Customer Reviews

The Last Vampire, Creatures of Forever (No. 6)

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I just finished reading The Last Vampire again after having read it about 8 years ago. I without a doubt enjoyed it even more this time as I was too young to appreciate it before (I must have been about 12 at the time). What I love most about the book is that Pike tells the story through the eyes of the vampire herself. Throughout the narration, "Sita" debunks many of the myths and stereotypes associated with vampires and reveals the true nature of this extraordinary being. And because she is as old as history itself, Sita recounts major historical events and points out some innaccuracies in the written tradition. I especially liked her recollection of her past meeting with Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula, and the irony involved. Pike litters the novel with a variety of such anecdotes which makes the story that much more fun. I honestly believe that this story would make an excellent movie and would especially appeal to mature audiences in light of Pike's use of graphic content. But unfortunately, Pike seems to be virtually unrecognized in the literary world and this idea would never make it to film, despite its brilliance.

Vampires. Creatures of the Night--those groovy ghoulies you love to hate, sexy and silent killers, stars of film and literature... There is so much mythology surrounding the vampire that it is indeed a unique thing to be struck with something new. I have read scores of books on the subject, some good, some great. There are however many more trite than creative stories--more predictable ones than original. This is the reason why I was so impressed with Christopher Pike's "The Last Vampire." Not only does it manage to give you a compelling and gripping story with characters that are both real and complex--it's actually refreshing. A refreshing story about vampires. And you thought it was all corpses and cobwebs!

Alisa Perne isn't new to the vampire scene, having lived it for over five thousand years. She is fleet and strong, has the keenest senses imaginable--and she's a babe. The stories you've heard about vampires? Well, some are true; most are false. Sunlight hardly effects her. She wears a crucifix as jewelry. Garlic, holy water, coffins? Stories concocted to make us feel secure. Of course, how would we feel if we knew there was nothing we could do to protect ourselves--that these terrifying creatures were real and stronger than we'd ever imagined?

Of course, vampires have problems too. There is the pesky business of keeping your identity hidden. Amazing powers aside--if the whole world knew the truth, it would be tough to do anything but hide in a cave for a few centuries. Or, you could just kill everybody. But then you come to the human factor. You used to be one, and somewhere there's still a little bit left. Some feeling, love even. It's tough to watch those you love die all around you--especially at your own hands. But the need for blood is always there. You can only prolong the inevitable. Alisa knows this all too well.

When a human detective appears with strange questions about her background--Alisa is cautious. Who is this man, and how much does he know? Has he told others? Though not a mind-reader, she knows the answers to these questions. His body, sweat, breath--they tell her everything. Someone else knows. But who?

A few decisions and swift actions later, a life is ended... and new questions begin to form. An intricate knot of time and mystery begins to loosen. New dangers will confront her--make her question everything she's learned and everything she is. New faces will torment her--filter her perception, change her resolve. It has been many centuries since she felt the emotions she will feel...

I've visited many Pike shrines and websites that claim "The Last Vampire" is one of his best--and I couldn't agree more. There is so much to say positively about this book I couldn't possibly write it all. The praise you've heard is deserving. Now, it has won my acclaim.

This book has EVERYTHING. The action is artfully played and exciting! Alisa is an expert fighter, faster and more cunning than any predator. Her prowess is uncanny; her grace trancends the page. She ceases to be a character in a book, and breathes a life of her own. Pike's story flows like water--you can easily visualize what is happening, and it looks so damn cool! It is marvelously violent, and quite bloody--though it (thankfully) refrains from droning on and on about the exquisite pleasures of gorging on young blood... Sorry, Anne Rice, we mortals can't relate--and quite frankly, you're boring us. We understand what we always have: what it feels like to love, to lose, to fear, to hate. Alisa is delightfully human, in her capacity for all these things. Her pain is real, and her dilemma is an arduous one. As far as I am concerned, this is the ONLY EXAMPLE IN WRITTEN HISTORY of the origin of vampires being explained in a fashion both comprehensible and believable. "And Jesus wept" I believe was the next line. The inclusion of Indian mythology and folklore adds a spicy aroma to this already exotic and inticing dish.

This, Pikefans, is a book you cannot miss. The sexy vampire bombshell and her lover are attractively depicted on the cover, bordered by the garish yet charming neon font we've all come to love. Delicious artwork by all-time personal and Pike-favorite, the irrepressible Brian Kotzky. Even if vampires aren't really your thing, it is one of the best examples of his work I have ever read. Truly Christopher Pike at his finest. Buy it now and avoid the nasty discomfort of being the only fan left out of the loop. Followed by five more books. Next on the list--"The Last Vampire 2: Black Blood." Bring it on.

Sita, a beautiful young women who appears to be around 20 years old, is accually a 5 thousand year old Vampire who has a great love for life and God. In this first book Sita fall in love witha young man named Ray, who she thinks is the reincarnation of her lost love Rama. A twist comes when she finds out that she is being followed by a foe from her ancient past, Yaksha. Yaksha is Sitas creater and the most powerful Vampire that ever walked the earth. Sita must battle Yaksha to save Ray and her life. She realizes, in the end, that she loves him as much as he loves her.

I do not see how anyone could rate this book any lower than a 5 star. Such compelling writing. I truly was moved. The way he lead you on with Sita's daughter Kalika. The surprises around every corner. And the ending. Oh book six was so moving. My I have to say that a good book you can't put down. But the best book MAKES you put it down because it is soo good you can't go on for a bit. You have to stop and consider or reread what has happened. He could not have come up with a better ending. The epiloge was a great way to end it with Seymour. You have simply got to read his whole series. The whole shabang of things. From The Last Vampire to The Last Vampire 6: Creatures of Forever. You will never regret reading such a book. My compliments to Christopher Pike. As I young writer you are such an inspiration and I truly could not compare to your work. Read the first collector's edition and then read this one. You won't regret it.

I actually treat this series as my bible. That said, this and the last book in the series are the best, although I suggest you read them sequentially. They go beyond the silly, gory, snootyness of vampires and actually are more a critique of humanity and its history. Sita is a creature who has managed to witness firsthand 5,000 years of humanity's history, and has a lot to say about it. This book brought me out of a severe depression and actually helped me enjoy life. Highly recommended.

The theory is that only a vampire can change a human into vampire. So who then, made the first vampire? For readers of vampire stories, the possible origin of the first vampire is an extremely captivating question. In The Last Vampire, Christopher Pike provides a very intriguing explanation of how the first vampire came to be.

In The Last Vampire, Yaksha, the very first vampire and the embodiment of all that is evil, changed Sita and hundreds of others into vampires in India 5,000 years ago. But Krishna, who embodies all that is good, outwits Yaksha in combat (almost killing him) and makes Yaksha vow that all the vampires will be destroyed and no more will ever be created. Yaksha hunts down and kills all the other vampires as he vowed to do, and later is killed and burned in the witch trials of the Middle Ages. This leaves Sita as the sole remaining vampire.

Now Sita is living in Mayfair, Oregon, calling herself Alisa Perne, secure in the knowledge that she is the last vampire. Yet, someone is hunting her...and only another vampire would be capable of hunting a creature as powerful, fast, and ruthless as Alisa. But there are no other vampires, so Alisa must find out who or what is after her.

While Alisa is a killer (a girl has to eat doesn't she?) she is also very wise, incredibly strong, and takes absolutely no gruff from anybody. What girl doesn't fantasize about having the freedom to walk down a street late at night without having to fear something bad might happen? Well, Alisa doesn't have to fantasize about it, she can go anywhere, do anything, and nobody can hurt her. She is a brilliant female hero...simultaneously fantastic and flawed - and always interesting.

The Last Vampire is the first Christopher Pike book I've ever read. It is a fantastic book. This book is about a female vampire trying to keep her "condition" secret form the modern world. But that is very hard for her to do when she is being investigated by a private detective. Now she's on a mission to find the detective's client that set him on her path. I could barely put this book down. You should definetly read this book.

This is an edge of your seat action,mystery, suspense,thriller about Alisa, a 5,000 year old vampire finding out that an unknown someone or something stalking her,and the measures she takes to prevent it.She soon meets Ray, the son of the man she killed in self-defense and he attracts her like no mortal has in ceturies. This is without a question Pikes most exellent book.I am just starting the series so I can't tell you if the rest of the series is equally as wonderful as this one,but I can tell you that I could not stop reading this until the end.I recommend this to every one! I hope Mr. Pike continues to write more of The Last Vampire Series, and seriously considers to make this series along with the Chain Letter and the Remember Me Series into movies.This is a must read!

The Last Vampire is about a five thousand year old vampire named Sita who is supposedly the last vampire on earth. Thousands of years ago when vampires roamed the earth as humans did, an evil vampire named Yaksha was born. As years went by, Yaksha killed every vampire one by one except Sita. Not until present day did Yaksha find her. In present day a private detective, Mike Riley, is hired to find out who Sita really is, or what she is. Sita kills him, and discovers he has a son named Ray. Sita becomes enrolled at Ray's
highschool and thinks she can find out how Ray's father found out about her by using Ray to get to his father's private files. Sita then finds out that it was actually Yaksha who hired Detective Riley. She also ends up falling in love with Ray. You'll have to read to the book to find out if Sita can escape death from Yaksha. I chose to read this book because one of my friends told me it was really good. The book interested me because vampire stories usually seem pretty interesting. I really enjoyed the book. I thought it had some great suspense like in the final fight scene between
Sita and Yaksha. It was also hard to put down because of all the action such as when Sita kills people and drinks their blood. I also enjoyed it because it was very gruesome in some parts. It was a pretty easy book to read because it really kept my attention. This book relates to my life in that I like to write stories that are very violent. Even though I thought The Last Vampire was a really good book, I do not recommend it to most people. This is because if some people read it then they would
probably be offended by the gruesome scenes and then yell at me for recommending it for them. However, if you have a high tolerance level for violence, then I think you would really enjoy this book.

Christopher Pike is the man! Pike's novels shouldn't be classified just as young adult reading because I think that puts a stereotype on his wonderful books. Everyone of every age will enjoy this great story.

The Last Vampire is a story about a 5000 year-old vampire named Sita who takes us through her life, past and present, allowing us to explore the magic of her immortality. It's not a book written to only capture "young adults", it's written intelligently for mature, educated readers. Pike doesn't tell us about Sita, he puts us right with her throughout the story with vivid descriptions, and great use of imagination. Sita tells us her story as she hunts her prey, and we unknowingly become possesed by her.

For 5000 years Sita has traveled all over the world as a predator. She kills and has killed thousands through the years and yet, through Pike's incredible writing, we feel compassionate for her. She becomes our heroine and we want to be immortal like her.

Even before the first page is "told" she already knows that she is not the last vampire, even though she's been sure she has been for the last 4000 years. Some one is hunting her and she has an idea of who it might be: Yaksha, her creator, who has much more strength and power than she does.

She learns than, in order to defeat him and survive, she must remember her past, to what Krishna had told her long ago. Pike's digressions into the Sita's past with Krishna are my favorite parts of the book because of the beauty with which they is told. We learn about Lord Krishna and his wisdom and his influence over Sita's life. Also, the research Mr. Pike does into his books is incredible, his facts are always very accurate and nothing is lacking in his history here.

This book is a very fast read, it is so gripping that it's impossible to put down. Fortunately, The Last Vampire Continues into 5 other books that, put together, make a fantastic saga. My advice, buy all of them at once so when you finish one you can immediately pick up the next one without a wait, then read them all over again.