VampCon

by Armand Inezian

Jonathan Stoker is a reluctant vampire who wants nothing to do with the dark world that turned him. He isolates himself, sucking nonlethal quantities of blood from helpless drunks and making a marginal living. However after he learns that someone he holds dear has been lured to the VampCon, a cut-throat vampire summit, Jonathan is forced to deal with his kind again.

But Jonathan and company quickly discover that the VampCon is much more than a meeting. It’s a conspiracy that holds the key to both the creation and possible extinction of all vampires.

Now Jonathan has no choice but to come to terms with his own dark side while working with a small band of troublemakers to stop a nightmare from coming true.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Vampires

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 21, 2012

About the author

Growing up in Hollywood, in a multilingual household, Armand Inezian became fascinated with the interplay of language. In his teens, Armand began exploring writing locally, attending screenplay workshops and writing articles for the lively California 'zine scene.

In the 90's, he moved to Boston to attend the MFA writing program at Emerson College, where he wrote stories inspired by his family's history of immigration. His stories have appeared in prominent literary journals like the Missouri Review and Western Humanities Review, and they have received numerous accolades including a Pushcart Prize nomination, and the Glimmer Train Fiction Open Prize.

His short story collection, Bringing Ararat, was a finalist for the OSU Prize in Fiction and the Black Lawrence Fiction Prize. It was featured in the noted blog, A Year of Reading the World, by author Ann Morgan. VampCon, Armand's first novel, is a supernatural thriller published by UK-based Grayhart Press.

He is currently completing a new novel, The Ghost Code, is a Cold-War era story of suspense set in Soviet Russia, about a secret radio code, a broken family, and a father who will do anything to anything to set things right.

Armand resides in Boston with his wife, two amazing children, two cats, and many books.

Reviews

[Cheryl Sammons · Rating 3 out of 5]

*SPOILER ALERT*

I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from the author for my enjoyment and to leave an honest review.

The book takes place in New England. This is the story of Jonathon, a new vampire who is trying to find a way to save the other vampires from evil where both species can live together in the same world. Jonathon, has had his presence requested at VampCon (Vampire Congregation) by the committee. All vampires are to attend. There are two towers; North and South but only one, the North can be seen by vampires. The North tower where VampCon is being held is a portal into another universe. In that universe things are not what they seem. There are shape shifters, hideous spiders, and super powerful villains. I loved this authors imagination coming through with the spiders and shape shifters. The detailed description of Ariel's mishaps are vivid and gory. The author’s ability to take what we are fearful of and enlarge it through description (spiders) is fantastic. We aren’t fearful of an ant, but make it 10 feet tall and saliva dripping from it’s mouth is a whole different story.
My difficulty in understanding this book came in trying to link all of the characters. In chapter 17 there were 20 pages and 13 characters brought into play. Some like Ariel and Jonathon and Jake were there throughout the book, but the description of the others didn’t provide me the links to join the characters. I also had a hard time connecting the Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Part 1 takes place in VampCon. The beginning of Part 2 takes you to some time in the future. It’s not clearly written what has taken place or why there is a time lapse between Part 1 and 2. It was difficult to see the connections between the characters in the beginning of Part 2. You don’t find out until the last page of Part 2 that it had been a two year lapse between Part 1 and Part 2. Part 3 seemed to flow much better. But I still feel like there were so many characters brought into play that I couldn’t keep them straight because I didn’t have enough information on them to do so.
I have only previously read the Twilight series and beyond that, Dracula when I was a kid many, many, many years ago. I’ve had a fascination with ‘things of the night’ all my life since I was a kid watching Boris Karloff. Some things are new to me; such as shape shifters. Having no preconceived notions of what to expect, I’d say it was ok. The book was a little on the long side at 678 pages.

[Missyb · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Tons of stuff happening, maybe a bit too much, and the point of view jumps around a little (the chapter is of a certain person, then the next chapter is a different person). Didn't seem like there was any main character, but it seemed to start as if John was the main character. When done, you'll feel like you read 2 books, non stop action and twists.
John (vamp) tries to leave Boston but fate seems to be against him. Ariel tracks him down and tells him he needs to answer the summons and go to the Congregation. He gets a call from his son and rushes back to Boston to attend the Congregation & try to find his son. Peter & Jake (John's son) show up at the tower and Abby lets them in, even though they are late (even though Abby is part of the McRory house, she's abused by Donnach and tells Jake that Donnach is planning on killing everyone). John is already in the tower thinking that his son is safe because the tower was locked up before his son go there. As everyone settles in for the day things begin to happen. The building shakes and the power goes off & on. Then vampires are attacked. Donnach is possessed by a demon. As the vampires gather to try to defeat Donnach, he and his people attack. Donnach is killed and Peter takes the demon into himself.
Then the story moves two years later. They gather together again to try to find Peter and kill him. Wallace & Genevieve go to Russia, and the others go to Benneton after Peter. The problem is the Peter has already left. They do find Ariel, and the all head back to Boston after realizing that's where Peter is headed (the 2nd tower). They battle Peter and knock the demon out of him and Ariel takes possession of it. Peter is killed & the tower/spiders are eliminated. HJ & Genevieve strike a deal, John goes to work at a school as the IT guy while living at one of Sully's places. He writes to Jake, but they don't see each other.

A few wording/tense issues (p. 138 spluttering)(p. 188 Finally, as she'd hoped, HJ's hormones kicked in), but pretty clean book. Not a easy read, really need to pay attention because there is a lot going on all at the same time, but a good read.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book as a beta reader.

This is a quick moving story that has much more to it than I originally though (based on the description). First of all, the characters are well thought out and behave in a way that is true to them. That is to say they do do things that are out of character, they change, and they can be frustrating/confusing. It is obvious that Mr. Inezian put in a lot of effort - he has created a world complete with theories on why vampires exist, how they govern themselves, etc. He also has an entire host of characters and includes different vampire politic. The author also tells the why of how vampires get their powers - something that is usually simply a "given." This explanation is interesting and can lead to amazing diverse effects.

As I started reading, what I thought would be the climax turned out to be just a pre-climax, if you will. There is so much more to the story! The book is divided in to different parts, but the divisions make sense. I enjoyed seeing the array of dynamic characters adapt to each of their struggles (growth is a big plus in my book). The book really covers a lot of ground in regards to moving the plot along, though I suppose some people could think the book is very long (I didn't). I also liked the allusion...

The end of the book doesn't tie everything up in to a nice, neat bow which is good because I hope there's more to come! The tone is hopeful, but in this chaotic world, that doesn't really mean anything.

SPOILER: P.S. What happened to Greyson?

(updated 8/24/12)

[Deborah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this through LibraryThing. It's an ebook.

I'm only half-way through and I'm finding it tough going. I thought VampCon was going to be a convention and it's not. There are many different viewpoints and many strange characters. I prefer 1st person POV.

Finally finished, but it didn't get any better.

[Eric Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this fast moving adventure story. It reminded me of a cross between True Blood and X-Men. It is set in a well thought out modern-day universe where vampires have different abilities. The action is fast-paced and keeps you guessing.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received this book as part of Greyhart Press' 'read...review...repeat' offer).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I don't like vampire books.

I actually like the whole vampire concept, but there are too many storylines that are all the same. Male vampire more than a hundred years old meets and falls in love with a seventeen-year-old girl. (Somehow, it never seems to be the other way round). So I kept seeing this story on the Greyhart Press website, but thinking it was just going to be a stupid vampire romance story.

In the end, however, I gave into temptation and requested it.

I was actually quite surprised by how much I liked this book. The characters were adults and actually interesting ones. The book was far more about action and fighting than about romance, even though there were bits of romance. Even the most powerful vampire warrior had her own weaknesses and got herself badly hurt.

There were some errors I noticed in the book. Most of them were minor ones, but they still threw me out a little bit.

I liked the use of spiders for the demons. Spiders make my skin crawl, so I had absolutely no problem imagining them as the demons... though since spider legs are so thin, I kept thinking that the main characters should have been able to tear them off without any trouble.

The origin of the voices was interesting, but I would have liked a bit more explanation about what they really wanted. The fighting scenes were really well-described and I could really emphasise with the good characters. Not so much the bad ones, but they were the bad guys, so that wasn't a huge problem.

I liked Abby and Ariel. I think I would have liked to see more with Mary. Was she a ghost, or merely a hallucination? I thought that Ariel's 'blindness' was particularly interesting. I'd almost like to read an origin story for her.

Lastly, I liked how things went with Jake. That wasn't what I would have expected, but I'm glad he worked things out with Melissa.

Having said all that, if there's a sequel to VampCon, I'd definitely be interested in reading it.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Stoker was movin’ on. He’d been in the same place quite happily (if a vampire can be happy!) for too long. He was becoming content and that was bad. It meant things could happen – like the invitation to the Congregation of Houses to be held soon by the “new ruler”.
Jonathan tries anyway he can to get out of the city and up to Canada but no matters how hard he tries, Fate (in this case a blind vamp named Ariel) intervenes. He must attend. He is an heir to one of the leading families, it is possible they can bring down the new ruler if they all cooperate.
Against his leanings, Jonathan goes. His son found the invitation that Jon burned to ashes (Ariel’s doing?) and is intending to meet him there. Bad idea. The “VampCon” as everyone is calling it is a trap. Brilliantly executed by Donnach McRory and his warriors. No one is meant to live. Some do and that’s when the trouble really starts
Jonathan, his son, a very interesting shapeshifter called HJ and several members of other Houses band together to stop Donnall. Whether they do or not is the tale this book tells. If you are a vamp fan you will want to pick this one up. Very gory and quite well done.

[Melissa Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book…with interesting twists and turns; vampires getting together for a convention.

The main characters are fascinating and it was effortless to like and/or hate them. The plot is complex and attention-grabbing. It isn't like any other vampire book that is out there now…you don’t know what each chapter will bring…it keeps you involved. It is fast moving and I couldn't stop reading because I had to find out what was going to happening next. I was so far on the edge of my chair that I fell to the floor. I am kidding about falling but not about the book being so damn good.

The only this I didn't like about it was I would have liked to have seen a real convention I think it would have been humorous (like new stuff to make the vamps happier and healthier) but then it isn't my book and I liked the way it was written and there are all kinds of conventions, i.e., business, comic-con, tech.

The book is well written and I am eagerly awaiting many more books from Armand…keep them coming I am your #1 Fan!

[Katherine McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This pulpy vampire novel doesn't waste any time getting to the action. From the start, the humorously named Jonathan Stoker gets thrown into this vampire congregation--some fancy meet and greet with all the vampires, like a big, ugly family reunion. A different slant on vamps, this departs from all Anne Rice-ian and Twilight notions of pretty vamps and gets to some gritty and kind of nasty origins involving giant spider aliens with poisonous salivating bellies. Narsty. Throw in some ancient magic and the notion that vampires' abilities are affected by their past sins and you get a spin on the time old traditions that works well in this novel. While I kind of wanted a little more from the characters, the pacing and action beats kept me reading.

View the rest of the review here:

VampCon

[Marta Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a beta reader.

It didn't sound exactly like something I'd read but I was curious - and really enjoyed it. :)
It's a fast and good read (read it in two days), the happenings here aren't predictable and what you first think will probably be the climax of the story isn't it at all - it's just part of the start really.
I found the characters interesting and was curious to learn more about them - I liked the concept about magic here as well as the different view on vampires. I can't really write too much about that - I'd reveal too much of the story. :)
The only character I'd have liked to know a little more about would have to be Abby. She felt a little too much like she was *just there*.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fast moving adventure starts when Jonathan gets the invitation to Congregation of Houses, a meeting of all vampires and the head honcho. Through the possibilities of losing his son to the crazed vamps, to working with those that created him that he loathed, it all came down to each character pressing on individually to work as a team to take down a magical power that threatened everyone's existence even mortals. I cannot believe all the twists and turns it kept me up most of the night to finish.

If you like characters that have their own path and descriptive personalities this could be for you. The detail of each of the fights, the shifting, the battles all kept my interest.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a beta reader. I enjoyed the story line of the book. There were some characters that really got developed and some that did not get so developed. I would have liked to learn more about Abby. She seemed like a really good character. It was a quick read because you wanted to keep knowing what was going to happen. Right when you thought you had reached the climax of the book, there was another one farther in the book. I would recommend this book to others that enjoy reading about vampires.

[Monique · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won a copy through the Goodreads: First Reads program.

Not bad for a pulp vamp novel. The POV changes are a bit distracting, but not overly. I'd have preferred a bit more explanation of the jump in time, and, honestly, a bit lighter hand on the gore (but that's just my personal preference -- other folks will probably love that best). I did enjoy Inezian's take on the vampire mythos, one that is certainly different if you're used to Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, or the vast collection of "PNR/urban fantasy" writers.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are like me and are constantly on the go with ereader in hand, don't start this book until you have time to sit down to read it. But be sure to make time. If you try to read a chapter at a time, it gets confusing.

This book is not like the Twilight or TrueBlood series with cookie-cutter vampires. In VampCon, each creature brings their own skills and uniqueness to the story. It is intense and sometimes a little long. However if you like vampire books that are not mainstream, you will enjoy this one.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story has a very epic feel to it from the beginning. The problem I ran into is the book covers such a huge world that I was unable to get invested into the characters till the very end. There was excellent pace to the action and the book did end on a strong note. If you do enjoy a good action book without a lot of filler you will still enjoy this book.

[Lucia Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book (stayed up until 12:30am to finish!), and really enjoyed it. Interesting and different take on a vampire book. Lots of action right out of the gate, kept me engaged and definitely was a page-turner for me.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced thriller with lots of intriguing characters,and vampires with an incredible variety of powers, although none of them sparkle. :) Highly recommended for readers looking for some vampiric variety.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of VampCon from the publisher as a beta reader. This is a fast moving story with an unusual twist on the vampire legend.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book, pleasant read.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Liked VampCon very much. It reminded me of Simon Green's books with a touch of Joss Wheldon's Angel thrown in.

[Lisa]

Received 6/3/2013 in exchange for promising to review it at BN.com and Goodreads.

[Alysa H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

** I received a free copy of this book via the Greyhart Press 'Read… Review… Repeat…' program **