Big Fat Box Set

Fat Vampire #1-6

by Johnny B. Truant

The SMASH HIT SERIES now a new TV series on SYFY, Reginald The Vampire!

This collection contains ALL SIX BOOKS in the Fat Vampire

* Fat Vampire

* Fat Vampire 2: Tastes Like Chicken

* Fat Vampire 3: All You Can Eat

* Fat Vampire 4: Harder Better Fatter Stronger

* Fat Vampire 5: Fatpocalypse

* Fat Vampire 6: Survival of the Fattest



DESCRIPTION FOR FAT VAMPIRE (BOOK 1 IN THIS 6-BOOK COLLECTION):

When overweight treadmill salesman Reginald Baskin finally meets a co-worker who doesn't make fun of him, it's just his own bad luck that tech guy Maurice turns out to be a two thousand-year-old vampire.

And when Maurice turns Reginald to save his life, it's just Reginald's own further bad luck that he wakes up to discover he's become the slowest, weakest, most out-of-shape vampire ever born, doomed to "heal" to his corpulent self for all of eternity.

As Reginald struggles with the downsides of being a fat vampire -- too slow to catch people to feed on, mocked by those he tries to glamour, assaulted by his intended prey and left for undead -- he discovers in himself rare powers that few vampires have… and just in time too, because the Vampire Council might just want his head for being an inferior representative of their race.

Fat Vampire is the story of an unlikely hero who, after having an imperfect eternity shoved into his grease-stained hands, must learn to turn the afterlife's lemons into tasty lemon danishes.

★★★★★ "We need more Vampires like Reginald. Not the cliche, pretty tripe trope that they've fallen into. But Vampires "made from" real people." -- Amanda

★★★★★ "I've never read a series where in the middle of an extremely violent sequence, I'd find myself laughing out loud at something Reginald would say or do. It's this kind of juxtaposition of sci-fi/paranormal and humor that had me hooked from the very first page. Definitely a series worth diving into as it's not your run of the mill vampire scenario. I enjoyed it thoroughly." -- Avid Book Lover

★★★★★ "I absolutely, positively, delightfully drank these books dry from start to finish. If you're sick of vampires that sparkle and don't exhibit real-world problems, Reginald and his story are the antidote for you." -- The Rev Ari

★★★★★ "Working my way through this series I kept dreading the fact that sooner or later (much too "sooner") I'd reach the end of the story. It's an amazingly well-told, often hilarious, very mind-bending saga about humans and vamps - from the vamp viewpoint - without the need to lean on a love interest to get the point across. I LOVE this series and I do wish it could go on forever, but hey..." -- Theresa

★★★★★ "This is an unusual take on vampires, while leaving most of the normal stuff alone. Vampires still drink blood, still glamour humans, still fry in the sunshine. But it includes humor, witticisms, sex, the creation story, an apocalypse and lots of Cheetos, Pizza, and Coca Cola. It's a bit of horror, and romance, and scifi, and horror, and comedy." -- Rolanda Grant

Fat Vampire is a fresh twist on the tired old undead myth by Johnny B.

Genres: Vampires, Fantasy, Supernatural, Humor, Speculative Fiction

1008 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2013

About the author

Johnny B. Truant is an author, blogger, and podcaster who, like the Ramones, was long denied induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite having a large cult following. He makes his online home at JohnnyBTruant.com and is the author of the Unicorn Western series, the Fat Vampire series, The Bialy Pimps, and a handful of other properties and growing every week.

You can connect with Johnny on Twitter at @JohnnyBTruant, and you should totally send him an email from JohnnyBTruant.com if the mood strikes you.

Reviews

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fat vampire. All of them. I remember the two characters but other than that it’s a blur. So time to read again because I did enjoy the series. I love it when the moulds are broken.

Fat vampire 1 - just as fun as I remember it. I love Reggie just not caring and being the smartest guy in the room. Maurice being a hands off teacher was fun as well. Nice and quick read. 5 stars.

Fat vampire 2 - Poor Maurice. I felt sorry for him having to cope with all the Angel talk. I liked the EU vampires, they were cool. Same with Altus. Can’t believe I forgot about Claire. Reggie and Nikki are still adorable. 4.5 stars.

Fat vampire 3 - The one where everything falls apart. I love how Maurice really doesn’t feel like two thousand, yet still comes across as chill about it all. It was a shame about Claire and Reggie, I really liked their relationship. Can’t stand Charles, so hoping he gets taken out. 4.5 stars.

Fat vampire 4 - This one was pretty obvious. War incoming, a guy with all the right reasons and an army, and the ones that want nothing to do with it. Nikki feels like she’s falling into the background, Maurice is as stoic but awesome as ever and then there is Reggie and Claire just becoming more badass. 4.5 stars.

Fat vampire 5 - A lot going on. Less humour and more believing in fate. I didn’t like that it was mainly Reggie and Nikki, or how easily they were played given Reggie’s brain. Gutted about Maurice and the outcome. 3.5 stars.

Fat vampire 6 - The end game. Reggie sulking and wasting forty years, Claire getting older and the counter attack. Apart from the codex stuff, the meeting were all predictable. I felt sorry for Reggie being stuck with them. For an ending it was pretty anticlimactic and more sit down and talk it out. Quick and mostly fun series overall. I liked how part of Maurice was still there. 4 stars.

[Ozlem · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished the series I felt like I was being forced to say goodbye to one of my best friends. I finished all of the six books in the series in a few days. I can recall several times of reading the book before falling asleep and trying to figure out how the book would end in my dreams. Despite the fact that most of the characters are supernaturals, it is really easy to get attached to them and feel like they are actually really similar to us. I liked and appreciated the fact that the supernaturals characters were not shown as perfect creations, the imperfections they had, either physically or emotionally made them easier to bound with. Overall, I really liked the book, and it definitely became one of my favourites.

[Albert Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know that I've read a book that long since I finished The Stand by Stephen King.

where to begin. Reginald is your average man working a corporate job, hating his co-workers, and eating all of the snacks. he befriends the it guy, who's your typical goth teenager, and they begin to hang out after work, strange that the it guy only works through the night.

after a series of unfortunate events, Reginald finds himself an overweight vampire. He's not fast, he's not strong, and he can't catch any food. this seems to be a problem that most vampires don't have since they want to become vampires.

He's different and everybody hates him for it. as the story goes on, Reginald's power grows in different ways that make him crucial to any kind of survival.

I typically don't read vampire stores as they tend to include a fair bit of romance in them as a main story point. while there was some love happening throughout the book, it was used to build Reginald up as a vampire with feeling, not just another cold blooded killing machine.

[Vered · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild and crazy premise for a story: we always imagine vampires as gorgeous creatures, but what happens when the person was fat? This is the answer to that question, and it's a funny, imaginative and at times intelligent response. If you're looking for something different, this would be it.

[Pennie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and twisted.

Vampires are supposed to be enchantingly beautiful, speedy, strong, and graceful, right? Well, you are so wrong! Reginald is the exact opposite of all these things. He is a genius. And he is very fat. Time after time he protects his vampire 'family' through serious messes by using wits, not brawn. As he gains more powers he must use them and his his intelligent, compassionate mind to try to stop an all out war between the living and the dead. Can vampires eat pizza? Do angels enjoy Cola? Can a human child survive a vampire-ruled world? Which side wins? The answers lie in the pages of this must read box set.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

kindle unlimited -- this collection does NOT show up on amazon; each of the individual books do, and a place for pulling up all the books out, the series, but not the 6 book set nor the other sets


Fat Vampire
Fat Vampire 2: Tastes Like Chicken
Fat Vampire 3: All You Can Eat
Fat Vampire 4: Harder Better Fatter Stronger
Fat Vampire 5: Fatpocalypse
Fat Vampire 6: Survival of the Fattest

Fat Vampire #1 Value Meal (Fat Vampire #1-3)
Fat Vampire Value Meal (Fat Vampire #1-4)
Fat Vampire Big Fat Box Set (Fat Vampire #1-6)

[Maree Backhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant

I’ve had this series for a while but just felt like it wouldn’t really be my cup of tea, I actually thought it would be silly. Well I’ve been proven wrong in a massive way. I absolutely loved it. Sure there was a bit of silliness but what would you expect in a series called Fat Vampire, I actually really enjoyed the silliness, it was a nice departure from some of the seriousness.
I’m so happy I bought all the books in one set, I would’ve hated to have to wait for a new book instead it rolled together nicely & kept me wanting more.

[DonnaMoltoBella]

A Masterpiece!

Bravo, Mr. Truant. This epic was one wild ride. It kept me entertained and had me fighting to the end debating whether to root for the humans or the vampires. Our hero, Reginald, the Fat Vampire has indeed shown us what it means to to run the gambit of moral dilemmas. Readers, this is a series you will love. The tone of the series from Reginald's point of viewed provides tons of wit, heartache, and adventure. You'll most definitely fall in love with this bad/good guy.

[H.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun!

I read book 1 back in 2015 and finally made a point to finish reading the series. I love the characters and the storyline is just a ton of fun with things that make you think and question things. The books easy to read one after another because they don't overlap so much that you feel you are reading the same thing over and over again, but they give enough recap that you aren't lost if you take a break between reading the books.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good vampire read

This was a fun series. None of the books are very long, so this compilation just reads as one long book. I really enjoyed Reginald’s struggle with being a fat vampire, his relationships with other vamps, and was surprised at the eventual scope of the series.

[Michael J Weirich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series...

The first vampire story what I've enjoyed reading. I usually steer clear of the whole concept. This was a truly enjoyable journey through vampieland. Definitely recommend!

[Mozell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looooved iiiit!

I loved that the characters were relatable. That the odd one out was the main character and that he was the ultimate hero. The twists and turns gave me the opportunity to use reasoning and to guess at a few of my own predictions. I enjoyed the outcome!

[Josh Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read them all - pretty good

Interesting concept moving from the normal gorgeous perfect specimen of vampires to a tubby character. First books were better than the last, but overall I enjoyed the series.

[robert gube-zitrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!

I saw the tv series first and read the series later wow, wow,wow!! Who would have thought it would turn into an apocalypse world changing political event. 7 billion humans killed. It was incredible.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of fat, lots of fun

This book is a fun series of twists and turns. Think you can predict what will happen? You can't. Enjoy the ride!

[Alubomulle Sumanasara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent tapestry

Nice reading stuff. A good representation of nature and characters of mankind. Neither winners nor losers. Good and evil are inter dependent.

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh gosh i remember reading this cynical humorous little gem on my kindle in secondary school. What a ride it was.

[Mel Lefebvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good vampire story, and this is a delicious vampire story. I devoured every page and I wish there were more.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this series, I'll be reading them again.

[Teri Duignan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun!

I was hooked when Reginald considered three single word exchanges with Maurice to constitute a friend at work! A fun read which I recommend.

[Mr A C Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not but them down

[John Lochridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Read carefully to see how it all ties together.

Really liked the way it ended. Just couldn't figure out how it was to all work out. Read it when you can.

[Elorm Atsrefi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with a great ending. I did not think I would enjoy the book as much as I did.

[Alex Brenholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's witty, it's funny, and the plot is amazing. Loved every second of it.

[Rob Laman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An oversized vampire’s quest to become the best, happiest, most secure version of himself that he can. And stop an apocalypse. Twice.

Fat Vampire Series by Johnny B. Truant

Reviewed by Rob Laman

When it comes to story, we like to connect - we need to be able to insert ourselves into it.  And though we are all heroes in our own stories, only the most egotistical of us sees him or herself as a perfect archetype. Chiseled chest glistening in the setting sun with long locks flowing in the breeze as the smashing blonde runs doe-eyed down the beach, arms out prepared for your strong embrace? Not so much. The reality is that we all have our warts, and it is often these flaws that are the most relatable in a good story.  They draw us in, helping us to empathize with the characters.  There is a beautiful passage in Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw where Gretchen, a main character, has misplaced her reading glasses. She employs her husband’s glasses, which happen to be handy, noting the matched imperfections she and he share.

Reginald Baskin is an everyman, a relatable anti-hero, lacking in confidence, relying on wit, sarcasm and self-effacement to survive in a world that rewards bigger, better, stronger, faster.  The Fat Vampire Series by Johnny B. Truant, consists of six novella length books that explore the life of Reginald, who, as the title so adroitly suggests, is an overweight vampire. He’d rather plant himself on the couch with a bag of Cheetos and a bottle of pop than stalk humans for blood.  In fact, he doesn’t really even like blood, finding it gross. Clearly he’s missing some of the key attributes required for good vampiring. Before being turned, most vampires train extensively, working themselves into peak physical condition before embracing immortality.  It’s boot camp for biters and there is a waiting list. As a human Reginald was always weak and slow; as an incidental immortal, the improvement is marginal. However, over time Reginald discovers some strengths of his own, primarily as the beneficiary of the greatest vampire mind in history.  And he’s going to need it because the end of the world just may be nigh.

Brilliant mind or not, his sudden inability to stroll along the beach at midday hasn’t removed any of the stigma that accompanied his size whilst human.  Now instead of merely being subject to the ridicule of his fellow humans, he is subject to the scorn of humans and vampires alike.  The early forecasts for eternity indicate perpetual mockery and feelings of inadequacy. The series follows Reginald through his adjustment to life as a night stalker and his ensuing adventures as he comes to grips with his place in this new world and ultimately his role in the fate of the planet, humanity and vampirekind. Along the way the reader experiences a transformation of both Reginald and the world in which he lives. Beyond the obvious jokes and self-loathing, the Fat Vampire series is an adventure that dabbles in philosophy, includes political intrigue and even a love story, albeit vampire love.

The characters are presented as regular people. Well, regular vampire people. They have doubts. They make mistakes. Some explode into clouds of vampire dust. The author toys with the prevalent vampire mythology popularized by iconic writers like Bram Stoker and Anne Rice and more recently via the success of Twilight, True Blood, and the like, though the series is more Buffy than Dracula. Mostly though readers will see bits of themselves in these tales of blood, spotting their own fears, desires and short-comings. But if you’re looking for another throw down between Teams Edward and Jacob this is not the series for you.  Oh, there is an incubus who plays a role in the story and an appearance by an angel, but no werewolves.  Mostly because they’re not real.

It is clever read that both advances and sends up the genre, digging into ideas that are seldom explored in tales of the undead.  What do vampires think about child vampires? Creepy and frowned upon. Why does garlic repel vampires? It’s mostly just about bad breath; garlic is actually quite useless for anything other than seasoning. Are vampires really immortal? This requires a longer discussion, preferably over a pint of beer at a university pub or atop some dusty desert mesa with a handful of peyote buttons.

For all of it’s fun, the Fat Vampire series contains lots of swearing and some of the content is not for the faint of heart - or the kiddies. If you enjoy inverting tropes and can stomach the occasional fat-guy joke, the series takes a novel approach to some highly leveraged subject matter.  This is not high art, but it is fun story with characters you will cheer for, mostly because but for a bite on the neck, there go you.

[Carrie Renteria · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I downloaded this series I was not expecting it to be as entertaining as it was. The Fat Vampire series was honestly refreshing and really unexpected. The series is about just what the title says a Fat Vampire, the star of the series is Reginald who has spent most of his life as an outcast because of his weight he is around 6ft tall and weighs 350. The story begins with him at work and introduces us to some of the characters that he works with. Johnny B. Truant does a great job creating the setting you can really picture it in your mind and his work setting honestly reminded me of Office Space which I absolutely loved!

Reginald friends the IT guy Maurice who is a 19yr old goth kid and he goes bowling with him and he is attacked by some people that come to see Maurice. Turns out those people are vampires and were summoning Maurice since he is actually over 2000 years old and is a vampire himself. Well Maurice makes a snap decision and turns Reginald who by the way hates being called Reggie, and our story takes off its all about the Vampire Nation trying to rid the vampire world of an unsightly according to them Reginald. Well turns out Reginald is a genius as a vampire one of the smartest there are if not the smartest because the fit cute vamps are usually not that smart. Turns out Maurice, Reginald and Nikki who ends up being Reginald's other half defeat the council and Maurice becomes Deacon (ruler). This story continues to progress through the series you see Reginald character as well as others really grow as the books continue.

This series was such a different take than the Vampire setting and series that you normally see it wasn't "Mainstream"or "Hollywood" at all and thats where the appeal of the series came in. It does start kind of slow but keep with it the books are great and quite entertaining. There are so many zingers in there that you will be constantly laughing. The series is full of Vampires, Angels, Incubi, and so much more it is action packed and the author does a great job detailing the settings and creating that connection between the characters and the reader.

[Percival Constantine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fat Vampire starts off really good. The first book in the series is without a doubt the best. Anyone who's listened to the Self Publishing Podcast or Better Off Undead/Worst Show Ever knows that Johnny B. Truant is a really witty guy, and that definitely shines through in this book. There were so many lines that had me chuckling and the scene when Reginald is running had me in stitches.

As the series goes on, the humor becomes a lot more subdued. While this is made up for in a really intriguing story and some great characterization, I did find myself missing the humor of the first book. The fourth and fifth books felt a little slow for me, but the sixth book ended the whole series on a perfect high note.

Truant's imagination really shines through in the sixth book. It's hard to say too much about it in this review because I don't want to spoil it for new readers, so let's just say that Fat Vampire 6 may as well be a textbook case study in world-building. There's a lot of thought put into many different aspects of the world, but it's never told in an info dump fashion and is instead dolled out in little bits just when we need it.

The humorous bent of the first book is what caught my eye, but it's really the characters that kept me reading. Reginald is an extremely endearing character, someone that I think many, many people can relate to, and he plays wonderfully off the diverse supporting cast. There are quite a few characters in this series, but every one of them manages to have their own unique voice, something that can be difficult to pull off.

Although I missed the laughs of the first book, this was still an extremely enjoyable read and one that I recommend.

[Graham Downs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever heard of a fat vampire?

This is a really epic series, and in an effort to not spoil it for you, I'm going to try and start my review from really early on in the story.

Most vampires in the world today were introduced to the vampire world while they were still human. They chose to be vampires, and went through extensive training, sometimes lasting months or years, before the final day of their turning. See, when a human becomes a vampire, their body is fixed in whatever state it's in at the time of the turning. They can never gain or lose weight, or change their hairstyles, or become fitter or flabbier. That's it.

So, what if a fat slob one day gets turned into a vampire completely against his will? That's the question Fat Vampire tries to answer.

The whole series is a laugh-a-minute parody of modern vampire fiction, and pokes fun at stories like True Blood and Twilight, with reckless abandon. It even mentions True Blood by name! If you like that show, you'll love this series.

The only reason I didn't give it five full stars is because it got a bit long, but then I think that's my fault more than the author's. Boxed sets are great, but I think that next time, I'm going to read one or two episodes, then read something else, then come back to the boxed set. Reading it all at once is really draining... which is also maybe a good thing, because there are just so many layers to this story.

[Phillip Berrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably should be 3.5 stars.

Based on the premise that vampires can't be fat and still be alpha predators, this book is more speculative fiction than horror and in the end shares more with the author's background in the biological sciences and philosophy than in the terrible creature of fear of the horror genre that is normally associated with the concept of the vampire.

That's not to say it wasn't an interesting read; it did keep me reading through all six books of the set after all. However, if you are after horror, this is not where you'll find it. And, if you're after humour? I'm afraid that didn't work for me either with this book. The idea of a vampire not being able to feed normally because they weren't pre-prepared for the change was maybe a little humorous for about a quarter of the first book, but after that it was the overall scenario and the extreme steps the author was willing to go with the world of the scenario which kept me reading... See previous comment about the book being speculative fiction.

Your mileage may differ.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the series. Even the ending was good, which for me is huge. I would almost give the series a 5, but a couple of characters lost several layers of depth by the end. Still, I really enjoyed reading a bit every night over quite a while. I highly recommend the book.