Helpful Score: 6
The problem with this author and his series (all of them) is that its the same story every time, with only small changes - regular guy wakes up with a vampire surprise - people try to kill him but can't, and in the meanwhile some pathetic mystery is solved in heavy-handed fashion.
Don't get me wrong, compared with the multitude of crap that's out there - this stuff is fairly well written, but the dialogue is stilted, and again - you get deja vu when you read each one, because they are ALL the SAME! Read one. Then stop - you've read them all.
Don't get me wrong, compared with the multitude of crap that's out there - this stuff is fairly well written, but the dialogue is stilted, and again - you get deja vu when you read each one, because they are ALL the SAME! Read one. Then stop - you've read them all.
Helpful Score: 5
One reviewer didn't like this series, saying the books are all the same, but I found them entertaining. Book 1 tells you how Jack Fleming, ace reporter, wakens to find himself soaking wet, alone at night on a beach outside Chicago. What happened is a mystery to him, as he's got a bit of a problem with his memory, but that's only the beginning. Within minutes of making it to the highway he is purposely run down by a car and then shot by the driver --- and heals almost immediately. When he can't see himself in a mirror, nor feel his heart beat, he must accept that he's been turned into a creature of legend --- a vampire.
The setting is the early 1930's and the style is noir. Al Capone hasn't been in jail very long and Chicago is still run by gangs. Jack Fleming speaks in the first person and I kept hearing Humphrey Bogart in my head. There are characters named Lucky, Slick and Gordo. And of course, a dame. It's tongue-in-cheek cheesy and a fast, fun ride.
The setting is the early 1930's and the style is noir. Al Capone hasn't been in jail very long and Chicago is still run by gangs. Jack Fleming speaks in the first person and I kept hearing Humphrey Bogart in my head. There are characters named Lucky, Slick and Gordo. And of course, a dame. It's tongue-in-cheek cheesy and a fast, fun ride.
Helpful Score: 4
Hmm... Read one and stop? Cheesy? Noir? Not really, kinda and sure.
"You've read them all"
No. In most of the things out there, the main character has been a vampire since somewhere around the time of (insert historically relevant event here - from BC to the French Revolution - any time before, and the WOTC's go nuts, any time after, and it's just not fashionable). I, personally, have NEVER read another book where the main character describes, in some physics-related detail, exactly how he comes to realize that he has just died, and then realizes that he has been transformed into a vampire.
"Tongue in cheek"
Yeah, a little. Fleming (the main character) is learning about Chicago - he's not from there, originally. He "confirms" and "debunks" some of the vampire myths (do you REALLY think a vampire can't enter a home without an invitation?)
"Light hearted"
Again, yeah. It really kind of is. But then, as I mentioned before, Fleming has JUST realized that he has JUST become a vampire, and he's trying to figure out what he can and cannot do - especially since it is set not too far after the 1931 Dracula (with Bela Legosi) had just come out. And besides, given that situation, what would YOU do???
"Noir"
Yes. Set in post-prohibition 1930's, with still a lot of gang influence, and a good amount of racist views (for SOME of the characters - not Fleming, of course). It does have the almost gritty feel to it, with Fleming's newfound friend providing the "straightman" at times.
Worth it?
You betcha. The whole series. I like the first person viewpoint. I like the American vampire (beats the devil out of that effete Frenchie ;) :D)) And I like the fact that Fleming hasn't been around for just this side of forever. He has to learn what he's capable of, and what changes come with being a vampire. Is he still himself? Is he a monster? Should he send part of his PI/Reporter pay home to his parents???
"You've read them all"
No. In most of the things out there, the main character has been a vampire since somewhere around the time of (insert historically relevant event here - from BC to the French Revolution - any time before, and the WOTC's go nuts, any time after, and it's just not fashionable). I, personally, have NEVER read another book where the main character describes, in some physics-related detail, exactly how he comes to realize that he has just died, and then realizes that he has been transformed into a vampire.
"Tongue in cheek"
Yeah, a little. Fleming (the main character) is learning about Chicago - he's not from there, originally. He "confirms" and "debunks" some of the vampire myths (do you REALLY think a vampire can't enter a home without an invitation?)
"Light hearted"
Again, yeah. It really kind of is. But then, as I mentioned before, Fleming has JUST realized that he has JUST become a vampire, and he's trying to figure out what he can and cannot do - especially since it is set not too far after the 1931 Dracula (with Bela Legosi) had just come out. And besides, given that situation, what would YOU do???
"Noir"
Yes. Set in post-prohibition 1930's, with still a lot of gang influence, and a good amount of racist views (for SOME of the characters - not Fleming, of course). It does have the almost gritty feel to it, with Fleming's newfound friend providing the "straightman" at times.
Worth it?
You betcha. The whole series. I like the first person viewpoint. I like the American vampire (beats the devil out of that effete Frenchie ;) :D)) And I like the fact that Fleming hasn't been around for just this side of forever. He has to learn what he's capable of, and what changes come with being a vampire. Is he still himself? Is he a monster? Should he send part of his PI/Reporter pay home to his parents???
Helpful Score: 3
When ace reporter Jack Fleming meets a beautiful woman, he gets more than he bargained for: he is shot through the heart. The strange thing is that he doesn't die. His girlfriend just happened to be a vampire, and now so is Jack. First order of business is to track down the guy who killed him. As a vampire, Jack finds getting a foot in the door isn't nearly as difficult as keeping a stake out of his chest.
I'm guessing that since it's the first in the series it was a bit slow for the first half. Introducing you to Jack and his vampire problems. What to eat? The thought of getting blood from a humas doesn't appeal. Good thing he's in Chicago near the stockyards!
Once Jack gets a bit more familiar with himself and finds he has some help from a private "agent" the book picks up. It had a good ending and I want more of Jack and Escott!
I'm guessing that since it's the first in the series it was a bit slow for the first half. Introducing you to Jack and his vampire problems. What to eat? The thought of getting blood from a humas doesn't appeal. Good thing he's in Chicago near the stockyards!
Once Jack gets a bit more familiar with himself and finds he has some help from a private "agent" the book picks up. It had a good ending and I want more of Jack and Escott!
1st in the Vampire Files series. A 1940's style detective story.... only the detective is a vampire!
I love this series but then I love the Art Deco period and this series is rich with the period. I find the main character's charming, even with their unusual histories that lead to their current decision making.
This book is the first in a series by the same author. Written tongue-in-cheek, a light hearted read about Jack Fleming, ace reporter, turned investigator, who investigates beyond the grave: as a vampire!
I'm not a big mystery fan, but I enjoyed the noir setting and characters in the book. It was a good read.
This is book 1 in the series.
different cover but the first book in the Vampire Files series
