Customer Reviews

Scarlet Letters: The Tale of the Vampire Mailman

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

 

 

This is a tale that seems like a straightforward vampire satire at first, but Dickson quickly launches the characters into a madcap adventure until you don't even know where the story is heading, but it doesn't matter... because you're laughing through every chapter. It's action, suspense, and humor wrapped into a delightful package.

A fun twist on the vampire genre, Scarlet Letters is not quite like any other vampire story. The details on vampire physiology are quite amusing especially how vampires . . . Well, I don't want to ruin it. Let's just say it takes some very funny turns. It is a lot of fun.

Not your average vampire.

If you're tired of urban fantasy that takes itself too seriously, and need a respite from the Twi-hards and their vampiric romantic triangles, Scarlet Letters is just what the doctor ordered. From the wonderful quotes to begin each chapter (from a mythical book by "Dexter Bloodgood", which I would read if Dickson ever wrote it) to the madcap misadventures of loveable schlub Louis and his Man Friday Stan, Scarlet Letters delivers a dose of humor and fun and a fresh take on what it means to be a vampire.

And you'll cringe at how vampires are really made in this one. Seriously, ew. And seriously, LOL.

"Scarlet Letters: The Tale of the Vampire Mailman" is a stand alone vampire tale by author Allison M Dickson. This is a Kindle e-book that is a 290 Kb download and is priced at $0.99.

SPOILERS

Our hero, Louis Cross, (a letter carrier with the postal service), knows something is wrong, something has changed and his body just doesn't feel normal anymore. The reason of course, is that he's turning into a vampire. And this has been carefully orchestrated by his doctor (who is also a vampire) with an altered flu shot.
Louis struggles to retain some semblance of control over his body but the vampire effect continues to dominate. We see him and his friends, Stan and Sera trying their best to prevent the evil doctor from murdering thousands of other vampires in an attempt to make himself the strongest vampire in the world.

END SPOILERS

The Pros:
1.) a brilliant story, much different than I was expecting. Successfully accomplished by author Dickson's skill with the written word. Told somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but there are moments that will give you the creeps. I just loved this alternating mood shifts.

2.) the author has given the reader some interesting characters and put them in some unusual and difficult situations. All three main protagonists had a certain charm and likability.

3.) humor...these are not you stereotypical vampires, they have some 'unusual' traits that border on the bizarre...had me chuckling to myself on several occasions.

4.) each chapter is prefaced by a short blurb from what may be loosely termed the 'vampire-lore reference book'...often with some subtle humor embedded within.

5.) and finally, very enjoyable (at least to me) was author Dickson's reference (within the book) to a fictional vampire writing author by the name of Mylie Stephanik and her latest book, just out..."Bloody Sunset". It doesn't take a genius to figure about which real life vampire author she is spoofing...even the book's characters don't think very much of Stephanik's writing talent (or lack thereof).

The Cons:
None.

Impression:
A wonderful tale of modern day vampires...sometimes funny, sometimes very graphically descriptive (both sexually and gory). But there is something about this tale that held my interest from beginning to end. And I have to be honest, when I saw what type of vampires that the book was about, I had difficulty believing that it could hold my attention throughout. However, the twists and unexpected developments...some funny, some horrific (some both)...kept me turning those pages.

Conclusion:
This is the first marginally longer work of Allison M. Dickson that I've read. Nice to see an author with the skill to write both short and longer works that incorporates both horror and humor. A most difficult mix...but very well done in this instance.

This young author will soon be a force to be reckoned with in the urban horror genre.

My 4th book of Allison M. Dickson...it won't be my last.

As it is...5 Stars.

Ray Nicholson

Sick of those vampire stories that take themselves sooooo seriously? Here's your antidote. This is such a great summer reading book. Escapism at it's best. Oh--and tip your mailman at Christmas. You just never know who's human and who isn't.

I was already reading another book, so only opened this one to ensure my Kindle version was formated properly. That was over a week ago. Scarlet Letters drew me in from page one and I had to finish it before reading anything else.

This is the second book I've read by Allison M. Dickson and I'm officially in love. It is the funniest vampire book I've ever read, and not just because of the running commentary on how bad the Twilight series is.
The characters are well-drawn and each is woven carefully into the plot. It takes a bit of willing suspension of disbelief - but this book rewards that small investment.
Absurd tidbits are constantly thrown in to highlight how ridiculous vampire books have become, and I do believe this is the first parody of the vampire genre that I've ever read.

Added bonuses:
- hot vampires
- not-so-hot vampire groupies
- an awesome human best friend
- a villain in a cape
- each chapter starts with an excerpt from the official vampire handbook.

Though I have given this book a 4 star rating, I have one complaint - this book needs to be edited. I found quite a few typos.

I love love love your other work Allison. This one was really in need of editing. A ton of "He Stan said" and "We they have to..." It was great until about half way through then the whole thing went downhill. The only reason I'm not upset I paid for it is because I think you DO deserve it for most of your other work!