Bottomfeeder [Paperback]

B.H Fingerman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2007

In this debut novel by B. H. Fingerman, you will find a comical and creepy foray into the life of a working-class vampire. A man can go missing in New York City. A life can disappear. Teeth can sharpen, skin go pale, eyes reject the sun. One day, you're human. The next, you're a vampire, with an undying taste for blood. Set in the New York of prostitutes, junkies and lonely hearts, Bottomfeeder tells the story of Philip, a smart-ass in a dead-end job, whose life takes an unusual turn after he tangles with a vampire. Now, spurred by a bloodlust stronger than his humanity, he haunts the abandoned streets alone, trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy while looking for prey.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Phil Merman hasn't looked a day over 27 for 27 years now, ever since somebody mugged him on a subway platform, after which he found he couldn't eat, or go out in the sun without catching fire. He's a vampire, though one whose conscience compels him to feed solely on society's dregs. The only friend he has is pathetic old college pal Shelley, who's never been the same since his family perished in a mysterious fire long before Phil's mugging. He'd drop Shelley, whose aging irksomely reminds Phil of his own despised perpetual youth, but the wraithlike man positively haunts him. Then while at a bar with Shelley, Phil meets another vampire who introduces him to more, including a circle prone to orgies. Phil almost overcomes his scruples as his new friend leads him into some harrowing adventures. Finally, he starts wondering, Why now, after 27 lonely years? The answer packs a punch that cracks the novel's exhilarating tough-guy facade. Previously a graphic novelist, Fingerman writes in a punchy, up-to-the-minute urban vernacular that, while it brims with abusive humor, squelches romanticism, provokes other-than-sexual interpretations of vampirism, and helps propel Bottomfeeder to the front ranks of its genre. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: M Press; 1st M Press Ed edition (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595820973
• ISBN-13: 978-1595820976
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Debut--I Didn't Want It To End, February 26, 2007

By 

Craig Larson (Maple Grove, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bottomfeeder (Paperback)

Bottomfeeder is a great novel, exploring in a very realistic way what it might actually be like to be a vampire. You've got to cut your connections to your old life--friends, relatives, etc. You've got to change jobs every few years. If you've got any sense of self-preservation, you will probably target the homeless, the crazy, the dregs of society least likely to be missed. It's a very lonely existence and it's one that Phil Merman has been living for the last 27 years as the novel opens. He's lost his wife, his parents have both died, bouncers and bartenders look at the date on his passport and wonder how he can possibly look so young, and he's got a soul-killing job as a photo archivist that he can work nights. The one tie to his old life is the pathetic Shelley, an alcoholic who lost his entire family in a mysterious fire many years before, and a man who seems to turn up every time Phil turns around. Then Phil meets Eddie, another of his kind, and his world unexpectedly opens up...

This is an excellent novel, by turns funny, heartbreaking, horrifying, and very touching. Fingerman's take on vampirisim is very reminiscent of what Charlie Huston is doing in his Joe Pitt series, and it also reminded me of Andrew Fox's Fat White Vampire series. What this is not is Anne Rice, "woe is me" vampirism. In fact, that whole genre comes under frequent satiric attack in Fingerman's novel, which is often a very, very funny book. If anything, I would have liked the book to be longer. I fell completely under the spell of Phil and his nocturnal adventures and would love to read more. Very highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I hate vampire novels . . . but this was quite good., August 28, 2007

By 

Tyr Shadowblade (TM) (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bottomfeeder (Paperback)

Most vampire novels, quite frankly, suck -- what with their Victorian imagery, lacy frills, angst and mopery they tend to push the limits of pretentiousness and become tiresome in short order. I've had several of these atrocities passed to me with glowing recommendations, and could't finish a single one. Bottomfeeder is nothing like these.

Dark, urban, gritty, and foul -- yet full of humor -- plus, it was very well written. The only complaint I have was that the scene with the vampiric retards was unnecessary to the plot, distracting, and unfunny -- a competant editor would've excised those pages from an otherwise perfect book. 4.5 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!!!!!!, July 10, 2007

By 

Daniel A. Scott "Just honest!" (Philippi, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bottomfeeder (Paperback)

This book has it all and it is freakin hilarious! I loved every page and didn't want to leave phils world. I hope there's a sequel. B.H fingerman must read my mind, his writing is fast, smart, and he always had me wanting more!!! I hope fingerman is in for the long haul, he just needs to eat, sleap, and write!!!!!