T.M. Wright (1947–2015)

Pretty good little story that seems to wander a bit and doesn't tie up some loose ends, like the author got bored with it and didn't know what to do. The book begins in 2047 AD (not CE!) but ends sometime after an apocalyptic nuclear war in the early 21st century. The "vampire" in question, poor Mr. Elmo Land born in 1907, presumably has returned to the real dead spirit world from the living dead by then and wants to borrow someone's Book, a sort of computer that controls one's life, to write his "life" story. There is some sort of weak and unresolved commentary about social media having come to dominate interaction in the near future here.

Anyway, the hapless ol' Elmo just quits feeding because of guilt and/or world weariness after WWIII and finally just wastes away. His sidekicks are the real creeps, first the sociopathic Lemuel, then the English professor, and and finally the truly scary psychopathic arson-cannibal Jeff. There is a really weird interlude about vampire rodeo cowboys that almost seems like an unfinished short story that Wright tried to incorporate.

Well written if a little repetitive, there is a kind of second verse same as the first that keeps popping up as Wright tries to drill us into Elmo's psyche but it seems a little padded and unnecessary. Wright's insight into, and his development of, this character is what gives the novel its finer qualities. The book really ends up as a pretty poignant character study of a really luckless and depressed guy that Wright would have been better off sticking to.

A nice little book though.

I know Leisure Books/Dorchester really fell into some shady areas and treated its authors poorly but they sure did publish some good stuff in their time.… (more)

A haunted house tale that's more of a haunted neighborhood tale, this book has its share of unconventional ghosts.

Katherine leaves her boyfriend Larry and moves into an old house set in the woods. She's an artist; she paints and apparently has enough money to live on. This is not the first novel with that type of scenario. (Wish I could do that!)

From there, the book fills up with unlikable characters, both living and dead. I had a hard time getting inside Katherine's head. She's easily manipulated and not very strong and totally surrounded by manipulative men. However, in the end, I found I never liked her, either.

As for the horror aspect, its not terribly scary and not easily resolved at the end. That's fine as far as horror goes, but I do have unanswered questions.… (more)