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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Frightfully close to reality, July 29, 2002
This review is from: Vampire Nation (Paperback)
I lived in Romania during the last 15 years of communism and yes, the atmosphere pervading the book is awfully close to reality. The dark misery and total fear, the orphans, the total surveillance, they are all true. All telephones in Romania did carry microphones, as did ashtrays in some restaurants. The grotesque behavior of the ruling class - Nicu Ceausescu pissing on the oysters, and many others, are witness accounts described in "Red Horizons: The True Story of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescus' Crimes, Lifestyle, and Corruption", by I.M.Pacepa, from which the author borrows happily, even in terms of actual words said. (Pacepa was the chief of Romanian espionage and defected to the West; his book is available on Amazon as well). All geographical and architectural descriptions are correct too. Vampirism is an elegant explanation that gives totalitarianism a sense of logic. I almost wish it were true, at least things would have made much more sense. I can't stress that enough - except for the actual drinking of blood and the heroes' attempt to kill Ceausescu, the book is almost a documentary one. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, the adventures of Henry and Anya are fun. I only gave it 4 stars because 5 stars should be reserved for the rare masterpieces of literature.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For readers of any political stripe, October 10, 2002
This review is from: Vampire Nation (Paperback)
For whatever reason, it often seems that literary talent seems to go hand-in-hand with left-of-center politics. Hence, for a political conservative such as myself, it is often difficult to find novels that are enthralling, enjoyable reads that don't require one to gnash his teeth whenever the author decides to mix a little political propaganda into the mix. However, occasionally, the intrepid right-wing reader is lucky enough to come across an exception to the rule and Thomas Sipos' often frightening, frequently hilarious, and -- in the end -- disturbingly haunting Vampire Nation is one such beautiful exception. Set in the late '80s, Vampire Nation follows Henry, intrepid American screenwriter, into Romania where he discovers that the decaying communist regime is actually made up of decadent vampires. Somewhat forcefully recruited by an enigmatic woman, Henry is soon part of a violent conspiracy to assassinate Romania's ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu. Over the course of one night, Henry is forced into a netherworld where communist vampires live off the blood of the "common man" and where the country side is haunted by the ghosts of innocent men, women, and children sacrificed in the name of "the people." The analogy between vampirism and communism is very explicit but also very believable. As a writer, Sipos has a definite knack for creating dark images and many of the book's sequences will remain in the reader's head long after the final page has been turned. However, what makes this political book work is the fact that Sipos doesn't simply rest on his politics. Instead, the book's anti-communist message is mixed in with a thrilling, fast-moving story that will capture the interest and imagination of any reader, regardless of that reader's ideology. As scary as Sipos' vampires are, this is also, at-times, a laugh out loud novel and Sipos shows a wit that would make several better known writers envious. He has created a truly likeable and sympathetic everyman in his protaganist and its hard not to get caught up in Henry's adventures and his unlikely romance with a woman who might save his life or kill him, depending on the circumstances. All-in-all, this is an impressive, intelligent tour-de-force and truly both one of the best horror novels and one of the best books period that I've had the pleasure to read in a long time.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Orwell meets Dracula in Kafka's Castle, January 7, 2001
This review is from: Vampire Nation (Paperback)
This is an amazing novel. I can strongly recommend it as a delightful allegory of organized socialism in the last century. (Delightful being a relative term, of course!) It takes a lot to get me to read a novel in one sitting - Vampire Nation is just such a page turner. Moreover, I've never been a big fan of the genre (or genre fiction in general), but Sipos' treatment has transcended genre with its handling of the premise. Without exaggeration, I can say that there are echoes of Orwell, Stoker, and Kafka in this novel. (And perhaps just a touch of Jonathan Swift? I couldn't help but feel, as I read the descriptions of the vampires as seen by Henry, the protagonist, that there was a touch of Gulliver's Travels, when Gulliver commented on the physical appearance of the pores in the giant's skin.) The trouble with statements like that, however, is that they compare the literature of today with the literature of the past. Sipos' vision is uniquely his, and uniquely modern, despite the "A meets B" cliche of the title of this review. For those who like grim descriptions of morbidly graphic scenarios, there are plenty of those in this novel as well. What is particularly disturbing about Sipos' gift for the graphic, however, is that his descriptions of the ghouls in the children's hospital is probably less horrific than the reality of those awful places. Whether you wish to read it as an allegory, or just an adventure filled romp through Communist Rumania, this book certainly only rarely gives the reader a chance to catch his or her breath.
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