Blood Blade (Skinners, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Marcus Pelegrimas (Author)

Book Description

Series: Skinners | Publication Date: January 27, 2009

Welcome to the nightmare . . .

There is a world you don't know about, inhabited by supernatural creatures of darkness—vampires, werewolves, and all manner of savage, impossible beasts that live for terror and slaughter and blood. They are all around us but you cannot see them, for knowledge of their presence—so close and so hungry—would surely drive any ordinary human insane.

But for centuries a special breed of hunter has kept the monsters at bay, preventing them from breaking through the increasingly fragile barriers protecting our mortal realm.

These guardians are called skinners.

But beware . . . for there are very few of them left.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seattle video game designer Cole Warnecki takes an extreme vacation in British Columbia and ends up hunting supernatural monsters in this campy, action-packed paranormal debut. After Cole survives an encounter with a nasty werewolflike Full Blood, he lands a job with the Midwestern Ectological Group, whose Skinners act as cops for the local supernatural population. They bring him to Chicago and pair him up with experienced Skinner Paige Strobel, who gives him sound advice like Don't gawk at a woman's ass when she's carrying a shotgun. Paige drags Cole into the front lines of MEG's war on insane vampire Misonyk, who infects people with vampiric spores and encourages them to drain victims dry, stealing their souls. Plenty of cinematic gore and wisecracks will keep readers coming back for future installments. (Feb.)
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About the Author

Marcus Pelegrimas graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Criminal Justice as research to become a maniacal super villain. When too many of his plans were thwarted, he went back to his first love: writing. He is also an active member of the Nevermore Paranormal ghost-hunting group. That one worked out much better than the world domination thing.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061463051
• ISBN-13: 978-0061463051
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marcus Pelegrimas is the author of the SKINNERS series published by Eos Books. The first six books, Blood Blade, Howling Legion, Teeth of Beasts, Vampire Uprising, The Breaking and Extinction Agenda are currently available in bookstores and online retailers. His previous work includes short stories that have appeared in anthologies ranging from the mystery and western genres. He has also written two western series (THE MAN FROM BOOT HILL published by HarperCollins and THE ACCOMPLICE published by Berkley) under the pseudonym Marcus Galloway. During his ten year career as a professional writer, he has done extensive ghostwriting work but prefers to write ABOUT ghosts instead. He lives and works in West Virginia with his stalwart Schnoodle sidekick, Mallory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bloody Boring Blade, February 23, 2010

By 

M. T. Hrncir "Sealink" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Blade (Skinners, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The main male, Cole, was a pain to read. Him being easily distracted by anything female was downright annoying. The attempt at romance seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought. I didn't feel anything for the female lead, whatever her name was. She bounced between enigmatic know-it-all to slap-dash teacher.
Dialogue was weak. The story had potential, but I almost think it would have been better if it didn't have anyone talking at all. The new take on the werewolf and vampire goodness was interesting, but not interesting enough for me to care.
Honestly surprised I finished the book. Don't have the inclination to pick up the next one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty cool!, August 15, 2009

By 

KatiKat - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Blade (Skinners, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

People rate this book as average but I liked it a lot. I freely admit that the beginning of the book was more action-driven and creepier than its second half but it was nonetheless really cool. Pelegrimas has a great talent for description - the beasties were really scary, I mean really. The beginning read more like a horror than urban fantasy. Also, I really liked Cole. He was such a cool character, scared but determined to do the right thing, refusing to run and hide, a real unbreakable spirit. I'll be definitely buying the second book in the Skinners series!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chicago is more than Pizza, November 24, 2009

By 

Trina King "compulsive bibliophile" (Rio Rancho, NM) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood Blade (Skinners, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

From the frozen North to downtown Chicago and to the rural hinterland--who knew there were really monsters among us? Pelegrimas brings a new element to the legends of "things" that go bump in the night. His dark world is inhabited by vampires that are not friendly and werewolves that you pray you never meet face-to-face. The only thing standing between the monsters and humanity are the Skinners-humans who fight them and try to destroy those that want to invade and destroy our lives.
With humor and bloody battles, Pelegrimas kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime. And the end of the book is only the beginning. I can't wait to read the second book in the Skinners series to find out what happens next.

Trina King