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sapphirestars's review against another edition
3.0
I have a really high tolerance for gore and even to me it seemed a tad gross/excessive. Mainly I could see glimmers of things that interested me but overall didn't have a personal stake in it. They mentioned way too many movies and too much annoying dialogue. I liked the premise and some parts including the ending. Only Crouch book I didn't get super excited about but it was a joint authoring with 3 others.
outatime85's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
sandranirina's review against another edition
4.0
I usually stir clear of horror and terror novels but this one drew my attention somehow. And boy, did it grab my attention and didn't let go 'til the very end.
It's gory, disgusting, horrid yet it's quite a story of humanity coming up against unthinkable odds, holding on by a thin thread.
It's a great rollercoaster ride in a hospital of all places, turned into a nightmarish ground! I loved how several authors came up with this story with their voices blending seamlessly into one, giving the reader quite the thrill. I hope they'll also deliver splendidly on a follow-up which I'll eagerly read.
It's gory, disgusting, horrid yet it's quite a story of humanity coming up against unthinkable odds, holding on by a thin thread.
It's a great rollercoaster ride in a hospital of all places, turned into a nightmarish ground! I loved how several authors came up with this story with their voices blending seamlessly into one, giving the reader quite the thrill. I hope they'll also deliver splendidly on a follow-up which I'll eagerly read.
iremaltun's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laneylegz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
A horrifying, violent, heart-wrenching, over the top novel by 4 different authors made into one story. I love Jack Kilborn (AKA J.A. Konrath & Melinda DuChamp. His Jack Daniels series, Codename Chandler series, & thriller collective are fantastic), Jeff Strand (I enjoyed his Andrew Mayhem series) , Blake Crouch (His serial killer "Thomas/Kite" series is excellent), & F Paul Wilson (haven't read any by him yet).
A rich old man procures a "dracula" skull with terrifying results. An outbreak in a hospital traps the entire building into a nightmare of turning into blood sucking monsters that need blood by any mean possible. There's othing traditional about these draculas. Told from multiple POV's from patients, nurses, doctors, visiting loved ones as they try to survive while some are turned. Not for the faint of heart & Kilborn's novels never end with a HEA.
A rich old man procures a "dracula" skull with terrifying results. An outbreak in a hospital traps the entire building into a nightmare of turning into blood sucking monsters that need blood by any mean possible. There's othing traditional about these draculas. Told from multiple POV's from patients, nurses, doctors, visiting loved ones as they try to survive while some are turned. Not for the faint of heart & Kilborn's novels never end with a HEA.
plurabelle's review against another edition
5.0
5++ stars
A completely different and ingenious take on the vampire novel.
4 amazing authors: [a:J.A. Konrath|137270|J.A. Konrath|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1238279777p2/137270.jpg], [a:Blake Crouch|442240|Blake Crouch|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264134132p2/442240.jpg], [a:F. Paul Wilson|20561|F. Paul Wilson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1210613635p2/20561.jpg], [a:Jack Kilborn|1724698|Jack Kilborn|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264134305p2/1724698.jpg], and [a:Jeff Strand|207708|Jeff Strand|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1238033438p2/207708.jpg] - each creating their own characters and following them through to the end - come together to create an absolutely amazing twist on the Vampire novel.
Mortimer Moorecook is a desperate and dying man. Willing to do just about anything to survive the disease that is ravaging his body. After acquiring the so called "Dracula's Skull", he believes he has found the answer to his prayers. Within minutes of the skull arriving at his home, he sinks the elongated teeth into his own neck...
To say anything else about the actual storyline would take away from the enjoyment of discovering all the twisted nuances to this roller coaster of a novel.
As gory and twisted as this novel is (and trust me when i say, this is not for the squeamish), there is a hefty dose of delightfully warped black humor thrown into the mix, which only made me love this book more.
I am already a HUGE fan of JA Konrath/Jack Killborn, but this book makes me anxious to read more by the other authors as well.
Not for the fainthearted, but if you enjoy finding yourself giggling as you squirm in your seat, grab this book and dig in!
Get the book here!
Kindle
A completely different and ingenious take on the vampire novel.
4 amazing authors: [a:J.A. Konrath|137270|J.A. Konrath|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1238279777p2/137270.jpg], [a:Blake Crouch|442240|Blake Crouch|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264134132p2/442240.jpg], [a:F. Paul Wilson|20561|F. Paul Wilson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1210613635p2/20561.jpg], [a:Jack Kilborn|1724698|Jack Kilborn|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264134305p2/1724698.jpg], and [a:Jeff Strand|207708|Jeff Strand|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1238033438p2/207708.jpg] - each creating their own characters and following them through to the end - come together to create an absolutely amazing twist on the Vampire novel.
Mortimer Moorecook is a desperate and dying man. Willing to do just about anything to survive the disease that is ravaging his body. After acquiring the so called "Dracula's Skull", he believes he has found the answer to his prayers. Within minutes of the skull arriving at his home, he sinks the elongated teeth into his own neck...
To say anything else about the actual storyline would take away from the enjoyment of discovering all the twisted nuances to this roller coaster of a novel.
As gory and twisted as this novel is (and trust me when i say, this is not for the squeamish), there is a hefty dose of delightfully warped black humor thrown into the mix, which only made me love this book more.
I am already a HUGE fan of JA Konrath/Jack Killborn, but this book makes me anxious to read more by the other authors as well.
Not for the fainthearted, but if you enjoy finding yourself giggling as you squirm in your seat, grab this book and dig in!
Get the book here!
Kindle
snuf's review against another edition
4.0
Good book to get you in the Halloween spirit. Action-packed from start to finish - a fun read.
reading_since_10's review against another edition
5.0
Thx to Steven for sending me this great gift.
I totally enjoyed this, what's more to say than that.
Oh, if there is going to be a sequel, then I can hardly wait for it.
I totally enjoyed this, what's more to say than that.
Oh, if there is going to be a sequel, then I can hardly wait for it.
graveyardpansy's review against another edition
2.0
the plot, setting, and and some of the imagery were all pretty good, but the characters were FLAT and it is painfully obvious that all of this was written by men. there was a lot of racism and misogyny that i suppose could be written off by arguing it was the characters and not the authors, but i am not one to give a collective of white men the benefit of the doubt on that front. when i skimmed the author discussion section at the end of the ebook and found that the initial motivation for this book was money? not at all surprised.
i also think some of the imagery was pretty weak. i felt like there were times when guns, chainsaws, and explosives were described with more craft and care than the blood and teeth were. I know it’s likely influenced by the fact that so many people worked on this, but the way that the draculas are described in almost the exact same way through each character’s focus gets incredibly boring. i know they have claws! i know they have impossible teeth! tell me about the depths of their eyes, the pattern of their torn-away flesh, the precise colour of the spot that one fang ripped away their gums and lips, the way that blood soaks into the clothes that remain. the dracula description was too repetitive for my tastes.
i would like to propose a litmus test for what type of person you are based on why you dislike twilight. do you dislike twilight because of the author’s racism that is built into the book’s lore? we can be friends. do you dislike twilight because it has sexy vampires or because a lot of tween girls like(d) it? we probably can’t be friends.
the authors wanted to take the idea of vampires away from the alluring image they often have in YA horror, but they do it in the most pretentious way possible. as someone who’s read a lot of old vampire fiction (including dracula!) it’s incredibly disingenuous to say that original tales of vampires lack sexual tension. one of my personal favourite aspects of a lot of older vamp stories is the allure of vampirism and the layered things that vampirism can imply about society. these authors abandoned all of that for pure blood and gore. and i like blood and gore! i enjoy to be grossed out by the horror that i read! but blood and gore doesn’t mean your novel has to be one-dimensional.
Spoiler
i will say that i enjoyed the ambiguity of the ending.i also think some of the imagery was pretty weak. i felt like there were times when guns, chainsaws, and explosives were described with more craft and care than the blood and teeth were. I know it’s likely influenced by the fact that so many people worked on this, but the way that the draculas are described in almost the exact same way through each character’s focus gets incredibly boring. i know they have claws! i know they have impossible teeth! tell me about the depths of their eyes, the pattern of their torn-away flesh, the precise colour of the spot that one fang ripped away their gums and lips, the way that blood soaks into the clothes that remain. the dracula description was too repetitive for my tastes.
i would like to propose a litmus test for what type of person you are based on why you dislike twilight. do you dislike twilight because of the author’s racism that is built into the book’s lore? we can be friends. do you dislike twilight because it has sexy vampires or because a lot of tween girls like(d) it? we probably can’t be friends.
the authors wanted to take the idea of vampires away from the alluring image they often have in YA horror, but they do it in the most pretentious way possible. as someone who’s read a lot of old vampire fiction (including dracula!) it’s incredibly disingenuous to say that original tales of vampires lack sexual tension. one of my personal favourite aspects of a lot of older vamp stories is the allure of vampirism and the layered things that vampirism can imply about society. these authors abandoned all of that for pure blood and gore. and i like blood and gore! i enjoy to be grossed out by the horror that i read! but blood and gore doesn’t mean your novel has to be one-dimensional.