Customer Reviews

Blood County

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For pure page-turning reading enjoyment, I should probably have given this book by Curt Selby(a.k.a. Doris Piserchia) a 5-star rating. However, the fact remains that this is a work of pulp fiction, albeit top-notch pulp fiction. The online dictionary defines pulp fiction as "fiction dealing with lurid or sensational subjects...". Just take a gander at the cover of this book and I think you'll agree it's a good indication we might be dealing with pulp fiction here.

However, the definition goes on to associate pulp fiction with "poor-quality writing." I'm afraid 'Blood County' doesn't fit that criteria very well. While you're not going to find writing to rival Tolstoy or Henry James in these pages, the more visceral, fast-paced style herein is perfectly suited to the type of story being related.

A dignified and refined, but corrupt(what else?)vampire has been feudalistically lording it over his own private domain sequestered away in the Appalachian backwoods since 1693, when he was chased out of Europe. This Dark Lord is semi-benevolent as he allows his subjects to donate blood a la Red Cross methods rather than submitting to the more traditional bite to the throat.

The seamy side of His Lordship is highlighted by the fact that he has sired two illegitimate sons by unwilling mortal women. While the son who might be called the protagonist of the story feels nothing but revulsion at his heritage and seeks to negate its evil influence, the other son has inherited only the demonic traits of his sire and schemes for the day when he can supplant his father as Master. Though they were boyhood playmates, needless to say a confrontation between the two is inevitable, aggravated by a mutual love-interest in the same mortal girl.

Into this setting is intruded an outsider, a liberated young lady(the book was published in 1981, so women's lib was not so taken for granted)drawn by curiosity about the miraculous recovery of the nicer of the two vampiric sons after she runs him over with a van.

OK, that is the basic set-up and a lot of action-packed episodes follow swiftly with not much shrift given to artsy or philosophical meandering. The old Lord loses his grip on things by letting his wife get out of control and later, the malevolent son. Soon there are a plethora of hillbilly bloodsuckers skulking around in the woods and fields, preying on their former friends and family.

There is quite definitely a comical side to this turn of events, as the newly converted vampires still retain many of their hayseed mannerisms and ways of going about things even while they have become utter fiends. But lest you think this story is played just for laughs, there are some exceedingly creepy scenes of vampiric transformation and the satanic savaging of mortals to slake unholy blood-thirst. That is a much more melodramatic description than you will find in the book. There, these things are portrayed very economically and effectively, without a lot of purple prose but without hiding the grisly facts.

One aspect of the book which I thought made it unique is the authentic depiction of the locale and the customs of it's inhabitants. The author should have been able to speak with authority about these since she grew up in the very area of West Virginia where her story is set. If the rural vampires are somewhat comic in their ways, it is also droll how the pragmatic and tradition-bound country folk accept that vampires are just a part of life, and would never dream of getting any outsiders involved in their affairs.

And though descriptive passages aren't numerous, there are many references to the beauty of the country, the sights and fragrances that make it seem an enchanted place. Sometimes the most hauntingly beautiful landscapes convey a vague sense of hidden menace, and that is an impression the author effectively conveys. The hard work of subsistence living and the general lack of amenities of this backwoods area figure prominently. In this part of the world, not only do people not have indoor plumbing, they don't even have outhouses!

In short this is not one of your slick McHorror books crafted to please the generically adapted tastes of the masses. This is specialty fiction, comparable to a no-frills, off-the-beaten-path restaurant serving great food that doesn't taste just like every other joint's. I think this book deserves at least some cult notoriety. It is definitely on my cult favorites list.

There is a quite interesting summary and review of this book which can be found by google-searching "Doris Piserchia-Reviews Index", which makes the case that there is much veiled social commentary contained in the book. This is probably at least partly true. I had that impression a few times myself as I was reading it. But most importantly, I just thought it was a great read, for what it is - primarily entertainment, lurid and unapologetic.