Vampire$: A Novel [Paperback]

John Steakley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 1992

This is bestselling author John Steakley's vampire classic: Vampires infest the modern world and a group of brave people-professional vampire killers-devote their lives to hunting them down.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Vampire$ (the title does end with a dollar sign) is about a tightly knit group of professional vampire killers. They may say they're in it for the money, but their death-defying bravado and warm male friendships are as intense as those in any soldier-hero epic. The irrepressible, foul-mouthed, hard-drinkin' Jack Crow--decked out in high-tech chain mail and wielding a fearsome crossbow--is the leader of the bunch. He's the sort of man who screams obscenities at the pope, and then (after a lot of booze) weeps in the pontiff's lap over the horrors he's witnessed.

Author John Steakley is the son of a Chevrolet dealer from Cleburne, Texas, and he uses his roots to good effect. Not only does much of the action take place in the Lone Star state, but when we first meet the major character named Felix, he's an apparition out of the Old West--living in an abandoned boxcar on the Rio Grande with a Mexican whore, an endless supply of tequila, and a tacky bleeding Jesus on the wall.

Vampire$ is one gaudy, action-packed novel. The men are men, the women are vulnerable, and the vampires are mean, ugly monsters. Unless you don't like that sort of thing, you'll love it.

Review

Gives a closer, longer look at violent vampire-hunting than anything else to date, often at a breath-taking pace. (The Vampire's Closet)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Roc (May 5, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451451538
• ISBN-13: 978-0451451538
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Next to the original "Dracula", the best one I've ever read, September 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vampire$: A Novel (Paperback)

I read a lot of horror books, many of which deal with vampires. About one in ten is good (an unfortunate low number), and about one in a hundred is great. This one is. The other two (concerning vampires) that springs to mind are Carrion Comfort (a novel approach by Dan Simmons) and the original Dracula (and yes, Bram Stoker's film sucks). Anne Rice, well, that's for the kiddies and supermarket crowd.

Steakley manages to make the vampire a completely believable "thing" without any mumbo-jumbo "flying around in the night" stuff. That makes it a scary book (which is why we read horrror in the first place, yes?). The pace is just right, the cast is great and the story's premise is stupendously brilliant. It is actually hard to pinpoint any specific reason, but this is a GREAT book. I've even reread it several times (I've had it for close to ten years, and NOW I am writing a review, that should say something), and it is a great read even the second (or third) time around.

Steakley is one of the authors I run through Amazon's search engine every now and then, hope shining in my eyes. Sadly, only the two same hits ever come up (the other is "Armor", an awesome 5-star sci-fi story I also fully recommend).

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please don't blame the book for the movie..., September 6, 2000

By 

Justin R. Macumber "writer * podcaster" (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vampire$: A Novel (Paperback)

I mean that. "John Carpenter's Vampires" was a decent movie, if a bit trite (a black cross? reverse exorcism? please...), but this book is anything but trite. It is vulgar, edgy, dark, and very very good. Forget the limp-wristed characters Anne Rice writes about. Steakley's vampires are a monsterous lot, full of violence and horror. Brian Lumley's books are a much closer comparison, and that is high praise in deed (for me, anyway). It doesn't hurt that I grew up not ten miles from Cleburne, Texas, and it was a kick in the pants when I saw the city represented in the book (it's a small, dusty, Texas town without much of note), not to mention the fact that John is from there. On a side note, his dad's dealership has moved to Fort Worth, I believe.

Anyway, before I digress further, go buy this book! It was action aplenty, characters that just grab you by the lapels and shake you, and a story that never tires no matter how many times I read it. This is a first class American vampire novel. Forget about Rice. THIS is was a vampire book *should* be.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the cheezy dialogue fool you..., September 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Vampire$: A Novel (Paperback)

I am an avid fan of the vampire genre. I read this book five years ago. At first, I thought it was one of those foolish parodies, like Doon, because of the cheezy dialogue and antics of the character Cherry Cat. However, I decided to read on and give it the benefit of the doubt. Well, neither the dialogue nor the antics got any better, but I have to admit that I liked the book regardless. Another one of your reviews stated that the reader laughed, cried, and clapped their way throughout the story. I believe that this is what makes this book so good. Some may say this is an excellent book whilst others may say that it is a waste of trees. However, it succeeds in taking the reader through a myriad of emotions and that, if nothing else, earns it a "moving read" review from me. My advice to anyone interested in reading this book, don't let the cheezy dialogue fool you. Underneath that is a pretty good story.