. Ronald Kelly keeps your interest in this book because it is fast paced and bloody and you never get bored!
If you like Ann Rice's writing this book is not for you...
If you like a fast read with alot of action and blood you will enjoy Blood Kin!!
Would highly recommend his other books if you like horror!
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Summary: Down home vamps
Review: I cracked a big grin in the first few pages of this novel. I grew up at the base of the Smokies, and I have very fond memories of "home." Kelly sets his vamp novel up in these mountains and populates it with some interesting, quirky, heroic, and creepy characters. I could almost hear these characters through the dialogue. These are mean, ruthless vamps; not the wimpy, whiny ones that seem to abound in today's vampire stories.
Nearly 100 years ago, local preacher Josiah Craven was up to no good. He was already a cad in real life, but then he stumbled upon a creature who seduced and bit him, and his sinning really began. His family knew it, but it wasn't so easy to convince the locals who adored Craven. When he "accidentally" dies, his wife and children insist on burying him with the broken stalk of a bean pole imbedded in his chest. They think they've put to rest the evil creature Josiah had become. Now, Grandpappy Craven is unearthed by his great-grandson and sets out to wreak the havoc denied to him a century ago.
There's a slew of great characters in this novel. Boyd Andrews becomes the reluctant hero of the tale. He's been busy trying to kick his drinking habit so he can win back his wife and kids. Dud Craven is the not-so-bright grandson who becomes Grandpappy's lackey. Wendell Craven is the stern preacher who encounters Grandpappy and then begins to create a congregation of a different kind. His wife, Tammy, is the mousy, bookish woman who discovers some hidden strengths in some very scary moments. Caleb Vanleer is the rugged mountain man who has spent the last couple of decades trying to remember some very scary moments in a remote cave of Vietnam. Put 'em all together, and you get a really fun story that makes up for in excitement what it might lack in depth.
This isn't meant to be a thought-provoking moral tale. But it is fun, and I read the book quickly because I wanted to find out what happened next. I eagerly await the chance to read FEAR, another Kelly novel that is in my to-be-read pile. If you like vampires, and if you want something fun and quick to read, pick up BLOOD KIN. Then sit back, smell the mountain air, and let the carnage begin!
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Summary: RONALD KELLY DOES IT AGAIN!
Review: I thought this book was going to be a boring one , but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. Ronald Kelly does a GREAT job on his books!
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Summary: My first R Kelly novel and not my last...
Review: Kelly takes a horror staple-vampires-and does a bang-up job!! He describes small-town southern living in detail and makes us care about them, much like Stephen Gresham. He knows about southern living like King knows about small-town northern living.
He has a gift for storytelling. This was my first novel and I can't wait to read Fear. His spin on vampires in the south is very good and he weaves a great yarn. He knows how to get under your skin and keep that itch going.A very interesting read. Two thumbs up for Mr Kelly. I don't know why I didn't give it a 5-star rating, but a 4 is very good indeed.
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Summary: Great fun for horror fans.
Review: Terror comes to a small town in the deep south when an age old evil resurfaces. It's up to one man to save to save the living when a clutch of vampires threatens to bleed the town dry. Ronald Kelly is a great storyteller with a strong southern voice. He delivers consistent, entertaining horror in a crisp, fast-paced manner. Highly recommended for horror fans.
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Summary: Tennessee Gothic!
Review: The vampires in this book are frightening, supernatural monsters; in other words this is not Anne Rice. Ronald Kelly does a particularly good job here of evoking the culture of rural Tennessee, and also creates sympathetic, three dimensional characters to be menaced by the [vampires]. If you like fast paced horror you could do much worse than this. Recommended for fans of Richard Laymon and Ruby Jean Jensen.
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Summary: A pretty good read.
Review: This is my first book I read by Ronald Kelly, and it was pretty good. I do plan to go into search mode for the rest of his books. Blood Kin is a pretty good read. Josiah Craven was killed a century ago and was buried in an unmarked grave....until today. One of Josiah's kin pulls out the stake, and Josiah is back in action. He has plans for this family, and anyone who crosses him. Don't worry, this isn't giving anything away, this is from the back of the book. The characters in the book were very good and realistic. You can't help but to care for them, and feel a wide range of emotions for them. Kelly has a wonderful writing style that will keep the reader hooked to each page. Over all this was a good read. I just had one small problem. I didn't know why Grand Pappy did what he did. I mean, I what he was doing, but I never understood why, he was doing it. I love vampire books and read a lot of them. Mind you this isn't the best one I read, or the worse one. If you start Blood Kin, I'm sure you'll like it and you won't be sorry.
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Summary: Usual vampire fodder, but with a Southern twist
Review: To start with, the blurb on the book is very inaccurate. What bride?!? What rat?!? And the preacher turning 3 members of his congregation into vampires is not a slaughter. The only real saving grace for this book is the humorous Southern slant on vampires and the interesting history behind the old Mountain Man as he recalls his terror in 'Nam. The ending is predictable and disappointing. If you're looking for a good vampire book, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, though not as good as FEAR
Review: When I first read this book, I was filled with anticipation after reading FEAR by Kelly. Well, lets just say I was disappointed. The book starts off pretty good but then slacks off. It, as one reviewer stated, turns out to be predictable. If you want a good vampire story I suggest reading THE SUMMONING by Bentley Little. In no way is this to suggest that Kelly is a bad writer, because FEAR was excellent. I think he just didn't put much thought in to this one.
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Summary: Good, fun vampire novel
Review: While "Blood Kin" is not going to be remembered as one of the all-time great vampire novels, it is a good read that utilizes an authentic Tennessee setting. The vampires in this book are of the Bram Stoker variety - purely evil monsters - so if you are only into tragic, romantic fiends, you might want to read something else (Tom Holland's "Lord of the Dead" comes to mind...). The best thing about this novel is that Kelly gives his vampires a genuine Southern feel. Instead of the typical wolves and bats, the vampires turn into...well, that would take the fun out of it. Let's just say that they turn into animals more appropriate to the setting. Kelly has written many fun horror novels. Are they great art? No. But they don't aspire to be, either. Ron Kelly writes exciting, well-written stories utterly devoid of pretention. He writes to entertain. And yeah, I have to admit that the back cover is misleading, but that's not the author's fault. besides, I thought the surprises Kelly came up with were far more entertining.
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