A really fun read! I liked ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER but I didn't realize this was a follow up book to that one. This is Henry's story and it spans generations (He is 450 years old!). There are many appearances by historical characters: Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla, JFK, Eliot Ness, Bram Stoker and more! I enjoyed it very much!
I loved Abraham Lincoln the Vampire Hunter, even though it is far from my normal genre, so when I saw this sequel I thought I would love it too. But I did not. This one has so many more layers, it covers a larger period of time and a huge amount of people. I just didn't like it as much. It was too long to follow and it lost my interest half way through. I did finish it, but by that time I really didn't care what happened.
Welcome to the story of Henry Sturges :)
This was a really good but sometimes tedious book. Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing into Henry's life, getting insights into his head and seeing all the things he has done past and present. The list of historical figures that came through was impressive and for a couple I had a few giggles. A couple of times my mouth even dropped open.
The two parts of the story I really hoped the author would do happened and I eagerly devoured them, going over them in my head before continuing on.
My ancestor got a mini-mention haha... that was just awesome :).
The villain of the story was well done and not what I expected. She was cruel, calculated, smart, and crazy... a worthy opponent. The uncovering of her identity by a certain someone was amusing, well to me anyway.. .seeing Henry speechless. Plus, a certain other element came into play that had me almost jumping up and down :).
So what are my issues? Well, I was speeding through this up until after World War 2 era. After that, the book was interesting but started to fail to grab me at the same time. I started to not get book fatigue exactly but wondering why Henry was still doing what he was doing.
The tie-in with a part of the first book was good and the evening spent talking with Kennedy was quietly unsettling when certain aspects were reflected on...
Other than those and a certainly exciting and surprising/one part sad but satisfying ending, I didn't enjoy the latter part as much. It felt like some parts could have been edited or left out perhaps.
When the villain makes another appearance, I was intrigued slightly but that was overwhelmed mostly by "Back again? Kill her please!"
Also, while some of the footnotes add to the story, others were merely distracting.
Mr. Grahame-Smith does a great job weaving these stories of Henry's existence together with historical events and making them so seem plausible/real.. Making you think "What if" in some cases (fun to play).
I would recommend this, it's a great book overall and I would love to here more about Henry one day if there's a new tale to be told :).
Happy reading!
This was a really good but sometimes tedious book. Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing into Henry's life, getting insights into his head and seeing all the things he has done past and present. The list of historical figures that came through was impressive and for a couple I had a few giggles. A couple of times my mouth even dropped open.
The two parts of the story I really hoped the author would do happened and I eagerly devoured them, going over them in my head before continuing on.
My ancestor got a mini-mention haha... that was just awesome :).
The villain of the story was well done and not what I expected. She was cruel, calculated, smart, and crazy... a worthy opponent. The uncovering of her identity by a certain someone was amusing, well to me anyway.. .seeing Henry speechless. Plus, a certain other element came into play that had me almost jumping up and down :).
So what are my issues? Well, I was speeding through this up until after World War 2 era. After that, the book was interesting but started to fail to grab me at the same time. I started to not get book fatigue exactly but wondering why Henry was still doing what he was doing.
The tie-in with a part of the first book was good and the evening spent talking with Kennedy was quietly unsettling when certain aspects were reflected on...
Other than those and a certainly exciting and surprising/one part sad but satisfying ending, I didn't enjoy the latter part as much. It felt like some parts could have been edited or left out perhaps.
When the villain makes another appearance, I was intrigued slightly but that was overwhelmed mostly by "Back again? Kill her please!"
Also, while some of the footnotes add to the story, others were merely distracting.
Mr. Grahame-Smith does a great job weaving these stories of Henry's existence together with historical events and making them so seem plausible/real.. Making you think "What if" in some cases (fun to play).
I would recommend this, it's a great book overall and I would love to here more about Henry one day if there's a new tale to be told :).
Happy reading!
I think it's safe to say that the majority of viewers enjoyed Forrest Gump. Picture this quiet and unassuming man, present at and occasionally inadvertently contributing to some of the 20th century's most iconic moments, and meeting some of the people that made the century what it became.
Now, let's take that same concept and twist it around a little no, a lot. To begin with, let's take away the tangential connection between the protagonist and events let him take an active role in actually shaping history, especially American history. Then, take away the limitations of time instead of beginning with the 1950s, let's go all the way back to the first American colonies. How employ the immortality (and other aspects) of vampirism.
The Last American Vampire, by Seth Grahame-Smith, is a follow-up to the author's successful Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. A strong supporting character in the first novel, vampire Henry Sturges, takes the lead for this epic novel, spanning approximately 400 years of American and world history. Grahame-Smith allows us glimpses into the lives and occasionally, deaths and very occasionally, rebirths of various historical characters from that vast time period.
Much of the novel centers around some of the great historical mysteries of the past 4 centuries. What DID happen to the colonists at Roanoke? What was the real story and motivation behind Jack the Ripper? And was there a conspiracy behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy? Most importantly, the novel addresses the concept of What IS an American? What IS the American Spirit? And, who better to address that ideal than someone who has lived through the entirety of it?
HOWEVER I found one major frustration in this book. Our main antagonist I never did learn just what motivated this character to get involved in events. What drove this person from who they were at their beginning to evolve or revolve into the person they became? I picked up a hint or two, but it never seemed to me that the author was interested in their motivation, nor the factors that led them to change from their initial appearance to the plotter & schemer they became. (It is extremely difficult to write this without providing a spoiler I trust I succeeded for those who have not yet read the book.)
I am VERY glad that I took the time to read this book or in my case, listen to the audio rendition. Despite it's one glaring hole, I enjoyed it very much. I hope to see Henry Sturges again in a future work, providing the author can come up with a fresh take on him and on his circumstances.
RATING: 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars where appropriate.
Now, let's take that same concept and twist it around a little no, a lot. To begin with, let's take away the tangential connection between the protagonist and events let him take an active role in actually shaping history, especially American history. Then, take away the limitations of time instead of beginning with the 1950s, let's go all the way back to the first American colonies. How employ the immortality (and other aspects) of vampirism.
The Last American Vampire, by Seth Grahame-Smith, is a follow-up to the author's successful Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. A strong supporting character in the first novel, vampire Henry Sturges, takes the lead for this epic novel, spanning approximately 400 years of American and world history. Grahame-Smith allows us glimpses into the lives and occasionally, deaths and very occasionally, rebirths of various historical characters from that vast time period.
Much of the novel centers around some of the great historical mysteries of the past 4 centuries. What DID happen to the colonists at Roanoke? What was the real story and motivation behind Jack the Ripper? And was there a conspiracy behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy? Most importantly, the novel addresses the concept of What IS an American? What IS the American Spirit? And, who better to address that ideal than someone who has lived through the entirety of it?
HOWEVER I found one major frustration in this book. Our main antagonist I never did learn just what motivated this character to get involved in events. What drove this person from who they were at their beginning to evolve or revolve into the person they became? I picked up a hint or two, but it never seemed to me that the author was interested in their motivation, nor the factors that led them to change from their initial appearance to the plotter & schemer they became. (It is extremely difficult to write this without providing a spoiler I trust I succeeded for those who have not yet read the book.)
I am VERY glad that I took the time to read this book or in my case, listen to the audio rendition. Despite it's one glaring hole, I enjoyed it very much. I hope to see Henry Sturges again in a future work, providing the author can come up with a fresh take on him and on his circumstances.
RATING: 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4 stars where appropriate.
