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hamlette 's review for:
The Last American Vampire
by Seth Grahame-Smith
--I received an ARC of this book via the Goodreads Firstreads program.--
First off, if you haven’t read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter yet, do so before reading The Last American Vampire. This is not a sequel, but the plot twists and character developments will certainly have more impact if you read Grahame-Smith’s initial vampire novel first.
I originally did not expect much of this book. Admittedly, I enjoyed ALVH for its pulpy elements and creative rendering of the causes of the Civil War. But TLAS impressed me beyond my expectations. The research is meticulous and enormous in scope—it would have to be, because the novel spans about 500 years of American history. The book’s primary weakness, however, was just that— its enormous scope. I think each of the “episodes” of history that Henry Sturges, the vampiric protagonist, finds himself in could be expanded into their own novels to create a series. This may be a bit of a gimmick, but the strength of Grahame-Smith’s writing, my interest in history, and my fondness for the character of Henry would keep me reading, at least. This would also allow the author to spend more time developing influential historical figures that make cameo appearances in the novel.
What I love most about the novel is the total revision of vampire folklore. The primary vampire characters are not what you might expect—they are not malevolent (in fact they’re members of “The Union,” a society of vampires formed to protect America), they are not in league against the church, they kill to survive, and choose their victims judiciously. Yet they still retain the famous mystique of the quintessential vampire.
Henry himself struggles with his immortal identity. His feelings of guilt, his acknowledgement of God , his capacity for love, friendship, nostalgia, sense of patriotism, and compassion, and his righteous anger destroy the automatic perception of evil we have when we think of vampires. Oh, and he’s handsome. Very handsome.
Despite the main character’s soft side, this novel contains just as much violence, blood, and guts—probably more—as the first. If you have a vivid visual imagination, beware. I found myself quite queasy during certain scenes, especially at the novel’s climax.
The book alters our prior supernatural understanding of vampires and suggests instead that a human’s transformation from mortal to immortal is based in science—i.e. it is physical rather than paranormal. This enables Grahame-Smith to create some interesting plot developments via Henry’s discomfort with his identity, and the scientific, almost biomechanical exploration of vampires throughout the novel is certainly a strong point.
Some of the events in the first half of the novel do not seem to make sense until the end—but stick it through, it’s worth it. The resolution is satisfying.
A word of caution: the ending doesn’t hint at a sequel, but makes the reader wish there was one in the works…
First off, if you haven’t read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter yet, do so before reading The Last American Vampire. This is not a sequel, but the plot twists and character developments will certainly have more impact if you read Grahame-Smith’s initial vampire novel first.
I originally did not expect much of this book. Admittedly, I enjoyed ALVH for its pulpy elements and creative rendering of the causes of the Civil War. But TLAS impressed me beyond my expectations. The research is meticulous and enormous in scope—it would have to be, because the novel spans about 500 years of American history. The book’s primary weakness, however, was just that— its enormous scope. I think each of the “episodes” of history that Henry Sturges, the vampiric protagonist, finds himself in could be expanded into their own novels to create a series. This may be a bit of a gimmick, but the strength of Grahame-Smith’s writing, my interest in history, and my fondness for the character of Henry would keep me reading, at least. This would also allow the author to spend more time developing influential historical figures that make cameo appearances in the novel.
What I love most about the novel is the total revision of vampire folklore. The primary vampire characters are not what you might expect—they are not malevolent (in fact they’re members of “The Union,” a society of vampires formed to protect America), they are not in league against the church, they kill to survive, and choose their victims judiciously. Yet they still retain the famous mystique of the quintessential vampire.
Henry himself struggles with his immortal identity. His feelings of guilt, his acknowledgement of God , his capacity for love, friendship, nostalgia, sense of patriotism, and compassion, and his righteous anger destroy the automatic perception of evil we have when we think of vampires. Oh, and he’s handsome. Very handsome.
Despite the main character’s soft side, this novel contains just as much violence, blood, and guts—probably more—as the first. If you have a vivid visual imagination, beware. I found myself quite queasy during certain scenes, especially at the novel’s climax.
The book alters our prior supernatural understanding of vampires and suggests instead that a human’s transformation from mortal to immortal is based in science—i.e. it is physical rather than paranormal. This enables Grahame-Smith to create some interesting plot developments via Henry’s discomfort with his identity, and the scientific, almost biomechanical exploration of vampires throughout the novel is certainly a strong point.
Some of the events in the first half of the novel do not seem to make sense until the end—but stick it through, it’s worth it. The resolution is satisfying.
A word of caution: the ending doesn’t hint at a sequel, but makes the reader wish there was one in the works…