Vampire a Go-Go [Paperback]

Victor Gischler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Just as Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse was a “raucous thrill ride” (Publishers Weekly) and a playful stab at the post-apocalypse story, Vampire a Go-Go is a satirical take on the modern horror story—providing more laughs and unforgettable characters.

Victor Gischler is a master of the class-act literary spoof—a unique niche in which he has few equals. He has tackled many popular genres with his wry wit: crime noir, the post-apocalyptic subgenre, and now the horror novel genre. Frequently compared to Kurt Vonnegut, Thomas Pynchon, and Quentin Tarantino, Gischler turns his attention to castles, astrologers, alchemists, ghosts, witches, gun-toting Jesuit priests, and werewolves with Vampire a Go-Go, a hilarious romp of spooky, gothic entertainment. Allen is a hapless grad student in trouble. He’s about to flunk out of school and there is not much that can be done to salvage his GPA—except to redeem himself by accompanying an eccentric professor and his enigmatic wife on a research trip to a castle in Prague. But Allen doesn’t know he’ll end up in a hunt for a supernatural device that can restore the humanity to the undead. Narrated by a ghost whose spirit is chained to the mysterious castle, Vampire a Go-Go is full of twists and surprises that will have readers screaming—and laughing—for more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gischler (Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse) populates a world of intrigue with supernatural creatures in this highly entertaining novel. Allen Cabbot is saved from flunking out of graduate school by the extremely difficult Prof. Evergreen, who invites him to join a research project in Prague. Almost immediately, Allen finds himself tangling with Battle Jesuits, a Society of Witches and a vampire, and he learns that Evergreen's real goal may be the philosopher's stone. The feisty ghost of 16th-century alchemist Edward Kelley serves as narrator, complaining about the picture on his Wikipedia entry while explaining the history behind Allen's adventure. While the characters lack depth, even the villains are approachable and likable. Dan Brown fans who don't mind a little humor and magic mixed into their thrillers will enjoy this charming tale. (Sept.)
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About the Author

Victor Gischler is a former English professor and the author of Gun Monkeys, The Pistol Poets, Suicide Squeeze, and Shotgun Opera. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Visit him at victorgischler.blogspot.com.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416552278
• ISBN-13: 978-1416552277
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 4.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #469,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Adequate, but not Apocalypse, May 4, 2010

By 

-TMcN- (Snohomish, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampire a Go-Go: A Novel (Paperback)

Right now Vampire A Go-Go is in the Amazon Bargain segment, at half the price of Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse by the same author. There's a reason for that; this is a fine book, but not as compelling. It's almost as if the plot and characters were drawn up really well and then a computer program filled in the gaps.

The Good:
Cool ideas
Many plot bits tie together at the end
Not painful to read
Well researched

The Bad:
Alternating timeframe (by hundreds of years) isn't helpful
Alternating story-tellers (one is a ghost) also is distracting
Too many artificial secrets are kept until the end
We meet perhaps eighteen people by name... and three of them survive.
Some things are fully explained (origin of the ghost and zombies), but other things are never explained (origin of vampires.)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Victor Gischler Visits Prague..., September 16, 2009

By 

Gary Griffiths (Los Altos Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Vampire a Go-Go (Paperback)

And brings home a vampire.

I don't know Victor Gischler, but you've got to love this guy - a talented author who never takes himself too seriously, and clearly has way too much fun practicing his craft. If previous tales of post-apocalyptic strip clubs and gun-toting college professors weren't enough, "Vampire a Go-Go" certainly puts him on the short list for "Bard of the Bizarre".

"VaGG" is a neat little tongue-fully-in-cheek farce of the horror genre, a consciously mismatched conglomeration of Harry Potter, the DaVinci Code, and Bram Stoker, told with the pace and temper of Scooby Doo. Allen Cabbot is a grad student at the fictional Gothic University, who lands a summer research assignment in Prague with the formidable Professor Evergreen. No surprise that before Cabbot's bags are properly unpacked in his Prague dorm, he figures out that this summer will not be spent prowling dusty Czech libraries for buried Kafka gems. Mysterious email admonitions lead to an entertaining buffet of werewolves, zombies, alchemists, wizards and, of course, a vampire, rendered with comic book's garish flair in short, sweet, staccato chapters that alternate from the present to the turn of the 16th century, in Prague. It is this historical context - weaving in real life players likes Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II, and alchemists Edward Kelley and John Dee, as well as an Indiana Jones-like pursuit of the legendary Philosopher's Stone - that adds enough dimension to keep some sense of credibility. It is the ghost of the alchemist con-man philanderer Kelley who narrates this wacky tale, providing the sexual diversion and requisite irreverence that has become a Gischler trademark. Throw in a supporting cast of Vatican Battle Priests (!), secret societies, raunchy sex, underground caverns and dusty crypts, and you've got all the ingredients for, well, for actually nothing like you've ever read before.

So this is by no means a perfect novel - in maintaining the comic book style, the dialog is painfully bad and the characters wafer thin - but it is a lot of fun, and does shed some admittedly twisted light on an overlooked period of the early Renaissance. While this isn't, and doesn't pretend to be, Bernard Cornwell, Gischer's depiction of Rudolph's background and his fascination with the occult was enough to have me searching the net for more information, including the real histories of Kelley and Dee. And not a bad travelogue for Prague, to boot. In short, more than enough entertainment for the 10-buck price of admission, with some education as a bonus. Thanks, Victor!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and FUN read, April 27, 2010

By 

Travis (New Orleans) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampire a Go-Go (Paperback)

I received an autographed copy of this book from Mr. Gischler recently at a convention and it was a blast to read.
He kept the tempo up and the plot progressing. I couldn't pull myself away and read it all in one sitting.

If you want an entertaining book that will give you a laugh while keeping you guessing about the ending, this is it.

A+++