Synopsis: Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under an alley Dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching back, 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 thought possible.
First Published: September 1, 1995
Published By: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Humor/Fiction
Rating: 3/5
This is the first Christopher Moore book I've ever read but I had always heard how hilarious his books were. I was really looking forward to reading a vampire story that was free of angst, shirtless werewolves, and sparkliness.
It was (mercifully) free of all of that and it was funny. But I found it to be more clever funny than laugh-out-loud funny. Moore peppers the story with jokes on every page and a lot of the humor is quirky and fun and doesn't take itself seriously but something was kind of missing for me. Have you ever watched one of those network sitcoms with a laugh track and when a joke is made you acknowledge that it's funny but you don't laugh? Instead you sort of smile or shake your head and roll your eyes but you don't actually find it funny enough to laugh? Reading this book was kind of like that.
The above paragraph makes it seem like I didn't enjoy this book but I did, for the most part. I really liked Jody and how she went from an insecure career girl to a badass vampire chick. As a vampire, Jody still has a conscious. She only preys on terminally ill people and doesn't kill for sport. She does, however, relish in her superior strength and when a trio of thugs make the mistake of attempting to assault her, she fulfills the fantasy every woman has by fucking obliterating them. So yeah, Jody's pretty cool.
I was less fond of Jody's love interest, Tommy. I found him to be really whiny and annoying and insecure. However, it was refreshing to see the gender roles flipped on their heads. The woman is the powerful, older, supernatural creature of the night and the man is the younger, insecure, slightly dopey love interest. That was nice to see.
I would say this book is enjoyable enough but it does have some issues. For one thing, it incorporates so many different genres that it's hard to figure out what kind of story this book is supposed to be. Is it a vampire story? Is it a romance? Is it a murder mystery? (Yeah, the author throws in a murder mystery too. Kind of.) I'm not against combining genres but there's a point where it all becomes too messy and confusing. Also, I felt the ending was a bit rushed.
Overall, enjoyable if you're looking for a fun vampire story but approach with caution.
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