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Night Prayers
Stoker Award winning author P.D. Cacek turns vampire fiction inside out in this wryly witty romp through the seamy underbelly of LA. Meet Allison Garret, thirtysomething, unlucky in love and life, waking up after a three day alone again. Only now, she's a vampire without a clue about how to survive. It will take more than a night full of prayers to help her and her new sidekick, a Bible-thumping street corner preacher, when a catty coven of vengeful vamps target the both of them for destruction.
219 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
160 people want to read
About the author
P.D. Cacek
65 books29 followersOccasionally credited as Patricia D. Cacek.
Patricia Diana Joy Anne Cacek (December 22, 1951, Hollywood, California) is an American author, mostly of horror novels. She graduated with a B.A in Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach in 1975.
Patricia Diana Joy Anne Cacek (December 22, 1951, Hollywood, California) is an American author, mostly of horror novels. She graduated with a B.A in Creative Writing from California State University, Long Beach in 1975.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 27, 2011
Raunchy with a bit of humor. I liked it.
August 28, 2025
I'm just going to start this review by drawing attention to the wonderful summary blurb Goodreads has for my specific version of the book:
The summary is only given one succinct paragraph, but the added "Original." in a single-word sentence adds an unintentional (or is it?) layer of sarcasm to describing the story.
Turns out, it's quite fitting when you delve into the contents of this book.
Right from the summary given on the back—just the first two sentences alone—you already get the vibe that this is a story that doesn't take itself seriously. And it definitely shows once you start reading. The writing heavily leans into satire, with characters that are practically parodies in how their core traits are dramatically exaggerated and/or heavily stereotyped. Allison is a miserable "thirty-something" forever-single woman who, prior to the start of the book, has been frequenting bars drowning her sorrows or hooking up with men, and never being able to get a committed relationship with one. Mica is an overly religious Bible-thumper, very devout and expressive in his beliefs but simultaneously struggling with his libido (often failing), which isn't helped by his job moonlighting as a receptionist for a strip club in the red light district. And that's not yet getting into the rest of the cast—the vampires masquerading as strip dancers, the sultry (and walking Lesbian Vampire trope) Luci, the overly aggressive and feral Black woman Gina, the eccentric Jewish "old" lady Miriam; and their bouncer, Gypsy, who's the typical trope of that one guy whose past involves having engaged in several (often shady) professions in his lifetime.
I tend to avoid drawing comparisons to other books/works if I can help it, but throughout my read I got really heavy vibes of Bloodsucking Fiends (a book I read and reviewed earlier this year that also takes in the parody/satirical approach), Salem's Lot (not the book; I remember having watched its much earlier adaptation/s long ago) and a bit of the German film We Are the Night. Much like Salem's Lot, the vampires in this book are deterred to some capacity by holy symbols (it's even a recurring detail that Allison gets a form of "allergy" when in close proximity to the religious Mica) and, as the title has hinted, faith plays a big role in the book, with Mica's faith being a key plot point—the vampires of the strip club are trying to corrupt him away from his faith (since drinking off the blood from a religious person also destroys them) and after Allison unwittingly joins them (with Mica having initially rescued her due to her close resemblance to his old flame, Piper) they think they just might have their chance.
The dark portrayal of LA with it being far removed from the typical glitz and glamor of its movie and TV incarnations parallels the often seedy, dilapidated environment that's often the setting in Bloodsucking Fiends, and gives the book this kind of old-school vampire movie charm the likes of Salem's Lot. (I'd even attest The Lost Boys and From Dusk till Dawn but considering I've never fully watched them save from various vignettes here and there, I won't draw comparisons from those.) The premise of an all-female group of vampires now recently joined by the newly-turned protagonist reminds me so much of We Are the Night (doesn't help that in both works, the "main" vampire in charge has a sort of lesbian-esque attraction to the unwilling protagonist).
This book has quite a mediocre rating, and while it's more-so indicative of the general average—not a lot of people know about this title to rate, much less review it, so anything neutral or bordering on negative is bound to have a more prominent effect on the score—I can also see people, especially those on a certain social/political spectrum, not being fans of the rampant stereotypes and blatant homophobia and transphobia across the narrative (the latter two mostly coming from Mica, who as established is the stereotypical Bible-thumper). It is rife with crude, offensive humor, and unless you're the type of person who can easily take jokes at your (or others') expense, it would likely dampen your enjoyment of this book.
(One of my favorite lines is in Chapter 1 with Mica—admittedly the scene that showcases his transphobia—where he begins to list all the horrible kinds of people he'd sooner accept than the trans woman who's (also admittedly) soliciting him for a hook-up. At one point he'd even go so far as to accept "Neo-Nazi, fascist, radical, NRA-supporting assholes". I found it humorous because it reminds me so much of how the social climate of today now has the most uncharitable of people pettily calling anyone a "Nazi" or "fascist" for even so much as a mild disagreement or differing opinion (Godwin's Law would be proud).)
It was because of how much it reminded me of Bloodsucking Fiends, however, that I almost dreaded when the story was reaching its third act to the climax (another similarity: the respective male protagonists in both books—both "typical losers with high libido" characters, funny enough—get arrested for a misunderstood murder, coincidentally both instances also involve vampires!). Turns out, unlike Bloodsucking Fiends with how annoyed I got on the third part, this particular book left me with no such feelings. Unlike the former with Tommy's loser qualities being flanderized to the point where it felt like he got denigrated with several of the jabs at his expense coming off mean-spirited, and Jody being able to constantly get away with her horrible actions with almost no repercussions and Tommy (or anyone, really) hardly able to call her out on it, in here both Mica and Allison get called out by the people around them, and both get their share of jabs at each their expense, regardless of deserved or not.
This book truly is a glimpse of a bygone (or, more charitably, exceedingly rare) era of satire, one where everyone gets made fun of—seriously, the offensive portrayals are actually the point, and each of the cast are basically caricatures of the demographic they're supposed to represent. It's due to this kind of comedic boldness from an earlier age that makes this work stand out to me just a little more. People truly don't make comedies like this one anymore nowadays.
"Unexpectedly turned into a vampire, Allison is left to her own devices and, while trying to survive under the cover of darkness, unknowingly offends a vindictive coven of exotic dancers who are out for blood. Original."
The summary is only given one succinct paragraph, but the added "Original." in a single-word sentence adds an unintentional (or is it?) layer of sarcasm to describing the story.
Turns out, it's quite fitting when you delve into the contents of this book.
Right from the summary given on the back—just the first two sentences alone—you already get the vibe that this is a story that doesn't take itself seriously. And it definitely shows once you start reading. The writing heavily leans into satire, with characters that are practically parodies in how their core traits are dramatically exaggerated and/or heavily stereotyped. Allison is a miserable "thirty-something" forever-single woman who, prior to the start of the book, has been frequenting bars drowning her sorrows or hooking up with men, and never being able to get a committed relationship with one. Mica is an overly religious Bible-thumper, very devout and expressive in his beliefs but simultaneously struggling with his libido (often failing), which isn't helped by his job moonlighting as a receptionist for a strip club in the red light district. And that's not yet getting into the rest of the cast—the vampires masquerading as strip dancers, the sultry (and walking Lesbian Vampire trope) Luci, the overly aggressive and feral Black woman Gina, the eccentric Jewish "old" lady Miriam; and their bouncer, Gypsy, who's the typical trope of that one guy whose past involves having engaged in several (often shady) professions in his lifetime.
I tend to avoid drawing comparisons to other books/works if I can help it, but throughout my read I got really heavy vibes of Bloodsucking Fiends (a book I read and reviewed earlier this year that also takes in the parody/satirical approach), Salem's Lot (not the book; I remember having watched its much earlier adaptation/s long ago) and a bit of the German film We Are the Night. Much like Salem's Lot, the vampires in this book are deterred to some capacity by holy symbols (it's even a recurring detail that Allison gets a form of "allergy" when in close proximity to the religious Mica) and, as the title has hinted, faith plays a big role in the book, with Mica's faith being a key plot point—the vampires of the strip club are trying to corrupt him away from his faith (since drinking off the blood from a religious person also destroys them) and after Allison unwittingly joins them (with Mica having initially rescued her due to her close resemblance to his old flame, Piper) they think they just might have their chance.
The dark portrayal of LA with it being far removed from the typical glitz and glamor of its movie and TV incarnations parallels the often seedy, dilapidated environment that's often the setting in Bloodsucking Fiends, and gives the book this kind of old-school vampire movie charm the likes of Salem's Lot. (I'd even attest The Lost Boys and From Dusk till Dawn but considering I've never fully watched them save from various vignettes here and there, I won't draw comparisons from those.) The premise of an all-female group of vampires now recently joined by the newly-turned protagonist reminds me so much of We Are the Night (doesn't help that in both works, the "main" vampire in charge has a sort of lesbian-esque attraction to the unwilling protagonist).
This book has quite a mediocre rating, and while it's more-so indicative of the general average—not a lot of people know about this title to rate, much less review it, so anything neutral or bordering on negative is bound to have a more prominent effect on the score—I can also see people, especially those on a certain social/political spectrum, not being fans of the rampant stereotypes and blatant homophobia and transphobia across the narrative (the latter two mostly coming from Mica, who as established is the stereotypical Bible-thumper). It is rife with crude, offensive humor, and unless you're the type of person who can easily take jokes at your (or others') expense, it would likely dampen your enjoyment of this book.
(One of my favorite lines is in Chapter 1 with Mica—admittedly the scene that showcases his transphobia—where he begins to list all the horrible kinds of people he'd sooner accept than the trans woman who's (also admittedly) soliciting him for a hook-up. At one point he'd even go so far as to accept "Neo-Nazi, fascist, radical, NRA-supporting assholes". I found it humorous because it reminds me so much of how the social climate of today now has the most uncharitable of people pettily calling anyone a "Nazi" or "fascist" for even so much as a mild disagreement or differing opinion (Godwin's Law would be proud).)
It was because of how much it reminded me of Bloodsucking Fiends, however, that I almost dreaded when the story was reaching its third act to the climax (another similarity: the respective male protagonists in both books—both "typical losers with high libido" characters, funny enough—get arrested for a misunderstood murder, coincidentally both instances also involve vampires!). Turns out, unlike Bloodsucking Fiends with how annoyed I got on the third part, this particular book left me with no such feelings. Unlike the former with Tommy's loser qualities being flanderized to the point where it felt like he got denigrated with several of the jabs at his expense coming off mean-spirited, and Jody being able to constantly get away with her horrible actions with almost no repercussions and Tommy (or anyone, really) hardly able to call her out on it, in here both Mica and Allison get called out by the people around them, and both get their share of jabs at each their expense, regardless of deserved or not.
This book truly is a glimpse of a bygone (or, more charitably, exceedingly rare) era of satire, one where everyone gets made fun of—seriously, the offensive portrayals are actually the point, and each of the cast are basically caricatures of the demographic they're supposed to represent. It's due to this kind of comedic boldness from an earlier age that makes this work stand out to me just a little more. People truly don't make comedies like this one anymore nowadays.
April 4, 2015
Night Prayers
By PD Cacek
This book was published in 1998, and while I don’t remember exactly when I read it, it would have been close to that time. I doubt I would be impressed with the story now, but at the time, the humorous snarky modern vampire genre hadn't been invented really and this seemed fresh and interesting. Most of the vampire stories involved the centuries old suave darkly handsome vampire who sweeps the young innocent girl off her feet. This story is nothing like that.
Spoiler alert
There are spoilers in this review as I cover all the major plot points.
The main character is Allison Garett, as newly turned vampire. She was seduced by a vampire Seth who made all sorts of promises. Once turned, she realized that he was just like all the other bad boyfriends in her past and before the situation sinks in, she is dumped, hungry, and hasn't a clue about how to survive as a vampire.
After a series of grisly kills, feeding on random low-lifes, Allison finds herself in the company of female vampires who works as exotic dancers.
Interwoven in Alison’s story is the story of Mica, a street corner preacher.
Alison learns the ropes as both a fledgling vampire and an exotic dancer from her new found family.
When Mica discovers that not only his obsession Allison, but all of the dancers are vampires, he is determined to destroy them. Things don’t go well for him after he beheads his landlady telling the police she was a vampire. She was but that doesn't really help his case.
By PD Cacek
This book was published in 1998, and while I don’t remember exactly when I read it, it would have been close to that time. I doubt I would be impressed with the story now, but at the time, the humorous snarky modern vampire genre hadn't been invented really and this seemed fresh and interesting. Most of the vampire stories involved the centuries old suave darkly handsome vampire who sweeps the young innocent girl off her feet. This story is nothing like that.
Spoiler alert
There are spoilers in this review as I cover all the major plot points.
The main character is Allison Garett, as newly turned vampire. She was seduced by a vampire Seth who made all sorts of promises. Once turned, she realized that he was just like all the other bad boyfriends in her past and before the situation sinks in, she is dumped, hungry, and hasn't a clue about how to survive as a vampire.
After a series of grisly kills, feeding on random low-lifes, Allison finds herself in the company of female vampires who works as exotic dancers.
Interwoven in Alison’s story is the story of Mica, a street corner preacher.
Alison learns the ropes as both a fledgling vampire and an exotic dancer from her new found family.
When Mica discovers that not only his obsession Allison, but all of the dancers are vampires, he is determined to destroy them. Things don’t go well for him after he beheads his landlady telling the police she was a vampire. She was but that doesn't really help his case.
September 1, 2016
When I started reading this, I thought whoo-boy. Here we go with another sexy vampire book. I didn't think I'd like it at all. And yes, it's a sexy vampire book, but it's more than that. It's actually a lot of fun. Cacek has done something I'm pretty sure no one else has done: furry vampires. You know furries. The people who dress up as stuffed animals and have sex with each other. Here are vampires who get dressed up as cats in order to seduce men into giving up their blood. That's pretty cool. It's also cool that the protagonist is turned into a vampire and then her maker doesn't bother to show her the ropes. He just leaves her. It's interesting to see her figure things out. However, there are two things that annoyed me. The first is her constant insistence that being a real vampire is just like being a movie vampire EVEN THOUGH IT IS PROVEN TO HER AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES THAT THAT ISN'T TRUE. Also, I got pretty sick and tired of everyone being surprised by her naivety ALL THE TIME, and they use a treacley tone every time. But I liked this one.
August 6, 2018
If I had wanted to read soft porn I would have read Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series. It jumps around in the beginning between the two main characters. I did not have a problem with that. I had issues with the writing where, at times, characters repeated themselves. And since when are vampires magic? Morphing their clothes onto themselves and morphing their bodies at will? This is just as goofy as Twilight making them sparkle. Vampire genre aside I found the writing just not as skilled as I had hoped. Seems more like a college student writing for a class than a polished or well edited author. A good editor should have caught that repeat stuff. I had the second book in the series but just could not bother to read it after having read the first. Just not my cup of blood. (some of you will get that)
August 7, 2011
Two words: Vampire Furries. (Commence the laughter).
March 7, 2018
Overall I liked the novel, but I had problems getting into it. I just could not connect with the characters. I wanted to know more about the vamp female lead but it kept switching to the religious male lead perspective. That got old since his thoughts revolved around the same thing over and over... I'm sure you can guess what. The story was interesting though so that kept me reading.
I was surprised more at the crazy fanatic character perspective than the sex language. While more graphic than most vamp books, it somewhat died down as the story progressed. I think the author just shoved X rated details in there for shock value (even when it didn't necessarily fit).
I was surprised more at the crazy fanatic character perspective than the sex language. While more graphic than most vamp books, it somewhat died down as the story progressed. I think the author just shoved X rated details in there for shock value (even when it didn't necessarily fit).
July 30, 2023
3.5 Stars
April 16, 2016
The room temperature drops by a dozen degrees. The occupants are Breathers and Vampires. At times a Watcher is around. Sometimes. A side of the scare tactic – a Breather finally encounteres what they couldn't prove – the other moment they feel the chills is a flesh encounter with the undead. Whichever. Equally three bites, and turning innocents. Into Fledgies. Becoming a Maker. Doing Unto Others : The First Rule of Vampirism.
October 4, 2008
An ok vampire novel. It was easy to read, had some humor, nothing special though.
August 21, 2009
This ended up being a very good book, if you can get past the detailed sexual language.
October 7, 2009
Just not the kind of modern horror vampire stuff that I read. Emphasis on the Horror aspects.
Want to read
February 4, 2010A one night stand turns bad & the girl into a vamp. And she has to
figure out how to survive.
figure out how to survive.
July 27, 2010
i usually like this type of book but i could not for the life of me get into this book it was just speaking to me.
August 18, 2011
could be the worst book ever. Didn't get past the the 1st few chapters.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews