Customer Reviews

Dark Thirst

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dark Thirst is a distinctive collection of six short stories that focuses on vampires and their victims of color in varying eras and circumstances. However, the central theme uniting the stories is the ugly consequences of their existence - a hunger for blood that is never sated, the clandestine lifestyle necessary for survival, and the bouts of loneliness that eternal life brings as they lurk incessantly throughout the night. The stories are authored by some of today's popular writers and a few newcomers - each with a different slant on the age old villain:

* The Ultimate Diet (Monica Jackson) - an overweight woman envies a svelte, beautiful woman who appears to eat all she wants and never gains a pound. After discovering the secret of success, she loses weight and much more,

* Vamp Noir (Angela C. Allen) - one of my favorite stories in the book is about a black, female vampire who is an enforcer for the mob but has her own hidden agenda,

* Human Heat: The Confessions of an Addicted Vampire (The Urban Griot/Omar Tyree) - another one of my favorites in which an old-school, New Orleans Creole "Casanova" scorns a lover's advice and develops an addiction to a highly dangerous and callow blood source with disastrous results,

* Whispers During Still Moments (Linda Addison) - a half-human vampire hunter struggles to battle a First and save himself and his love,

* The Touch (Donna Hill) - a sensual tale in which a sophisticated vampire is running out of time in which to find her human soul mate,

* The Family Business (Kevin S. Brockenbrough) - and the best was saved for last (in my opinion), this is a page-turning story of monsters in the `hood - were werewolves and vampires collide and a battered mother's love prevails.

There's something here for everyone spanning from hip-hop to old school and romance to touches of erotica with splashes of horror and gore thrown in - because it is after all a collection of vampire tales. Overall, this book is surprisingly entertaining - vampire fans should find mild if not total enjoyment from what is presented.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub
Nubian Circle Book Club

DARK THIRST is a very eclectic mix of the increasingly popular genre of vampire lore. Noted authors, Donna Hill, Monica Jackson and Omar Tyree, have stepped out of their respective genres to pen the odd mix of science fiction which include threads of romance, comedy and urban fiction.

The most memorable of the six short stories is Monica Jackson's 'The Ultimate Diet'. The storyline is hilarious from beginning to end. I volleyed between laughing out loud and pure shock. The main character Keeshia wants to lose weight and become as sultry as her mysterious neighbor, without the hard work of diet and exercise. When she finds out her neighbor's secret, she will stop at nothing to achieve the image she so covets.

Donna Hill's 'The Touch' is a dangerously sensuous tale of a vampire looking for her one true love. Selena has learned that sexual release can keep her bloodlust at bay, but not for long. She must find the one man who can put her fire out and keep it out. I enjoyed the romantic twist to the typically bloodthirsty vampire story.

Kevin S. Brokenbrough takes it to the streets in 'The Family Business'. A street punk abuses his wife and son and is dealt with in the most heinous fashion for the pain he has caused them. Shelly has a family secret that allows her to fight back when she can no longer take the abuse. At times this story was so out of the ordinary, even for science fiction, I would question what is going on here, but I could not stop reading. I had to know what happened next

Three memorable stories out of six is not bad, but it averages out to be just that, average. The three remaining short stories did not give me the same emotional response to reading them as the one's mentioned above; they were decent, but not memorable. All together it was a great effort, but not great enough to be ranked amongst the best in the genre.

Reviewed by Aiesha Flowers
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

I would say overall this was a great anthology of black horror writing. However, there were some stories that I enjoyed more than others, which is to be expected. Out of six stories I felt as if only two were not stand-outs.

The Ultimate Diet (Monica Jackson) - This was a great way to start off the book. The story was light, had great humor in it and of course the expectant twist. I even consider it to be one of my favorites. The main character is always in search of a diet when she finds out that her sexy thin neighbor is a vampire she stops at nothing to achieve her goal. I especially loved the twist at the end.

Vamp Noir (Angela C. Allen) - This story is slightly different take on Vamp mythology and it took a while for me to truly get into the story. I feel as if the story could be better suited as a longer short story or novella. I felt as if the length was too short and I wanted to know a little bit more by the end b/c I felt as if there was a lot left out. It just seemed like an intro and not a self contained story. This really is a noir story about the mob and vampires. It has it's share of violence and the update on vampire telepathic abilities was facinicating. Will the character's plan pay off or will the mob discover her secret and kill her first.

Human Heat: The Confessions of an Addicted Vampire (The Urban Griot/Omar Tyree - This was a fascinating tale that I thoroughly enjoyed because of Tyree's set up. I felt like the entire story was a generally good read and even though it was a short story it seemed to cover so much. I actually felt sad for the main male character because as he stated in the beginning of the story women often misunderstood him. This story is thinly about the lost of love and tragegy.

Whispers During Still Moments (Linda Addison)- This was one of my favorite in the series. The storytelling was amazing and I cared about all of the characters. I also liked how she flipped the tale and came up with a unique and different approach to the mythology.

The Touch (Donna Hill)- This was one of my least favorite, by the end I could careless about the protagionist story the sensuality was there but the characters themselves were lacking. I hardly cared for the protagonist who seemed a bit selfish to me, turned at the age of 16 by a vampire who desired her the main character learned how to use her hands to get the sensation of someone's life force. Using this trick lessened her blood thrist but over the years the trick is starting to wore off and she has to either find her true love or give in to her blood thirsty desires.

The Family Business (Kevin S. Brockenbrough) - This was also another stand-out. The set up was incredible and I only wish there was more. This definitely could have been flushed out much better if it was slightly longer but the storyline is great and it uses the mythology as a metaphor for what could happen in the real world. The main focus of this story is on a werewolf family dealing with the ramifications of an abusive husband and father. After her son was shot the protagonist decides to use her family's secret to help her fight her monstrous husband, but will she succeed.

I don't really like anthologies because by the time I really get into a story...it's over, but this was a pretty good read. Everyone has already given the storylines so no need for that. As usual, one stands out more than others. I had a different arrange of emotions for each and a couple I just couldn't "sink my teeth" into, other than that I'd recommend it. I wouldn't pay the 20 bucks for it though, I would get it used!

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, by some talented authors. Although I found some stories needed more or to be longer, I enjoyed each of them.

The Ultimate Diet - Overweight woman acts as a Peeping Tom when it comes to her thinner, mysterious neighbor how turned out to be a vampire. One could only guess how she stays so thin.

Vamp Noir - A female enforcer, who uses her charms and powers for the MOB, but wants more than anything to be loved.

Human Heat - A handsome Creole man who has become addicted to "virgin" blood.

Whispers During Still Moments - A half human-half vampire who is using his newly acquired powers to defeat "vampires", in an effort to "heal or cure" himself. But now, while trying to eradicate what he is soon becoming, he has to save his love.

The Touch - A vampire is looking for her soulmate.

Family Business - A woman learns that "Monsters" can be (1) her abusive husband or (2) his vamp male lover, but not necessarily her own family who are "werewolves".

If you would like some interesting reading, for some unusual perspectives, by some talented authors, this is the novel for you.

I don't usually enjoy short stories in any form, however this collection was the exception to the rule. There was only one story in this book that I just didn't enjoy, and I wasnt surprised because I've never like his writing style. The other stories were great, I found myself enjoying the characters in one story so much I wasn't sure whether to root for the good guys or the bad ones! Each story offers a totally different take and perspective on vampires, and they left me wanting more! Especially Family Business and Whispers During Still Moments and Vamp Noir. I would recommend this one, its great!

Anyone who has spent any time discussing books with me knows my penchant for vampires... Needless to to say, my vampire collection would not be complete without a copy of Dark Thirst.

I really enjoyed reading "Whispers During Still Moments" by Linda Addison. She has a truly beautiful command of language, and tells the tale well. I found myself reading this one in her voice (one of the perks of knowing the author!) I like the new twist on this classic demon.

I'm looking forward to finding more Addisons on the bookshelves!

Although I purchased this book to read Linda's story, I was compelled to read the others simply because they are vampire tales. Let me tell you, this is one to add to your collection if you are drawn to the nightside as I am.

Horror, Fantasy and Science fictions fans of all colors should add this book to their personal collections. I was blown away by the vivid writing and the stories were so different that each one was like entering a different world. My favorite was the Mafia story by Angela Allen where the female vampire works as an enforcer for the Mob. I liked the mix of mystery and the supernatural. It's refreshing to see a strong female character that doesn't have to be a sidekick to a male lead. The story Whispers During Still Moments by Linda Addison was also superb, although I wished it had been a little longer. And The Family Business by Kevin Brokenbrough was really cool in that it had a socially conscious message embedded in the story that at first glance readers might overlook until they realize the story is really a metaphor for the larger issue of domestic violence and social justice. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes speculative fiction and wants to read some really good vampire stories that go beyond the traditional take on this popular genre.

I really enjoyed most of the stories in this book.
I had an issue with the first story (I think it was a gross misinterpretation of the plus sized perspective) but it was still mildly enjoyable. It was funny at times, and the conflict was apparent five to six pages in.

The next three stories were awesome to me. I wish two could have been longer. Especially the one about the Black female Vampire in the mob. That one needs its own novella!! It was totally awesome. My second fave that needs its own novella is the story of the Asian-America Vampire hybrid who risks all by trying to save his African-American love <3. That angle was genius! There are not enough quality tales centered around am/bw, this one would definitely lead the pack. The last of my faves, this one was a bit bittersweet to me, was about a Creole Cassanova who was forced into the life he now leads by a selfish woman who was chasing the ghost of a love lost. This story made me feel everything from anger to sadness at love lost, to anticipation. It has that Southern flare that usually comes with Vampire Tales orginating from Nawlins :)

The last two were a bit lackluster. I think the first of the two "blase" stories, the story about Selene(a), could use a bit of flushing out. It seemed too complex for a short story. The characters needed a bit more "life" (no pun intended :D) in my opinion. The last story was just NOT appealing to me. I get that it was supposed to be the "hip hop" story of the group but I was so very unsatisfied with it. It was just too much and not enough at all. It was too unbelievable, too gaudy, too "religulous". This was the only story I skipped pages on...

I enjoyed the stories in this collection.The writers each gave a nice ride into the dark side.
reviewed by
Dawnny