Marty Kowalski is bored out of his skull. This shouldn't be surprising – he is over two hundred years old.
Marty became a vampire in the midst of World War II. In the years since then, since the vampires joined with the prostitutes and allied with the church, the ranks of the vampires have grown, to the point where human beings are almost non-existent. Vampires no longer need to hunt; blood is grown through stem cell research, and sold like coke or any other popular drink. It even has various additives; one brand of blood is the equivalent of tea, and is designed to taste as if the victim died peacefully. Another brand, the equivalent of a sports drink, has added adrenaline (incidentally, more than three times enough to give someone a heart attack), supposedly to taste like the blood of someone who died screaming. With no need to hunt anymore, vampires have gone back to their day jobs, and most of them accept the status quo. Marty, however, one of the first vampires, remembers that "lab-grown [blood] versus the real thing is like Tang next to fresh-squeezed", and is suffering a kind of vampire midlife crisis. Vampires don't have midlives, of course, but many seem to fall under the spell of this kind of ennui around the time they should have died.
Marty has begun playing fast and loose with his own health, such as it is. He drives recklessly, and has already removed his seatbelts and airbags. He doesn't go out in the daylight; in this world, vampires are physically incapable of being awake in daylight hours, although they can be burnt by sunlight. He has no problems with garlic, and of course vampires have reflections – how else did Dracula get that parting so straight? Marty reflects all the time; in mirrors. In chrome. In his lonelier moments.
So when Marty runs into Isuzu, a young, fresh little refugee from the human farms made to cater for rich vampires, he's pleased. Knowing just how rare she is, he decides not to kill her at first. No. He'll wait. Besides, right now she's just stopped being scared and stale adrenaline has an odd aftertaste. Better to wait and scare her fresh when he's ready.
The problem with delayed gratification is, of course, the delay. Marty needs to take care of this little six-year-old human, at least for a time. So he does. Just for a little while.
But then he starts to realize; maybe the warmth and humour a child has will be more interesting than a quick kill. Maybe looking after her properly will be more rewarding then just killing her.
And so, just like that, Marty becomes a father. Vampires can't have their own children, partly because vampires don't age, and many of them miss at least this aspect of mortality. There are programs such as "Little Bobby", which focus on human children growing up, which are very popular. This doesn't mean, however, that one of Marty's neighbors wouldn't snap Isuzu in two without a second thought. So, her existence must be kept secret. Then there's the fact that human food isn't sold anymore, except as artifacts on e-bay. And, luckily, as pet food. After the change, most human food was simply relabeled, and all the animals meant for human consumption were simply used for pets. Medicine, on the other hand, is a little harder to get ahold of.
And so, Isuzu and Marty begin adjusting to each other. The book is told in first person, from Marty's point of view, and much of it focuses on his reaction to becoming a father. Surprisingly, most of the issues he comes across are somewhat normal and human, even in the unusual situation. Of course, it's the unusual, vampire only concerns, which keep the book fresh, and prevent it from being just another fatherhood story. Although the fatherhood part of the book is surprisingly touching and real.
Although the Marty-Isuzu pairing may sound reminiscent of Lestat, Louis and Claudia, nothing could be further from the truth. Somehow, Sosnowski manages to keep the vampiric elements of the story on the right side of believable without delving too far into fantasy or horror, despite the subject matter.
Sosnowski effortlessly slips between present day and back-story, linking Marty's relationship with his parents and his own youth, with his efforts to keep Isuzu safe and happy. Sosnowski's droll wit and rhythmic writing style, and the unique and believable alternate world he has created are interesting and absorbing, making the book a pleasure to read.
In summary, Vamped manages to remain sweet, touching and, in places, funny, without allowing the fantasy elements to overwhelm it.
Marty became a vampire in the midst of World War II. In the years since then, since the vampires joined with the prostitutes and allied with the church, the ranks of the vampires have grown, to the point where human beings are almost non-existent. Vampires no longer need to hunt; blood is grown through stem cell research, and sold like coke or any other popular drink. It even has various additives; one brand of blood is the equivalent of tea, and is designed to taste as if the victim died peacefully. Another brand, the equivalent of a sports drink, has added adrenaline (incidentally, more than three times enough to give someone a heart attack), supposedly to taste like the blood of someone who died screaming. With no need to hunt anymore, vampires have gone back to their day jobs, and most of them accept the status quo. Marty, however, one of the first vampires, remembers that "lab-grown [blood] versus the real thing is like Tang next to fresh-squeezed", and is suffering a kind of vampire midlife crisis. Vampires don't have midlives, of course, but many seem to fall under the spell of this kind of ennui around the time they should have died.
Marty has begun playing fast and loose with his own health, such as it is. He drives recklessly, and has already removed his seatbelts and airbags. He doesn't go out in the daylight; in this world, vampires are physically incapable of being awake in daylight hours, although they can be burnt by sunlight. He has no problems with garlic, and of course vampires have reflections – how else did Dracula get that parting so straight? Marty reflects all the time; in mirrors. In chrome. In his lonelier moments.
So when Marty runs into Isuzu, a young, fresh little refugee from the human farms made to cater for rich vampires, he's pleased. Knowing just how rare she is, he decides not to kill her at first. No. He'll wait. Besides, right now she's just stopped being scared and stale adrenaline has an odd aftertaste. Better to wait and scare her fresh when he's ready.
The problem with delayed gratification is, of course, the delay. Marty needs to take care of this little six-year-old human, at least for a time. So he does. Just for a little while.
But then he starts to realize; maybe the warmth and humour a child has will be more interesting than a quick kill. Maybe looking after her properly will be more rewarding then just killing her.
And so, just like that, Marty becomes a father. Vampires can't have their own children, partly because vampires don't age, and many of them miss at least this aspect of mortality. There are programs such as "Little Bobby", which focus on human children growing up, which are very popular. This doesn't mean, however, that one of Marty's neighbors wouldn't snap Isuzu in two without a second thought. So, her existence must be kept secret. Then there's the fact that human food isn't sold anymore, except as artifacts on e-bay. And, luckily, as pet food. After the change, most human food was simply relabeled, and all the animals meant for human consumption were simply used for pets. Medicine, on the other hand, is a little harder to get ahold of.
And so, Isuzu and Marty begin adjusting to each other. The book is told in first person, from Marty's point of view, and much of it focuses on his reaction to becoming a father. Surprisingly, most of the issues he comes across are somewhat normal and human, even in the unusual situation. Of course, it's the unusual, vampire only concerns, which keep the book fresh, and prevent it from being just another fatherhood story. Although the fatherhood part of the book is surprisingly touching and real.
Although the Marty-Isuzu pairing may sound reminiscent of Lestat, Louis and Claudia, nothing could be further from the truth. Somehow, Sosnowski manages to keep the vampiric elements of the story on the right side of believable without delving too far into fantasy or horror, despite the subject matter.
Sosnowski effortlessly slips between present day and back-story, linking Marty's relationship with his parents and his own youth, with his efforts to keep Isuzu safe and happy. Sosnowski's droll wit and rhythmic writing style, and the unique and believable alternate world he has created are interesting and absorbing, making the book a pleasure to read.
In summary, Vamped manages to remain sweet, touching and, in places, funny, without allowing the fantasy elements to overwhelm it.
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