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Vampire Nation Paperback – March 1, 2001

by Thomas M. Sipos (Author)

4.2 13 ratings

A young American visits Communist Transylvania during the closing years of the Cold War, discovering that Communism is vampirism, and a man is better dead than undead. This dark fantasy/satire (of both Nicolae Ceausescu's Rumania and of Communism itself) combines the insights of Ayn Rand with the black comedy of Kurt Vonnegut.

About the Author

Thomas M. Sipos was born in Queens, NY to Hungarian refugees from Communism. He attended Catholic schools and graduated NYU's Tisch School Of The Arts with a B.F.A. in film & TV. His fiction has appeared in Wicked Mystic, 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, and Horrors! 365 Scary Stories (the latter two both published by Barnes & Noble Books). His non-fiction has appeared in The Journal of Horror Cinema, Tangent, Horror, Midnight Marquee, and Sci-Fi Universe. He belongs to the Horror Writers Association, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and The Academy Of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. He lives in Los Angeles where his sitcom and horror scripts have won several awards.

Thomas M. Sipos was born in Queens, NY to Hungarian refugees from Communism. His work has appeared in Wicked Mystic, 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, The Journal Of Horror Cinema, Tangent, Horror, Midnight Marquee, and Sci-Fi Universe. His sitcom and horror scripts have won several awards.

Print length

260 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Xlibris Us
Publication date

March 1, 2001
Dimensions

6 x 1 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0738811416
ISBN-13

978-0738811413
See all details

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Xlibris Us; First Edition (March 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0738811416
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0738811413
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #9,294,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,760 in Vampire Horror
- #38,774 in Fiction Satire
- #107,982 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

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4.2 13 ratings

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Thomas M. Sipos

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Thomas M. Sipos was born in Queens, NY, graduated from New York University's film school, and eventually moved to Los Angeles. In addition to writing, he founded and manages the Tabloid Witch Awards horror film contest and festival. He's performed comedy improv on stage, and is a member of SAG.

The photo of Sipos in the robe is from the short "epic fantasy" film, The Ancient Law (2008), in which he portrays a good king. The Ancient Law is written and directed by Erasmo Romero III.

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Michael Moye

Fast-paced, darkly comic thriller

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2005

Verified Purchase

Sipos captures the drab madness of Ceausescu's Romania, combining dark humor with nail-biting suspense as an American screenwriter teams up with a supermodel CIA rouge agent to drive a stake through the heart of the super Stalinist regime - and its diabolical leaders.

From the opening scenes in a gloomy Bucharest populated with vampires who serve the evil regime - and the ghouls and even orphans who grab at whatever human morsels they can, the story moves at near-breakneck speed to a climax so bizarre that the reader is left wanting another hundred pages of this stuff.

Sipos has a deft understanding of his subjects - socialism as vampirism - and Romania under the megalomaniac fist of super-Stalinist Nicolae Ceausescu and his obscene, venom-spitting wife, Elena. Some of the dialogue seems lifted nearly intact from Ion Pacepa's RED HORIZONS - a device that works perfectly in conveying the tragicomedy of those dark days in the 80's prior to the "Revolution" that ended with the bloody execution of the power mad couple.

I read it in a few hours, only wishing the book were longer. Well written and researched, VAMPIRE NATION is a bloody feast for anyone drawn to the horror genre - and a comic delight for anyone interested in the real horrors of life under Communism, especially its mind-boggling version that played out so tragically in Romania. It helps knowing that, eventually, Nic and Elena hit such a bloody and ignomious end - because the Romania Sipos reveals would have otherwise required an invasion by George W. Yet the book isn't dated in the least.

Its funny, scary, romantic, revolting and - yes - thought provoking. Sipos loathes the erstwhile Western approach of cooperation and conciliation with the Iron Curtain countries (Romania retained its Most Favored Nation trading status right up til the end). Like Reagan and others, he was right.

Buy it, draw the drapes, hide under the duvet with a good flashlight - and let this natural tale-spinner pull you into a vortex so real and creepy that you'll need a bath in holy water once the bloody thing reaches its final, dripping climax.

One person found this helpful

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Alice in AZ

"A state cannot teach, only indoctrinate."

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2014

How did I miss this? Probably because it will never be covered in mainstream media. The writing is fabulous, gory, believable. The plot is genuinely frightening--it reminds me of "Pan's Labyrinth"--and comes very close to describing life under tyranny ("the blood will help you remember.")

Once I got into it, I could not put it down. While caught up in the fast-moving plot, which I was reading at 3 in the morning, I noticed similarities between the dogma of Socialism and President Obama's agenda. I wish I wouldn't have seen this, because I voted for Obama--but it is very creepy the way my America is spying on everyday people, and lecturing us that only the government can properly educate children.

All this is yadda-yadda-----just buy the book, because it is the best horror I have read in a while.

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Bright Eyes Bushy Tail

Frightfully close to reality

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2002

Verified Purchase

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.

16 people found this helpful

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Allstar

Interesting premise, but could have been better...

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2005

As a fan of the vampire genre, I really like this novel's premise, however I thought it was a little heavy-handed. I think it would have been better if it focused on parallels between vampirism and Communism, and limited the scope of this analogy to its Romanian locale, rather than limiting itself to the high-level metaphor of Communist blood-sucking being equivalent to vampire blood-sucking. I also felt like there was room for the characters to be taken a little further in their development. Many questions remained open at the end. I'd like to see a sequel, just to see more resolution to mythology and character elements.

One person found this helpful

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Dolores Woods

Hysterical

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2000

The book is hilariously taking pot shots at socialism while reminiscent of "Love at First Bite" or a segment of "X-files while Buzzed." It could have been written by P.J. O'Rourke and Steven King and would seem even more appropriate as a movie wherein the antics could be displayed for the unimaginative mind. It's one of the funniest and one those blue days, it can provide humor and nuanced lessons on the problems with socialism. The author is nutty enough to be genius.

5 people found this helpful

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