book review | December with Dracula 8 | Salvation: Quest for Glory by John G. Hartness | Year Four 13-16

Author: John G. Hartness
Title: Salvation: Quest for Glory
Series: Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter 13-16
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Dracula
Pages: 463
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

Last book in the Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter omnibus series that I owned, and read. But Salvation: Quest for Glory by John G. Hartness, is apparently not the last book on Quincy, so likely I’ll get to return to my favorite spawn of Dracula eventually.

About the Book: Harker and his friends found a way to get Glory her divinity back, but it sadly means a lot of very bad things happening first. Such as going to hell. Literally. Where Quincy Harker is very well known. But not very well liked, due to the absolute hordes of demons he’s banished from their playgrounds on earth over the long years he has been alive. The few archangels at his six won’t likely help restore that image either… 

My Opinion: I really like the way author writes. It’s smooth, amusing, witty, gritty, and even when facts of the world change – it’s hard to question it, as it’s just woven into the plot. There’s always adventures, some more unique and interesting than others, but hey, I do love me an action-packed book, and if there’s one thing never lacking with Quincy motherfucking Harker around it’s action. Along with such things as demon bile, or demonic funk. Love the philosophy too, and the use of good old characters in plot twists to throw some things off a little, or propel them a bit farther. All in all, a great tale, with a few weaker points, such as too smooth a road down into the pit for that one final throwdown. 

Will definitely seek out more. This one, meantime, gets a solid 4 out of 5.

book review | December with Dracula 7 | Damnation: Quest for Glory by John G. Hartness | Year Three 9-12

Author: John G. Hartness
Title: Damnation: Quest for Glory
Series: Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter 9-12
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Dracula
Pages: 466
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

Read Damnation: Quest for Glory by John G. Hartness, third book in Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter omnibus series. Sadly this one had too many side characters as mains for my liking.

About the Book: Glory, Quincy’s guardian angel, gave up her divinity, her wings, to help him save the world. In return this gang of unlikely heroes set off on an adventure to help her restore it, and learned some shit they would have rather not known, like, ever. To solve this extreme little problem they might just need God himself. And that means – they need to find the big bad angels of the top tier first.

My Opinion: Don’t get me wrong, still a great book(s). Characters are very well written, their stories absolutely essential, I just didn’t like them, personally, as much as I learned to enjoy Harker’s brand of humor. Plot was superb tho, very fun, made sense, offered new, and unique adventures, and perspectives. All in all, another fine book, just lacking in Quincy Harker, and his Uncle Luke (Dracula) as a direct consequence.

Good. A 4 out of 5. Personal preferences aside, and all that.

book review | December with Dracula 5 | The Cambion Cycle by John G. Hartness | Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter 5-8

Author: John G. Hartness
Title: The Cambion Cycle
Series: Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter 5-8
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Vampires
Pages: 394
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

I couldn’t resist. Instantly grabbed The Cambion Cycle: Year Two by John G. Hartness, second book in Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter series. Other series will just have to wait. And no, I regret nothing either.

About the Book: Someone is hunting down people with supernatural blood in their veins, specifically those whose one parent was either an angel, or a demon. They brutally kill them, and leave Harker a message. A message out of blood, guts, and remnants of soul. And, worst of all is that Harker has already seen all this before. Back then having stopped it through sheer luck…

My Opinion: Author has a great, smooth writing style where between high-strung action there’s moments of respite and planning. Characters don’t loiter about, taking more time talking than doing things. Everything’s in very, very good balance, I just can’t stress that enough. Additionally I noticed there’s these… Little repeated things, sentences, jokes. Not repeated per page, but from another book, another story told before. This created a lovely little dynamic, where it almost feels like the reader and the author have inside jokes now. Again, takes balance to get there. Lots of humor, unbelievably colorful epithets and insults, well written action and protagonists. The only thing I had a small issue with were side characters who were not so small as to warrant such template-writing.

A firm 4 out of 5. And how do I resist taking third one right now…

book review | December with Dracula 4 | Quincy Harker: Year One by John G. Hartness | Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter 1-4

Author: John G. Hartness
Title: Quincy Harker: Year One
Series: Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter 1-4
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Vampires
Pages: 384
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter series, written by John G. Hartness, is best read in these omnibuses. Then you’ll be absolutely certain you’re reading them in appropriate, chronological order. Don’t ask why I mention this now, now that I’ve read Quincy Harker: Year One, a 1-4 books omnibus.

About the Book: Quincy’s parents were Mina and Jonathan Harkers who, one way or another, were affected by Vlad Dracula himself. This means that Quincy, while not a vampire, now lives in the age of cell phones and security cameras, and calls Dracula his uncle. He works as a demon hunter, one way or another banishing the things that go bump in the night, bumping them back, as he puts it. But whether it’s because being an anomaly that he is – he attracted attention of said beings, or because they just pissed him off – remains unknown. After all, living this long means he saw the worst humanity has to dish out. And the darkness those acts pull into the world.

In this book Quincy starts officially working with officially nonexistent paranormal activity division. And while at first that sounds like great fun – finally someone to clean the records, the blood, and the bodies – it turns out they’re lacking in the supernatural department. So there he is, as before, against a few of Apocalypse Horsemen, Death itself, Hell’s Lieutenants, and all kinds of other crap. Must be Tuesday.

My Opinion: Great humor, colorful epithets and unmatched vocabulary, incredible fights with creatures from the depths of hell, whose sharp tongues are only matched by their damned swords, Vlad the Impaler himself going medieval or, worse, getting all parental, a guardian angel who can barely keep up with this bad influence of a protagonist, and many other absolutely glorious things. Well written, easy to absorb, and even easier to read. The only minus is that some prominent characters follow a very clear pattern that makes their acts, events around them, answers, and dialogues – overly predictable. Occasional curveball would’ve made this beyond perfect.

A very fine read, solid 4 out of 5.

book review | Dracember | Draculas – A Novel of Terror by Blake Crouch

Author: Blake Crouch
Title: Draculas – A Novel of Terror
Series: Konrath / Kilborn Collective
Genre: Horror; Thriller
Pages: 326
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

Randomly discovered this book here, “Draculas – A Novel of Terror” by Blake Crouch and a few other authors, who each wrote a character for this one, edge-of-the-seat tale. My second book of Dracember, December with Dracula, brings us to a hospital about to be overrun by vampire infestation.

About the Book: Elderly man who’d fit Stephen King‘s novels, has bought a strange, seemingly human skull. Greatest difference between actual human skull and this is, of course, the set of teeth. Sharp, pointy, and hollow. He even hired an assitant with appropriate knowledge to tell him whether it seems real enough. Really, his only mistake has been not sharing the information with her. For as he pushed those fangs into his neck, he knew what he was doing. While she, unknowing, in shock and fear, took him to a crowded hospital, full of wounded, bleeding patients who can’t escape… For, you see, the skull has likely once indeed belonged to Dracula, whose headless body has been discovered previously.

My Opinion: Action packed humorous horror thriller, an absolute pleasure to read. It’s almost sad to take a point away for where writing left plot or logic holes. You’ve likely seen a movie or a few just like this, and so know, this book is better. Trapped in a hospital, with stalking, mindless monsters hunting them down, protagonists each apply all their wit and skill to survive and inform the outside world of what’s going on, convince them of this unreal reality. Read on the edge of my seat, and occasionally laughed at… well, you’ll see. Lots of lovely nightmare fuel.

Fantastic. A very solid 4 out of 5.

book review | Pilgrimage of the Sacred and the Profane by Hideyuki Kikuchi | Vampire Hunter D 6

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Title: Pilgrimage of the Sacred and the Profane
Series: Vampire Hunter D 6
Genre: Sci-fi; Vampires
Pages: 206
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

The last Vampire Hunter D book that I had, Pilgrimage of the Sacred and the Profane by Hideyuki Kikuchi is still going strong with great ideas and mediocre execution.

About the Book: Granny Viper is known for her ability to deliver things, even through pretty dangerous places. But the value of the merchandise, and the looming desert ahead make her take precautions and hire extra hands. Among whom is a vampire hunter known only as D. It’s not really a job he’d normally take, no. But the curiosity, and direction too, won the damphir over, as the merchandise in question is a young woman who has been held captive in an infamous castle of the few remaining vampires…

My Opinion: Same old cons. Dull, sometimes even shallow writing, with too high an emphasis on the protagonist looks. But everything else is pretty great. There’s more of the unusual adventures, in unusual place, with some more story on how changed the world is, reminding the reader it’s definitely a science fiction book, as strange and unique as Warhammer 40k, but incomparable even then. D was very, very slightly better written too, as he showed more proper curiosity, and, gasp, almost humanity. Basically, these books are definitely not bad. They’re just not good either.

Will definitely read more when I have more. For now, 4 out of 5.

book review | Vampire Hunter D: The Stuff of Dreams by Hideyuki Kikuchi | Vampire Hunter D 5

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Title: The Stuff of Dreams
Series: Vampire Hunter D 5
Genre: Sci-Fi; Vampires
Pages: 204
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

Read Vampire Hunter D: The Stuff of Dreams by Hideyuki Kikuchi, fifth book in the Vampire Hunter D series. While the plots are woven a bit dully, story itself is always different, always interesting, strange, unusual.

About the Book: D is called into a town that is like a haven of safety in an otherwise dreary and dangerous world. Once even Nobility, the vampires, lived here in peace with humans. Once. Now the townsfolk are on their own, and aren’t harboring the best of feelings for the nobility due to one young woman, who, bitten, fell asleep, and slept like this, not aging, for decades. The fact that everyone here dreamed of D at least once makes the hunter wonder if it’s not the sleeping woman herself who called him here, as no one seems to know who else could it have been, or even why.

My Opinion: It’s not an easy read as it’s pretty dull plot-wise. But I do like the strange ideas, all the unusual visuals written. In this book it’s hard to tell what’s real, and what’s a dream, for the tale is a dream within a dream. So you read and try to keep all of the strings in mind, connecting their ends as someone somewhere wakes up or falls asleep. Pretty good if it wasn’t for the horribly gorgeous D who bothers everyone with his mere presence. I’m really looking forwards to his own history crumbs though, as it seems he’ll be related to Dracula.

A mediocre 4 out of 5 that isn’t yet three.

book review | The Bookshop from Hell by David Haynes

Author: David Haynes
Title: The Bookshop from Hell
Series: –
Genre: Horror; Paranormal
Pages: 227
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

Forget what I was looking for originally when I discovered The Bookshop from Hell by David Haynes, and won’t likely ever remember now. But this one sounded too intriguing to pass.

About the Book: A new bookshop opens in a small, relatively peaceful town, where a door left unlocked wasn’t a safety hazard. Strange one, with an older gentleman running it, seemingly no electricity, and rarely even open. Yet, despite all that, soon townspeople find themselves with a book in their hands, gifted to them, one they cannot put down, for it’s a tale tailored just for them, a tale that has all the answers…

My Opinion: It’s a very classic kind of a tale: some kind of paranormal thing rolls into a very tidy town, and starts pulling and twisting the darkest strings, causing mass hysteria, mayhem, murder. While it might feel dull reading it, there’s value in the books that aren’t boring, books where you can just sit down and relax, simply read, not thinking what’s ahead, not keeping tabs, or trying to connect the pieces together. So, all in all, pretty good for what it is.

A firm 4 out of 5

book review | Vampire Hunter D: Tale of the Dead Town by Hideyuki Kikuchi | Vampire Hunter D 4

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Title: Tale of the Dead Town
Series: Vampire Hunter D 4
Genre: Sci-fi; Vampires
Pages: 201
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

There is only a handful of novels in Vampire Hunter D series by Hideyuki Kikuchi that I can get, so, yes, I am determined to read them all. Finished the fourth one, called Vampire Hunter D: Tale of the Dead Town.

About the Book: A traveling city, entire metropolis, on an unknown course, and a very strict policy for boarding it or leaving, that almost left D on the other side of the door, except… Against all odds, they have found themselves in need of a vampire hunter, better still if one’s as skilled as D, for who or what could possibly hide here, where every citizen can easily be accounted for?

My Opinion: If I haven’t warned you yet, let me do so now: do not play a drinking game where you take a shot every time D’s described as gorgeous, you will end up in the hospital. Other than this annoying flaw that continues through all of the books, the story was pretty good. An interesting concept of a traveling town, where motion and walls were meant to keep everyone safe from what’s outside. But a single threat on the inside of the walls has turned it into a death trap.

Solid one, a 4 out of 5.

book review | If It Bleeds by Stephen King | Holly Gibney 2

Author: Stephen King
Title: If it Bleeds
Series: Holly Gibney 2
Genre: Horror books; Short Story Collection
Pages: 447
Rate: 4/5 | Goodreads

Don’t feel like giving up the horror just yet, so, read If it Bleeds by Stephen King, a short, but not so short story collection on various creepy, unnerving, and scary themes.

About the Book: The main story in the book is that of Holly Gibney, and is a stand-alone sequel to The Outsider, which I’ve not read, nor, judging by this book, will I ever want to read. Holly, watching news on tragedies, notices a reporter who seems to be first on the scene in all the worst ones. Not just there before any other reporter, but at times even before the police, before the ambulance. With a bad feeling in her heart, woman starts to investigate the man, dreading he might be a thing from her past, a thing that fed on human misery, sorrow, pain. Because if that is the case, then this creature here just learned how to make himself a meal. And then Holly will have to stop him. Or die trying.

My Opinion: In all the stories present, I highly preferred two. The very first one, with this cybernatural vibe to it, of a young protagonist calling the phone he left in the pocket of his dead friend. And another one that felt almost Murakamish with that Hard Boiled Wonderland tint to it, about a man dying in a coma, and how that death takes effect. The others I didn’t like as much, but none at all bored me. Writing reads easy, but that’s to be expected from such an amount of experience.

A solid 4 out of 5.