Bloodsucking Fiends
by Christopher Moore
Summary: Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under an alley Dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching neck, superhuman strength, and a distinctly Nosferatuan thirst, she realizes the decision has been made for her. Making the transition from the nine-to-five grind to an eternity of nocturnal prowlings is going to take some doing, however, and that's where C. Thomas Flood fits in. A would-be Kerouac from Incontinence, Indiana, Tommy (to his friends) is biding his time night-clerking and frozen-turkey bowling in a San Francisco Safeway. But all that changes when a beautiful undead redhead walks through the door ... and proceeds to rock Tommy's life -- and afterlife -- in ways he never imagined possible.
Review: I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.
I picked this book up at my local used bookstore because of the cover. I was intrigued. I thought this would be a light and humorous book, and it kind of was, but I wasn’t prepared for the wonderful writing. Moore was descriptive and kept to the standard rules of vampires, which I enjoyed. I don’t mind books that break some of the rules, but I prefer the standard ones to be kept, like staying out of sunlight, drinking blood, having fangs, etc.
The book begins with Jody, the main character, getting attacked in an alley. She wakes up with a burnt hand and a handful of money. I absolutely loved this. I suppose I am used to stories in which the vampires that get turned automatically know what is now expected of them or they have their maker mentor them. This scenario was definitely different and kept my interest. After all, every author uses different vampire rules or behavior, so I kept reading along trying to learn what kind of vampire Jody will be and how she will cope.
I didn’t care much for Tommy, her human boyfriend, but this isn’t a love story like most. It was rushed and neither Jody nor Tommy knew what to expect. They just knew they kind of need each other.
My favorite character is the Emperor. I should have noted that the book actually begins with him, but I had no idea he would play a major role. I thought what everyone who saw him on the street thought: he was a weird homeless guy. Turns out, he was a very witty and interesting character!
Without giving too much away, I’m pretty blown away by how awesome this book was. Like I said, I expected something light and humorous. Even though humor was delivered, it was so well written that I found myself enjoying it on a higher level than I anticipated. I will definitely keep my eye out for other books by Moore.
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