Customer Reviews

Single White Vampire Seeks Same

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Hey, even a vampire/werewolf/succubus needs love and companionship. This collection of short stories takes a dark, sometimes humorous look at what happens when the otherworldly become lonely and seek out someone (or something) to spend those long evenings with. Contributors are:

Mickey Zucker Reichert
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
R. Davis
Gary A. Braunbeck
Bradley H. Sinor
Peter Crowther
Esther M. Friesner
Tanya Huff
Tim Waggoner
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Michelle West
Charles de Lint

There are some well-knowns and some not-so-well-knowns, but this is a strong collection with some incredible short stories. In my reading experience, any anthology bearing Martin. H. Greenberg's name is a sure-fire winner. Don't be fooled by the title; this one has something for everyone, not just the vampire fans. You can't go wrong with this collection!

Each story begins with the text of the ad leading to the initial blind date between the principals. While at least one of the parties involved always has *something* unusual about them, vampirism is only one of the possibilities. Some tales are told from the viewpoint of the person placing the ad, some from the opposing view, and some by interested third parties.

The four ads incorporated into the cover art of the first U.S. paperback printing are from actual stories herein.

Braunbeck, Gary A.: "Starless and Bible Black" have been the colour of many nights in Wayne's life; his parents are gone, he's never had a steady girlfriend. But he's conjured one woman's image in his dreams so vividly, for so long, that she's become *almost* real - she just needs his help to take the last few steps...helping her free herself from the handful of others whose shared image of her helped give her substance.

Crowther, Peter: "Bernard Boyce Bennington and the American Dream" revolves around a neighbourhood bar in New York: the Land at the End of the Working Day, where the regulars know how to drown out unwanted sounds. "No sound truly dies - particularly the sound of an unanswered question." The title character is looking for a woman from the personals who promises change, but won't take anyone back after dropping them.

Davis, R.: "A Kiss at Midnight" The narrator has responded to a personals ad from an attractive single woman looking for a one-night stand. He should've asked why she needed an *ad* for that, but as a widower who can't stop looking for a relationship to match what he lost, he's deliberately seeking to guide his expectations into more reasonable channels. To make matters interesting, both parties have misjudged themselves and what they want, while being honest in answering their respective ads.

de Lint, Charles: "Trading Hearts at the Half Kaffe Cafe" Lyle wants to meet someone for whom each day is important, someone who isn't as jaded as the other werewolves he knows, so he's heading out for his first date with Mona. (It's fun to watch their respective roommates kibitzing as they get ready; in Lyle's case, Tyrone a) thinks this is a bit perverted, and b) helpfully mentions that Lyle's teeth start morphing a little when he gets nervous. And you thought *you* had first date nerves. Mona's roommate is full of how-to-make-conversation advice from her current reading.)

Friesner, Esther M.: "Werotica" As usual, Friesner's entry is the likeliest to make you laugh. :) Many of the other personals ads in this collection feature people sending coded messages to each other, but Weylin's ad's hints about werewolves were unintentional. Chanetta, unfortunately, is a werewolf groupie, and won't be satisfied until she sees Weylin's *true* self. Weylin's a mundane financial analyst, but Chanetta has given him some very memorable evenings in their brief relationship; what can he do, since she won't believe his protests?

Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: Brenda (the narrator) and her friends read the personals for laughs, but on a whim they take "Secret Identities" and answer one of them ("Wizard Seeks Witch") to settle a disagreement over which girl will get an answer. Brenda's answer contains some hidden truths she's not ready to discuss with her friends, though.

Huff, Tanya: After ending his relationship with Vicki, Henry Fitzroy places an ad seeking "Someone to Share the Night". There *really* ought to be a special section of the personals for the people of the night...

Reichert, Mickey Zucker: "Personals Wishes" begins with a meeting between strangers on a train, but in this case, the mysterious stranger's question is, what would the personals ad of your fantasy mate look like? (Told in 3rd person but inside the viewpoint of one character at a time, through 3 viewpoints in all.)

Rusch, Kristine Kathryn: "Folk Lure" Told in 1st person by the next-door neighbour of the woman responding to the ad, a PI who uses the personals extensively in his own bread-and-butter work of divorce investigation. But why would gorgeous M Folklorist use the personals?

Sinor, Bradley H.: "Fireflies" is a metaphor appearing often in this story. Miranda, a member of the Pack living in New York, sees both the lights of Manhattan and the lives among those lights as fireflies - brief lives that vanish once touched. But Miranda's personals ad in the EAST VILLAGE WEEKLY wasn't placed out of loneliness, but exasperation from too much intrusive company, deliberate provocation to the Elders and their rules. But Kyle turns out to be the greatest of rarities, someone with whom she can be herself. Unfortunately, her gesture included openly announcing her intentions beforehand to the biggest gossip in the family...

Waggoner, Tim: Connie appears to have been looking for a "Fixer Upper", someone she could help reach his 'full potential.' But Brad still seems way out of her league: chain-smoking, therapy for chemical dependencies - in short, he can't believe his luck. And amazingly enough, he seems to be turning himself around under Connie's influence. What is her secret? (Good story, but jumps from the first few months of the relationship to a much later timeframe in the epilogue. Would work better in a longer format or if the later changes in the relationship were otherwise shown rather than summarized.)

West, Michelle: "Deja vu" The unnamed narrator sustains herself on human memories - those soaked with grief at the loss of a loved one, in particular. She herself didn't place the personals ad; an old, old friend attempting to nudge her into rejoining the world did that. They aren't vampires - they consider them wasteful. See if you can deduce how they interact with their human companions by story's end.

Cool book. This is a great book to purchase if you want to check out different writers in the "weird" genre. Some of them, like "Personal Wishes" are actually rather uplifting, while ones like "Starless and Bible Black" are more disturbing. But the coolest one so far (I still have a few more to go) has been "Folk Lure" which was unique (although this one among others has nothing to do with vampires). For 7$ you can't go wrong, if you like this type of read, then I'm sure you'll find at least 8 great stories in this one.

I really enjoyed this book and I loved the plot twists! One of them was quite funny with the succubus and the vampire who find one another in the " Alternate Lifestyles" section of the classifieds. There are a few stories that are sad but quite good, something that wants you to read the other books these people have written. Something for the more cynical humorists and those who just want to find the lighter side and bare bones truth to the way mythical people/animals/creatures would live in our times.

If you're looking for some fun, upbeat stories to read this is probably not the book for you. These stories explore a darker side (if that's posible) to creatures such as vampires, witches, werewolves, and others you may never have heard of. Only one or two of these stories have even remotly happy endings. Most of them end darkly, with death or unhappyness. These stories are however, well written, and, if you don't mind the dark parts, captivating and definitely interesting.

This book is as enjoyable as the list of contibutors would lead you to expect. The stories range from dark to hilarious, by way of curious, wry, moving, poignant and witty. More than just vampire stories, this anthology covers the dating lives of werewolves, wannabees, djinns, and succubi as they search for love, sex, and companionship (not to mention dinner!)

The wide range of stories meant that there were a one or two I didn't much care for, but most were quite enjoyable. This is a great book for the bus ride or your lunch break.

This is an excellent collection of tales of the supernatural with a theme of the personal ads. Almost all of the short stories are excellent, especially; Werotica, Secret Identities, and Folk Lure. Each is very different, while remaining within the theme. There are few authors that I will look up again.

This was a pretty good book. It's got me through the bornig lunches at work.

Some of the stories are actually pretty good, and some missed the boat. The biggest problem i had with this book is the many typo's.

Over all, I'd say get this book. Some of the stories have several plot twist that will keep your attention.