Unburied

by Nicholai Conliff

74-year-old Ashley Miller, a former child soldier of the German army in World War II, spends what should have been his old age in peaceful isolation: he keeps his lawn up to neighborhood standards, listens to records, sticks to his diet, longs for the faces that have left his life . . . and hasn't aged a day since 1942.

Part historical, part literary horror, UNBURIED oscillates between past and present to form a cohesive dual narrative dismissing the tropes of paranormal genre fiction.

325 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2013

About the author

Nicholai Conliff is a fiction author from nowhere in particular. His debut novel, Unburied, was released on March 7th, 2013. He possesses no credentials what-so-ever which would be relevant to an author’s bio!

Reviews

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I make a point of seeking out things from new people whenever I shop in indie markets and that, and since this book is one such purchase, I was obligated to give more than a cursory flip-through after spending the time talking to the creator and all.

It's... a thing.

It's a thing about a gay Nazi vampire and the other vampire who made him that way.

To be fair, I don't know if he was an enthusiastic Nazi or, like his boyfriend, enlisted as a compulsory thing and spiteful of it (certainly he wasn't at all enthusiastic after the vampirism), as confusing as it is reading two wildly different threads at the same time trying to figure out how they meet up (I was trying to guess which was the vampire and incorrectly thought one was trans, but that's a different character).

... I don't know.

It's an OKAY read compared to other middling books I've read (skimmed, really), but mostly I'm not really into the vampire scene, like, AT ALL.

*STRONG EXCEPTION: Fangs, by Sarah Andersen
*STRONG MAYBE EXCEPTION: (I don't know if they're actually vampires) Letters for Lucardo by Otava Heikkilä

Anyway, I tried, good job me!

[Janet Jongebloed · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a dick in real life, but the book itself is surprisingly decent. As I'm setting up my Goodreads account and trying to rate 20 books for full access to the site, I'm trying to remember enough books well enough to rate them, so I was reminded of this book I haven't read in over a decade. Despite the passage of time, vivid scenes from the story linger in my memory – like one character waking up sewn to another test subject, a talking parrot, and a joke about 30 being considered old. The fact that these scenes have stayed with me speaks volumes about the book's lasting impact. Despite the author's bullying behaviors, it pains me to admit, the book taken by itself wasn't bad at all. It shows promise for a novice writer stepping into the world of novel writing.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, this book is not the sort of thing I usually read. I lost interest in most vampire books and actively avoid WW2 stories. That being said the vampires here are unique and realistic in a way, not uber-sexy, romanticized creatures. I really love the main character, I got very attached to him quickly. The story goes some very dark places in the flashbacks, but thankfully doesn't dwell on them too long and the switch back to present day helps to keep it from getting to heavy to handle.

Given the description, I had no idea what to expect. I enjoyed it, had a hard time putting it down even. When I wasn't reading it, it was still on my mind. Best advice, go at it with an open mind and it will give you things to think about for a long time. A story about life, death, love, and everything in between.

[Jenx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unburied reveals itself skillfully, in teasing glimpses. The historical elements are an integral part of the story, but are very immediate to the reader. This is not a typical modern vampire story, although elements of folklore are used that the casual fan might not even recognize. Epic in scope, the piece manages to be character driven. This is a moody, atmospheric, densely packed book, full of feeling. It’s not for the faint of heart. Unburied is unpredictable, because it departs from what we’ve come to expect from horror. It shies from nothing, but Conliff has not come to the table to be crass. There’s a word we don’t hear very often lately—dread. That’s just what is invoked here.