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waybackwhen's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Good but not my favorite version of vampires. Modern vampires are so…weird and I really love the more gothic, loner types who aren’t morally inept (for what they are). Like if you’re a vampire, drink the fuckin human blood. It’s literally the one job of being a vampire and the last two modern vampire books I’ve read have been that overly moral type that just kinda turns me off to the story and character. At least its well written. The end twist also gives me pause. Does this universe really require two different supernatural entities?
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
2.0
Is it just me or did anyone think the title was ridiculous? I expect any book that has nympho in the title to have lots of sex. I mean come on, isn't that what nympho means.... I love vampire books but this one was so far out of normal for me that it bordered on boring the whole time. Felix comes home from the war as a vampire, and becomes a detective. It seems decidedly so human instead of vampire strong though. He has to wear sun block, wtf.... And special contacts. Plus he drinks animal blood, because he doesn't want to get infected from human viruses. Weak...weak...weak. He doesn't even drink from humans, because of the innocent blood he spilled in the war. I understand thumbing our noses at regular vampire fiction but sometimes we cut off our noses to spite our face. The characters were very one dimensional, and the part where he bitch slaps a raccoon seemed unnecessary even if he was sharing a culvert with it. I didn't even chuckle the whole book, it seemed as hard as the author tried to make us laugh the more I didn't. I didn't get much entertainment from this book, I won't be reading the rest of the series.
~Wicked Reads Review Team~
~Wicked Reads Review Team~
ohheyitsalexis's review against another edition
2.0
Boy howdy... I grabbed this as an acquantaince was moving, thinking, based of the cover, that it would be like a sleazy version of Dresden Files or like a classier version of Sandman Slim. I wasn't exactly wrong, but the book is way less raunchy than the title imples. It's a fun first attempt at a book, but it definitely comes off as amateurish. A little mysogynist, a little nonsensical, an incompetent main character and tons of deus ex machina.
xeni's review
4.0
Was a pretty well done story. If a little... peculiar. The whole vampires pouring blood on their food and eating it then is disturbing. Not so much as them just sucking it right out of a human victim.
Plus, the whole mix of todays world + vampires + conspiracy theories was a little... strong.
Other than that, the story was well written, and even plausible at times.
Plus, the whole mix of todays world + vampires + conspiracy theories was a little... strong.
Other than that, the story was well written, and even plausible at times.
vdarcangelo's review against another edition
4.0
http://archive.boulderweekly.com/050406/uncovered.html
This review originally appeared in the BOULDER WEEKLY
Of vamps and vampires
by Vince Darcangelo
Nothing comes easy for private detective Felix Gomez when investigating strange goings-on at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant. His old college roommate, who hired him for the gig, is acting quite suspicious, as are the women he questions regarding a recent outbreak of nymphomania among plant employees. (The infected women disrupt Gomez' interrogations by aggressively attempting to seduce him, of course.) Meanwhile, Gomez has fallen head over heels in love with a sultry forest sprite with a well-endowed ex. Oh, and if he wasn't feeling insecure enough already, a team of Romanian vampire hunters is trying to kill him.
Felix Gomez learns quick that it's not easy being a vampire in Colorado.
Easily the best-titled book released this year, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats is the debut novel from local author Mario Acevedo, part one of a trilogy centered on Gomez: private eye/vampire/Gulf War veteran. But though this is his first published novel, Acevedo is no rookie. The Nymphos of Rocky Flats is the seventh book he's written. As he tells it, it just took him a while to find his voice.
"At one time I wanted to write really serious books," says Acevedo. "Over the course of time the people in my critique group would tell me, 'You know Mario, you're not as smart as you are smart ass. That's your strength. Write to your strength.' So I did that."
The result is The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, a humorous, irreverent tale of vamps and vampires that bridges the dark absurdism of Christopher Moore and Wes Anderson and the gratuitous camp of Army of Darkness.
Acevedo likens his book to another equally absurd film.
"I studied the movie The Big Lebowski because I loved the way they used humor when dealing with some really dark subjects—the violence, the kidnapping and all that," he says. "They were able to use humor to have levity, but at the same time it didn't diminish the darkness of the story."
It's a winning formula, for underneath all the comedy is the dark cloud of Gomez' past and how he came to be a vampire. The book begins with Gomez as a soldier fighting in the current war in Iraq. He and his men mistakenly ambush a family, and, guilt-ridden, Gomez asks for punishment and is turned into a vampire following the attack. The account is based on an incident Acevedo witnessed when serving in the first Gulf War—minus the vampire part.
"It just really traumatized everybody," he says. "I was at this MASH hospital, just visiting. That's when they brought this little girl in. All these nurses and doctors were just really upset. It was just a horrible thing. And this little girl, her family is gone, she's all by herself, she's with people who don't speak her language. That episode stuck in my head."
Following the Gulf War Acevedo worked at Rocky Flats. As a result, the government needed to review and approve The Nymphos of Rocky Flats prior to publishing.
"If you write anything about Rocky Flats, if you worked there, you have to submit what you wrote to the Department of Energy," says Acevedo. "It's the first and only vampire book to have to get reviewed and declassified by the federal government. Your anti-terrorism dollars at work."
Acevedo says that the DOE didn't change any parts of the book, and he even includes the official approval letter on the opening page. He also claims to have no knowledge of classified information about Rocky Flats, such as the plausibility of the premise of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats. But as longtime Front Range denizens can attest, this fictional account isn't any more outlandish than some of the actual goings-on at the controversial nuclear weapons facility. And this one is a lot more fun.
This review originally appeared in the BOULDER WEEKLY
Of vamps and vampires
by Vince Darcangelo
Nothing comes easy for private detective Felix Gomez when investigating strange goings-on at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant. His old college roommate, who hired him for the gig, is acting quite suspicious, as are the women he questions regarding a recent outbreak of nymphomania among plant employees. (The infected women disrupt Gomez' interrogations by aggressively attempting to seduce him, of course.) Meanwhile, Gomez has fallen head over heels in love with a sultry forest sprite with a well-endowed ex. Oh, and if he wasn't feeling insecure enough already, a team of Romanian vampire hunters is trying to kill him.
Felix Gomez learns quick that it's not easy being a vampire in Colorado.
Easily the best-titled book released this year, The Nymphos of Rocky Flats is the debut novel from local author Mario Acevedo, part one of a trilogy centered on Gomez: private eye/vampire/Gulf War veteran. But though this is his first published novel, Acevedo is no rookie. The Nymphos of Rocky Flats is the seventh book he's written. As he tells it, it just took him a while to find his voice.
"At one time I wanted to write really serious books," says Acevedo. "Over the course of time the people in my critique group would tell me, 'You know Mario, you're not as smart as you are smart ass. That's your strength. Write to your strength.' So I did that."
The result is The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, a humorous, irreverent tale of vamps and vampires that bridges the dark absurdism of Christopher Moore and Wes Anderson and the gratuitous camp of Army of Darkness.
Acevedo likens his book to another equally absurd film.
"I studied the movie The Big Lebowski because I loved the way they used humor when dealing with some really dark subjects—the violence, the kidnapping and all that," he says. "They were able to use humor to have levity, but at the same time it didn't diminish the darkness of the story."
It's a winning formula, for underneath all the comedy is the dark cloud of Gomez' past and how he came to be a vampire. The book begins with Gomez as a soldier fighting in the current war in Iraq. He and his men mistakenly ambush a family, and, guilt-ridden, Gomez asks for punishment and is turned into a vampire following the attack. The account is based on an incident Acevedo witnessed when serving in the first Gulf War—minus the vampire part.
"It just really traumatized everybody," he says. "I was at this MASH hospital, just visiting. That's when they brought this little girl in. All these nurses and doctors were just really upset. It was just a horrible thing. And this little girl, her family is gone, she's all by herself, she's with people who don't speak her language. That episode stuck in my head."
Following the Gulf War Acevedo worked at Rocky Flats. As a result, the government needed to review and approve The Nymphos of Rocky Flats prior to publishing.
"If you write anything about Rocky Flats, if you worked there, you have to submit what you wrote to the Department of Energy," says Acevedo. "It's the first and only vampire book to have to get reviewed and declassified by the federal government. Your anti-terrorism dollars at work."
Acevedo says that the DOE didn't change any parts of the book, and he even includes the official approval letter on the opening page. He also claims to have no knowledge of classified information about Rocky Flats, such as the plausibility of the premise of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats. But as longtime Front Range denizens can attest, this fictional account isn't any more outlandish than some of the actual goings-on at the controversial nuclear weapons facility. And this one is a lot more fun.
bibliofiendlm's review against another edition
1.0
Curiosity killed the cat. This book has taunted my friends and me for several years as well as the others in the series. These books and their ridiculous titles stare out from the sci-fi/fantasy section of BN bookstore. So, my library has it as a free downloadable ebook and I decided to check it out as a purveyor of vampire fiction.
The premise is intriguing. An American soldier fighting in the Iraqi war is transformed into a vampire after he is overcome with guilt when his troop accidentally murders and innocent Iraqi family. Back in the states, ex soldier Felix Gomez becomes a private investigator. Wackeyness ensues as the book's title illustrates (but its far more reserved that you'd expect) but the writing is far from stellar - subpar supporting character, vamps, dryads, and aliens from the Galaxtic Union.
It's pretty terrible but I can say I expanded my knowledge of the genre. lol.
The premise is intriguing. An American soldier fighting in the Iraqi war is transformed into a vampire after he is overcome with guilt when his troop accidentally murders and innocent Iraqi family. Back in the states, ex soldier Felix Gomez becomes a private investigator. Wackeyness ensues as the book's title illustrates (but its far more reserved that you'd expect) but the writing is far from stellar - subpar supporting character, vamps, dryads, and aliens from the Galaxtic Union.
It's pretty terrible but I can say I expanded my knowledge of the genre. lol.
geleeregina's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this novel more than I did. The title is hilarious! Unfortunately the novel did not hook me. By mid novel, I was forcing myself to finish this due to my stubborn nature. Somehow the idea of this novel is much better than the real thing. Though if you like the idea of vampires and aliens, this might be the one for you.
shelleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this a lot more than I thought I would, while quirky its not quite laugh out loud which is what I was expecting, but it's entertaining. It's a vampire novel for a male more than female audience I think - Felix is an Iraqi war vet who was turned during the fighting. Since then he's been hiding behind pancake makeup, drinking animal blood and using his unique abilities as a PI. The title is a little misleading - more violence than sex but not overwhelmingly explicit. The solution to the mystery is silly, but probably no more silly than vampires in the first place.
Still, will be happy enough to read the next in the series when I have a gap in my schedule.
Still, will be happy enough to read the next in the series when I have a gap in my schedule.
tigersmurf's review against another edition
2.0
Its an interesting series so far... not quite what I expected. Very different from the other vampire series I'd been reading, but still good.
innae's review against another edition
3.0
So, I got to meet Mr. Acevedo, and I had him sign this book. Then I decided I should get it read. And it is quite entertaining. It is not a change the world book, but an entertaining detective novel? yes it was.
And I appreciate that some of the scenes take place in the snow! YEAH!! I am so tired of all the CSI shows and the police shows not having any snow. We all know it happens (Law and Order takes place in New York, yet how often have you seen snow on the show?? ask a New Yorker how often they see snow.... -- and CSI: New York..same problem) -- anyway, I appreciated the realism. And the accuracy of the locations, it makes a difference that he is from the Denver area.
In any case, I look forward to the next installement, X-Rated Bloodsuckers (oh, and despite the title, there really wasn't any sex, some almost sex, and some hinted at sex, but actual sex scene -- nope)
Oh, and there was a shout out to Devotchka in the book. One of my friends plays in the band, and if you saw Little Miss Sunshine they WERE the soundtrack :-)
And I appreciate that some of the scenes take place in the snow! YEAH!! I am so tired of all the CSI shows and the police shows not having any snow. We all know it happens (Law and Order takes place in New York, yet how often have you seen snow on the show?? ask a New Yorker how often they see snow.... -- and CSI: New York..same problem) -- anyway, I appreciated the realism. And the accuracy of the locations, it makes a difference that he is from the Denver area.
In any case, I look forward to the next installement, X-Rated Bloodsuckers (oh, and despite the title, there really wasn't any sex, some almost sex, and some hinted at sex, but actual sex scene -- nope)
Oh, and there was a shout out to Devotchka in the book. One of my friends plays in the band, and if you saw Little Miss Sunshine they WERE the soundtrack :-)