Staked

by J.F. Lewis

Book Overview

UNREPENTANT. UNIMPRESSED. AND TOTALLY UNDEAD.

Eric's got issues. He has short-term and long-term memory problems; he can't remember who he ate for dinner yesterday, much less how he became a vampire in the first place. His best friend, Roger, is souring on the strip club he and Eric own together. And his girlfriend, Tabitha, keeps pressuring him to turn her so she can join him in undeath. It's almost enough to put a Vlad off his appetite...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416547800
• ISBN13: 9781416547808
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Boring

Couldn't keep my attenction

A Gritty, Rip-Roaring Read

The action doesn't stop from page one till the end, and I was left wanting more. Eric is that guy, the one that we all know at least one of, and he's a vampire, with memory problems, woman problems, and even best-friend problems. JF Lewis is a hot new origional voice in the urban fantasy market. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series! A gritty, down-to-earth telling of what it might really be like to be a vampire, and have to deal with all the everyday problems we all encounter as-well-as the not so everyday ones, like a whole pack of werewolves out to get you!

Very entertaining entry into the contemporary vampire scene

I found this book to be absolutely addictive. The protagonist is not exactly of the purest heart, but he was interesting. The story moved along at a good clip, with no real slow periods. Much like an action movie, it had guns and explosions and not much character development, although of course there was some. In response to another reviewer, I would have to say that readers of Kim Harrison would find this book to be another welcome addition to their reading set. Also those who enjoyed the early Laurell K. Hamilton. There is nothing truly gruesome or gory in this book, nor is it a sex manual. This is a truly enjoyable contemporary vampire book.

Great Debut

This book was a lot of fun. Reminds me of a good cross of say Dresden Files and some of the other paranormal/urban fantasy (mostly female) authors out there. So basically the male lead is a little more well-rounded/thought out than usual. Some predictable plot twists, some not. It's hard to be completely original these days, but he still makes it seem fresh and interesting. Several laugh out loud moments.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!

Just finished reading "Staked," and it is --hands down -- one of the 5 best novels in the Dark Urban Fantasy genre, and easily the finest vampire novel ever written (BTW, I utterly despise vampire novels). Highly original concepts, intricate plotline, sympathetic characters, and a few surprising twists make for a great read. Certainly not for everyone, though . . . the fluffy bunnies can stick to Kim Harrison, as the graphic bloodshed might be a little much for their tender sensibilities. The gore is integral to the plot, however, and is artistically rendered without ever going over the top. Brilliant conclusion. This book stands on its own, or it could even be developed into a series. I hope to see more from this author.

Let's hope there more where this came from!

Eric is a vampire. A vampire who owns a strip club, drive a '64 1/2 Ford Mustang, and has persistent short-term memory problems thanks to having been embalmed. Unfortunately, that werewolf that he killed while defending himself had connections--and now the pack's coming to collect payment (and did I mention they're holy rollers on top of it?). On top of it, his girlfriend, who convinced him to turn her into one of the undead, suddenly just isn't doing it for him any more. And his partner in the strip club business may not be the best friend Eric thought he was. What's an undead guy to do? One would think that a novel featuring a vampire-owned strip club would be pretty predictable. Same goes for vampires vs. werewolves, and, of course, the physiology of the vampires themselves. Lewis manages to not only avoid being predictable, but displays an excellent talent at worldbuilding and characterization. Eric is anything but the seedy, smarmy stereotypical strip club owner. Despite being a vampire, he still deals with very human problems, from love to paying fines and tickets. Additionally, because he's still relatively young, dying in the mid-20th century, he doesn't have the "I've been dead for so long that my culture of origin no longer matters" copout going on. Instead, the reader is treated to odd cultural references from the 1950s and 1960s, and Eric's life is still punctuated by reminders of his human life--including his would-be wife, Marilyn, who stays with him even after his undeath. The plot is fast-paced, too, especially for a not-quite-400-page book. Rather than focusing only on the mystery at the center of the story, Lewis brings in several plot threads and fleshes them out enough to keep them interesting. He wraps them up well, though he leaves a few cliffhangers at the end--which makes me really, really want to read the next book! He has a good grasp of dialogue, too; the characters speak believably and have distinctive voices. The changing first-person perspective brings added depth to the story as a whole, and Lewis has a good sense of when to change narrators. Overall, this is one of the most entertaining and well-developed novels I've read in a good long while. Highly, highly recommended.