Customer Reviews

Theater of Vampires (Jason Dark - Ghost Hunter)

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Jason Dark and his friends Max and Siu Lin come face to face with a coven of bloodthirsty vampires posing as an innocent theater group. Dark must use his keen wit and resourcefulness to destroy the creatures before they bleed London dry! Theater of Vampires marks the second volume in the JASON DARK: GHOST HUNTER series by Independent Horror writer Guido Henkel. The story picks up shortly following the events of the previous adventure, with Siu Lin now living and training under Dark's household. Henkel has created his own larger than life hero in Jason Dark, a Sherlock Holmes of sorts that must use his smarts over his brawn to defeat his enemies. His writing style is fast-paced and clearly directed, maintaining a steady stream of action and suspense as the three characters attempt to oust their undead adversaries. Avid readers will catch the quick cameos by familiar characters from outside of the Dark universe, and each of the groups are given a rich history in the short amount of pages. Theater of Vampires is a brisk but satisfying read that leaves the reader begging for more. Luckily, it is just one in an ever-expanding series, with new volumes due out shortly!

-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies

Jason Dark returns in the second installment of this series. Once again aided by Siu Lin, he is after a new menace this time- vampires. When his old friend Max comes to visit, Jason is treated to a theater show depicting vampiric activity. After some post theater mingling with the cast, Jason determines these are not mere theatrics, but actual vampires hunting for prey. When Max is abducted by one of the cast members, Jason and Siu Lin quickly devise plans to rescue him. Will they be successful?


Once again, Guido Henkel delivers a wonderful gothic horror novella. The characters of Jason Dark and Siu Lin are revealed a little more in this second volume, but the reader can tell there is a whole lot more the their stories to come. One of the things I most appreciated about this sequel is that it works exceedingly well as a stand alone story, while still being enriched by having read the first volume. This is a rarity among series books sometimes.


Henkel also reveals snippits of his personality as a writer. If I may be so bold, I sensed a bit of homage to Anne Rice in the plot, not to mention a small homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was like a literary easter egg, and I loved it!


I am absolutely fascinated with Henkel's choice to set these novellas in Victorian London. It is like what would happen if Charles Dickens teamed up with Stephen King. It is the perfect choice, and one of the many reasons these books stand out from countless others trying to make it in the horror genre.


The action played out well, and I was happy that the ending left the reader wondering if there was more to this story, allowing me to make my own fictional suppositions. Another fine showing by Henkel, and I look forward to the next volume!


An e-book copy of this work was provided for review courtesy of the author.

Guido has written yet another interesting novella involving Jason Dark, ghost hunter, though his profession isn't only ghosts. His first battle, in Demon's Night, a Jason Dark supernatural mystery, dealt with demons, and now this book deals with vampires. Of course, I found this novella very interesting, especially as these vampires are hiding in plain sight, performing at a theater; and their performance is not for the squeamish.

Guido does a superb job tying all loose ends together in this novella while bringing both Jason Dark and Siu Lin back in this enticing story where not everyone is what they seem. I really enjoy that these novellas seem to be stand-alone texts and can be read out of order. Since the texts don't necessarily tie in with one another, it does give the reader some say over what they want to read. However, both this novella and Demon's Night are superbly written and I suggest reading them both, in order; I am excited to read the next installment and see what new gothic horror Guido comes up with!

If you like pulp horror in a quick and easy, enjoyable read, then this series is for you.

Jason Dark is a ghost hunter...and a vampire hunter...and a demon hunter...and a hunter of all things supernatural. He is aided and abetted by his faithful assistant Siu Lin and his housekeeper Lady Wellesley.

Our story begins with the advent of Jason's friend Max. Their reunion is a happy one, with a pleasant dinner with Jason's assistant Siu Lin in attendance. Talk is turned to the new play being performed, rumoured to be in the Grand Guignol style, called Theater of Vampires. Max persuades Jason to attend a performance and that's where our story begins to take off. Jason suspects there is more than meets the eye to the performers of this harrowing stage show and sets out to investigate. His suspicions are confirmed when Max is violently, and literally wrenched out of Jason's home by a vampire kidnapping.

Written in a pulp fiction style, there are lurid descriptions of blood letting, pale, red-eyed vampires with preternatural abilities, ambushes, confrontations, captures, rescues, action,...it's all here.
The story only runs 61 pages. I found it entertaining, both for it's subject matter and the style in which it is written. Some of it seems grand and a tad over the top dramatically speaking, but that's a hall mark of pulp fiction to begin with. I spent an entertaining evening reading this, enjoying a genre I hadn't previously read too much of. Pulp writing is a dying art these days to a degree, but Henkel writes with a sure pen, creating the shadowy streets of London in the winter, the dark and mysterious theater and the threatening vampires with ease. I felt transported to Jason's side, be it as he dined with Max, attended the play, worked in his laboratory, took to the dark street, and entered the theater to engage in a showdown with the vampires.

There's a fair amount of blood in this tale, enough to satisfy the gore hound. I liked the lab work Jason employed, a nod to the wit of Sherlock Holmes I suspect. The pacing is sound, and the characters are brought to convincing life.

For a quick, atmospheric tale of the supernatural, this series is a winner. There are 10 volumes currently available, with Jason taking on demons, witches, ghostly Kinghts Templar, a real doctor Frankenstein, wraiths, curses, and wrathful goddesses, to name but a few of the terrors he meets.

In January of 2011, Henkel was invited by Fangoria magazine to write an exclusive serial novel for their magazine, beginning with issue #302, entitled Food for the Dead. Quite an honor, indeed.

In this day and age, it can sometimes be hard to sit down and read a novel. With kids, work, and other day to day activities I start reading a book, but either never finish it or when I try and pick up where I left off, too much time has passed to remember all of those details that make a good story great. Flipping through a magazine one day (still have time for those...lol) I noticed a review for "Jason Dark: Theater Of Vampires". Besides the glowing review about a vampire hunter named Jason Dark, the idea of a dime novel really appealed to me. Why hadn't I thought of that route? I head to Amazon and read more reviews - all of them are very positive. Given the $2.99 price point (cheaper than the magazines I pick up from time to time) I decided to give this Jason Dark a chance.

A quirk of mine has always been to start a series at the beginning. Though "Theater Of Vampires" is the second volume in the Jason Dark series, I found out that you don't need to read the first story ("Demon Knight") to enjoy the second. Each novel seems to stand on its own. I open the book and right off the bat am thrust into a man's living nightmare. The thought of waking up in such a vulnerable way was described to perfection. It was like a great opening scene for a movie and certainly set the tone for this supernatural mystery. The great writing develops Jason Dark into a character I want to follow. I can't wait to get another book in this series.

I loved this book it was so hard to put down, I hadn't read any other books by this author but I loved this book. I am already addicted and can't wait to read more!

This book takes you to meet even Dr. Watson and others, being a lover of most books I was giddy as a schoolgirl when I read this. All I could think is, Oh my goodness! it's Dr Watson...and he wants Jason Dark to meet his associate who you and I both know is going to be Sherlock Holmes! I just couldn't get enough! I highly recommend you give this author a try. This book is a fantastic read!