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Vampire Hunter D #19
Vampire Hunter D Volume 19: Mercenary Road
When a ruthless quartet of robbers leaves a trail of bloody slaughter through a small frontier town, the mayor looks to hire a pair of bounty hunters to bring them to justice. But their path is strewn with peril and supernatural terror - an army of enchanted soldiers swarms the road leading to an abandoned castle! If they want to survive the journey, these hunters must enlist the help of the greatest warrior in the world - the vampire hunter known only as D.
186 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 10, 2025
3.25/5
A decently entertaining, quick read. Mid-Tier Vampire Hunter D adventure.
A decently entertaining, quick read. Mid-Tier Vampire Hunter D adventure.
April 25, 2018
This is a solid entry to the series, which I have followed since book 1. That said, this is not one of the more interesting series installments. I really liked the ending (which is why this gets 3 stars instead of 2), which is similar to feeling to the ending of previous installments, but there's nothing new about the Nobility or the Great Ancestor, or the geography of the world of D. Onto the next one.
April 28, 2025
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading
; skaitom nakties rezimu
My Opinion: D, unintentionally, is sometimes funny. Strange reactions or lack thereof, quick jibes or sudden clenching of fists to make the jibes from the homunculus in his left arm stop. And here there were too many opportunities for it all as, much like in the previous book, all the humans are terribly annoying. But, then again, so are the nobles. Father and son, despite having been bonked by the Great Ancestor to quit it, bad vampires, continue to wake, raise their undead armies, and make war with each other. At first, I almost expected to hope one of them would win, but no such luck, they both, genuinely, sucked, no pun intended.
A 4 out of 5, a vampire fighting a vampire is still two vampires fighting, human morals do not appl
My Opinion: D, unintentionally, is sometimes funny. Strange reactions or lack thereof, quick jibes or sudden clenching of fists to make the jibes from the homunculus in his left arm stop. And here there were too many opportunities for it all as, much like in the previous book, all the humans are terribly annoying. But, then again, so are the nobles. Father and son, despite having been bonked by the Great Ancestor to quit it, bad vampires, continue to wake, raise their undead armies, and make war with each other. At first, I almost expected to hope one of them would win, but no such luck, they both, genuinely, sucked, no pun intended.
A 4 out of 5, a vampire fighting a vampire is still two vampires fighting, human morals do not appl
April 4, 2013
This is strictly for Vampire Hunter D fans. Bearing his one-initial name, his enigmatic beautiful face and chatty sidekick (literally), D is launched into yet another adventure as he sallies forth reluctantly to see about the goings-on about resurrected soldiers, a battle between father and son and the rescue of lost refugees.
As always, it is life on the Frontier that takes center stage. Life is brutal and short and the innocent are usually the ones to suffer. Throw in the undead, the walking dead and the possessed and surviving in the wild, wild west takes on a whole new meaning.
The awkwardly stilted writing and one-dimensional "hero" at the center of the melodrama are off putting, as usual. Either the foreign language remains fiendishly difficult to translate into meaningful English prose or they need a new translator and editor. After 19 installations in this series, I don't hold out much hope for any improvement.
The addition of a father clumsily trying to help his abandoned son doesn't lend much emotional resonance to this story. The ending just felt contrived and tacked-on--a case of too little, too late.
As always, it is life on the Frontier that takes center stage. Life is brutal and short and the innocent are usually the ones to suffer. Throw in the undead, the walking dead and the possessed and surviving in the wild, wild west takes on a whole new meaning.
The awkwardly stilted writing and one-dimensional "hero" at the center of the melodrama are off putting, as usual. Either the foreign language remains fiendishly difficult to translate into meaningful English prose or they need a new translator and editor. After 19 installations in this series, I don't hold out much hope for any improvement.
The addition of a father clumsily trying to help his abandoned son doesn't lend much emotional resonance to this story. The ending just felt contrived and tacked-on--a case of too little, too late.
September 12, 2022
Not the best but not the worst in the series. Beatrice was a fun side character. Made the whole story, honestly.
May 29, 2025
I liked this one. It felt more self-contained to this book, and also less world-shaking implications, at least until the end.
D's characterization is a little different this time around, more remote than he had been. I don't know if this is a portent to things coming down the road, or if it was just how the author was feeling about the dhampir when he penned this one.
More unique monsters and mayhem this time around, as well, with an intriguing anti-hero in the piece. I don't think we'll see more of it down the road, though, as the one of a kind types have been kind of unicorny. You see them once, and then never again.
It'll be a bit before I hit the next one, I think, but I will.
D's characterization is a little different this time around, more remote than he had been. I don't know if this is a portent to things coming down the road, or if it was just how the author was feeling about the dhampir when he penned this one.
More unique monsters and mayhem this time around, as well, with an intriguing anti-hero in the piece. I don't think we'll see more of it down the road, though, as the one of a kind types have been kind of unicorny. You see them once, and then never again.
It'll be a bit before I hit the next one, I think, but I will.
May 24, 2018
Not disappointing like 18 but not as fun as the ones before it. The characters felt...disjointed. Heavily. I know some of its culturual/translation issues but I dunno. They're popcorn reads for sure but I appreciate them, even if I don't appreciate a lot of the gender BS that pops up constantly. Like how If you're a fan, you'll enjoy the usual beats but that's about it.
July 4, 2019
Always nice to return to the world of the impossibly beautiful vampire hunter known as D. Nothing too fancy this time around as D and company find themselves investigating rumors of an undead army and a resurrected Noble and his son. Pretty action heavy, but as usual, the translation leaves a lot to be desired at time. More than one sentence I had to reread to figure out exactly what was being said.
All in all, not a great D book but a passable killer of time.
All in all, not a great D book but a passable killer of time.
June 1, 2021
There are some real hits and misses in the D series. Some books will leave you thinking about the very meaning of humanity for days, and others read like a bot that was feed a generic D story and this ramshackle plot was the result. Either it was badly translated or just poorly written, but as long time fan of this series....it’s quality had a lot missing in comparison to earlier volumes.
October 17, 2024
One of the better installments in the series. This one held my attention pretty well and the plot was not as convoluted as some of the others have been. I liked the Beatrice character in this book.
October 12, 2015
Don't get me wrong, I love the setting and I love the ideas this series explores, but after a while, some of the common elements really start to feel repetitive.
January 20, 2015
This was the most enjoyable D I've read in a while. Probably because of the shorter length than they have been.
April 27, 2017
This is one of the few books in this series where Kikuchi spared us with repetitive description of D amazing looks and the effect it has on people around him. It was quite well paced book too. It didn't drag endlessly with repetitive battles by the same enemy.
And the only forced plot point is young Franco Gilbey. I get the feeling all this was added to the story after it was written. I don't know why because I didn't really care much about it. Beatrice is a good character without all that I-need-a-sappy-story-to-appeal-to-your-emotional-state.
And the only forced plot point is young Franco Gilbey. I get the feeling all this was added to the story after it was written. I don't know why because I didn't really care much about it. Beatrice is a good character without all that I-need-a-sappy-story-to-appeal-to-your-emotional-state.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews