Vampire Vow (Paperback)

by Michael Schiefelbein (Author) "I wanted Jesus..." (more)
Key Phrases: Brother Matthew, Brother Michael, Brother Victor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Michael Schiefelbein, after spending ten years studying for the priesthood, graduated from the University of Maryland with a doctorate in English. He is a professor of writing and literature in Memphis, TN.

An interview with Michael Schiefelbein author of Vampire Vow

"I wanted Jesus. That's how it started. Yes, the Jesus they built a religion on, the one they say rose from the dead."

With this opening sentence, it becomes immediately clear that this is not a typical novel, and by the time you have raced through the remaining 213 blood-soaked, terrifying pages, it is clear that Vampire Vow is not a typical vampire novel either.

Victor Decimus is perhaps the most horrifyingly amoral creature of the night ever created, and yet in Michael Schiefelbein's skilled hands he is almost as attractive as he is repellent. Combining sex, religion, and blood lust is a tricky business and not for the faint of heart, but as we discovered from our conversation with Vampire Vow author Michael Schiefelbein, he knows whereof he speaks:

Alyson: Your novel violates quite a few taboos-the sex-religion combination, the subject of Jesus' sexuality, vampires and Jesus-I mean, you have a man falling in love with Jesus and becoming a vampire to spite him. Are you nervous about reactions?

Michael Schiefelbein: Like crosses burning on my lawn? The thought has crossed my mind, especially here in the Bible Belt. But I strongly believe in a real, human Jesus who might have been gay. Who knows? And to me, the ultimate tribute you can pay someone is to desire him, body and soul. In terms of sex in the novel, it's appropriate. Victor, the protagonist, is a ruthless, passionate Roman guard who uses sex to assert his power. He's not admirable for that, but his fury with depictions of Jesus as otherworldly and asexual is justified. Victor certainly exploits the Church by posing as a monk and pretending to play according to the monastery's rules. But he also brings some flesh and blood-no pun intended-into spirituality.

Alyson: So the idea of Jesus as a lover isn't blasphemous to you?

MS: Some of the great Christian mystics saw him that way-St. John of the C

About the Author
Michael Schiefelbein, after spending ten years studying for the priesthood, graduated from the University of Maryland with a doctorate in English. He has lived in Italy and Washington, D.C., and now resides in Memphis, Tenn., where he is a professor of writing and literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; 1st edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555835864
• ISBN-13: 978-1555835866
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,940 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Tale of Hate, Lust and . . . Love?, July 27, 2001

By	"govt_atty" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

WARNING: People of faith who don't like their religion to be challenged should NOT read this book. You'll likely be shocked, even mortified, and probably won't get past the first five pages. (This is based on the reactions I'm sure would come from my own friends and family.)

However, in general, I found this book fascinating. I read it all in one setting (made easier as it's only around 200 pages), and even read certain parts over again when they really threw me.

Victor is a Roman officer serving Pilate who is madly in love with Jesus (before he became Christ). Jesus rejected any possibility for a relationship, although not for the reasons you might expect. In response, Victor became a vampire, with a future pass to the "Kingdom of Darkness." His sole eternal goal: to corrupt young men and thereby destroy the Church.

Skip a few millennia filled with thousands of victims, and you come to a small monastery in rural Tennessee. Enter "Brother" Victor. Add a couple victims. Add a tall, strong young Brother. And you've got an interesting tale of hate, lust and . . . love?

To be honest, I found Victor's idea of Love to be very "confusing." He loved someone so much that he'd try to destroy what they were / stood for? He loved someone so much that when hey chose light over darkness, he physically assaulted him and forced him to endure physical, spiritual and emotional pain? And he rejected love when it was offered in a pure form? . . . Not what I think of when I "love" someone.

(On a side note, if you're looking for an erotic vampire story, this one's geared for gay audiences. So keep that in mind.)

As well, some of the spiritual subject matter did not register at all with me. Perhaps that's because I'm not Catholic. But growing up in a conservative, Bible-reading home, much of the story did make me cringe. It definitely took the questions many of us have about faith to an extreme level.

As a final word, the book was good reading. If you can get past the "sacriligiousness" (most of you won't), it may be read as an interesting dialogue of God's relationship to man. But if all you want is a thrill, there's enough vampirism to make a good story and maybe a few good nightmares!

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book That'll Make You Go Hmmm....., September 8, 2003

By	Shannon (Michigan) - See all my reviews

I've read just about every vampire novel that's out there, but I've never come across one that is centered around a gay vampire monk in love with Jesus. Some may find this very hard to swallow, others may find it disgraceful, some, like myself, may find it hard to put down.

Now, I'm a heterosexual female and I must say that some scenes didn't agree with me. They weren't the scenes that included guy on guy action, but actually, the more gory ones bothered me the most. Michael Schiefelbein's vampire is more animal than man. The way he discards his victims like yesterday's garbage is almost apalling. But one of Schiefelbein's characters explains the vampire's actions justly; "nature is nature." But I just wasn't used to this because so many authors nowadays write about the romantic vampire.

This take on the vampire was very refreshing. I also thoroughly enjoyed Schiefelbein's writing style. I found that the book was so easy to read, that it was done and I was reading the sequel (Vampire Thrall) before I knew it.

Don't discount this title because of its homosexual content. It truly is something different and enjoyable if you just let yourself be taken away by the story. It's really hard to explain unless you actually sit down and read it.

If you are offended by gore, violence, and homosexual sex (and rape), I suggest you look elsewhere.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing but Pointless, November 26, 2002

By A Customer

The protagonist of this novel is a Roman officer who, when his carnal desire for a young Jesus Christ is unrequited, turns to the dark side, and becomes a vampire at the behest of an ancient Ethiopian priestess. HUH?!?

I suppose the premise is interesting enough, even though it's mildly offensive. Homosexual yearnings from and toward Jesus are nothing new, but in this novel, is presented at its most base and deplorable. Frustrated that he can't "get inside" Jesus, the protagonist, Victor, sets off on a string of rapes and murders that eventually causes him to flee for his life. At this point, he is turned into a vampire. If you're looking for the sensuous and romantic vampires of Anne Rice lore, you're not going to find them here. Victor is nothing but a two thousand year old carcass looking to punish Christians because he was forsaken by his beloved, Jesus.

There's no emotional investment with this character. He is presented as one-dimensional; a rogue demon filled with anger and a sexual thirst equaled only by a penchant for violence. While some of the scenes are erotic, there's no real passion or longing, so they just ring hollow. While reading page after page of how Victor longs to find a lover that will satisfy and challenge him as Jesus did, one becomes more and more disillusioned that for all of his living, Victor hasn't learned much. At the end, his situation hasn't changed, except he's left a larger pile of bodies behind.