Vampyrrhic

Vampyrrhic #1

by Simon Clark

Beneath the surface of the peaceful town of Leppington lurks horrifying creatures, thirsting for blood, who live in the shadows and only reveal themselves to their unlucky victims, but their evil existence is about to be exposed. Original.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Thriller

434 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 1999

About the author

Born, 20th April, 1958, Simon Clark is the author of such highly regarded horror novels as Nailed By The Heart, Blood Crazy, Darker, Vampyrrhic and The Fall, while his short stories have been collected in Blood & Grit and Salt Snake & Other Bloody Cuts. He has also written prose material for the internationally famous rock band U2.

Raised in a family of storytellers – family legend told of a stolen human skull buried beneath the Clark garage – he sold his first ghost story to a radio station in his teens. Before becoming a full-time writer he held a variety of day jobs, that have involved strawberry picking, supermarket shelf stacking, office work, and scripting video promos.

He lives with his wife and two children in mystical territory that lies on the border of Robin Hood country in England.

Reviews

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad I read this book even though it did drag for me. The book had a lot of potential and had very good horror elements and possible scary scenes and descriptions, unfortunately the scare factor was missing. The story started out very good with some suspense and tension, but then it just lost all the steam and seemed to move very slow. Most of the real action happened 3/4 toward the end of the book. I thought, "oh good, now we're getting somewhere". Well, it just kept going and going and going. I couldn't wait to finish this book and it was taking me so long to get there that, there wasn't any scary or tense moments for me and I felt let down.
This was not a bad book, just not a great horror book. (My Opinion). Simon Clark is a good writer and I will read the next book thinking it will be a lot better. There were too many repetitious statements and unnecessary wordy descriptions and I think that it is why it dragged down the story for me.
I do recommend this book because the storyline is very good and other readers may enjoy the book more than I did. I rated this book 3 1/2 🌟🌟🌟✴

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly unique vampire romp. I expected a cheesy horror offering based on the cover, but the story was more involved than random neck nibbling, beheadings and demented evil creatures luring young maidens into their evil lairs. These vamps are tied into ancient Norse Lore, old magic, old family ties, apocalyptic past bargains made, not to mention sewer systems. Leppington has gone back to his hometown with little memory of it. Once there he finds his family line has certain family ties into the old town and legend. Staying at a hotel, he meets a group of intriguing characters who become wrapped up the weird town's history.

Simon Clark used a slow pace to entrance me. There are some genuinely creepy parts to keep the blood freezing or pumping (whatever the occasion), especially a bathroom attack and elevator trip. The vampire child helps keep the creep vibe flowing.

It's not particularly gory but it doesn't shy away - there's even a vampire blow-job scene that may make some men squeamish!

A book for any horror fan to try, but be warned a star was shaved since sometimes the 'slow, enchanting pace' became sluggish. I liked the characterization and how they tied into the story, but it wouldn't have hurt to add another dimension or two to the main players.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

«Gesù! Guardate la sua mano!», esclamò uno degli uomini.
«Topi! Vi ho detto che si trattava di topi!».
«Ed io ti ho detto che non ci sono topi là sotto!».
«Tutte le fogne hanno dei topi!».
«Queste non ce l'hanno. Sono stato lì sotto negli ultimi quarant'anni!».
«Cos'ha tentato allora di mangiargli la mano?».

David Leppington ritorna dopo più di vent’anni nel suo paese natale, l’omonima cittadina di Leppington, per fare visita ad un vecchio zio.

Una volta arrivato, prende alloggio presso l’albergo della stazione dove lui e gli altri ospiti iniziano a sentire voci e rumori inquietanti nel corso della notte, per poi venire infine invischiati negli orrori che si celano dietro la facciata del tranquillo paesino inglese.

Girò pagina e, a casaccio, scelse un paragrafo.
Il mio dono per te è un esercito immortale, nutrito con il sangue dei tori, obbediente alla parola di Leppingsvalt e ansioso di conquistare il nuovo regno, un regno che renderà onore a Thor e non a Cristo.

Perché sotto le strade di Leppington si nascondono creature terrificanti, spinte da un antico bisogno ed unite dalla loro smania comune e senza fine.

Creature rimaste nascoste nelle tenebre per moltissimi anni che ora stanno per scatenare una guerra sanguinosa.

Questa nuova parola non aveva molto significato per lui. Il suo uso eccessivo e cattivo l'aveva privata del suo significato. Solo che, quando quella parola ronzava insidiosamente nella sua testa, portava altre idee associate con essa. Qualcosa di disgustoso, gonfio... vene color porpora... fame... dolore... malattia. La parola ronzava nella sua testa ora.
E quella parola era:
VAMPIRO.

Una guerra che David ed i suoi compagni scopriranno essere stati predestinati a combattere già da tempo.

Tantissimo tempo.

«Papà, non lasciarmi quassù», disse la voce attraverso il tettuccio della macchina. «Ho paura. Ho paura».
David inserì la prima.
In quel momento la voce del bambino si trasformò improvvisamente in una risata gutturale. Il burattinaio aveva cambiato strategia.
La testa del bambino apparve dall'altra parte del parabrezza. Sogghignava. Gli occhi ardevano fissi nei suoi.
Poi cominciò a battere la fronte contro il vetro.

La città dei vampiri è un romanzo dell’orrore che avevo comprato più di dieci anni fa, per poi dimenticarlo sugli scaffali della mia libreria nascosto dietro decine di altri libri acquistati successivamente ed anche loro lasciati a prendere polvere nell’attesa di essere riscoperti e letti.

Era notte. Restavano otto ore di oscurità fin quando il sole avrebbe fatto la sua prima, esitante apparizione sulle colline: sarebbe arrivato con tutta la trepidazione di una donna che tornava a casa dal lavoro per trovare il portone principale aperto, una finestra rotta, e del sangue che gocciolava lungo la ringhiera della scala.

Diciamo subito che come libro non è invecchiato proprio benissimo, e che ho letto storie di vampiri decisamente migliori di questa che, dopo un inizio intenso, pieno di tensione e suspense, mi è parsa trascinarsi stancamente, pur con qualche guizzo orrorifico più che degno di nota, fino alla sua esplosiva, sanguinosa e truculenta, parte finale.

"Prometto che non scenderò più quaggiù. Prometto di essere brava. Prometto...".
Si gettarono su di lei dall'oscurità, un'ondata di bianche teste scintillanti. Delle mani si allungarono: erano lunghe, orribili, pallide.
Lunghe dita si strinsero intorno alle sue braccia.
La tirarono fuori dell'ascensore.
Urlò.

Un romanzo tutt'altro che memorabile, per non parlare di un paio di comprimari a dir poco fastidiosi ed irritanti, e pur essendo il primo libro di una saga credo che difficilmente prima o poi mi procurerò i libri successivi che ne fanno parte, ma alcune scene disturbanti e raccapriccianti che resteranno a lungo nei miei incubi, insieme all’idea originale di collegare per una volta l’origine del vampirismo a miti e divinità nordiche, hanno fatto sì che questa lettura non si sia rivelata alla fine un completo disastro per me.

«Prenderemo tutti gli attrezzi di cui hai bisogno. C'è perfino una motosega fuori nel garage».
«Solo un'altra cosa», disse David, guardandola. «Hai preso in considerazione che lei potrebbe non accettare di essere decapitata?»
«Sei preoccupato che opponga resistenza?»
«Accidenti, Electra». Fece una risata cupa, con una punta isterica. «Tu non lo faresti?»

Peccato perché in fin dei conti non è per niente un brutto libro, l’idea di base era davvero buona, ed alcune scene mi hanno fatto veramente paura.

Tre stelline per intrattenimento, godibilità, e divertimento, ma è davvero tutto qui.

«Attenti!», gridò. «Arrivano di nuovo!».
Una dozzina o più di Vampiri stavano scendendo di corsa lungo il tunnel verso
di loro. David non riusciva a distogliere gli occhi dalle loro teste che erano tonde e bianche come palloni che si muovessero a scatti in quella totale oscurità.
David mandò su di giri la motosega e si preparò all'attacco.

[Μπάμπης M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10. H υπόθεση εξελίσσεσαι σε ένα ξενοδοχείο σε μια επαρχιακή πόλη της Αγγλίας όπου ετερόκλητοι χαρακτήρες μεταξύ τους προσπαθούν να αποτρέψουν τα βαμπίρ που κατοικούν υπόγεια να ανέλθουν στην επιφάνεια. Ενδιαφέρον παρουσιάζει η ανάμιξη του βαμπιρικού μύθου με την Σκανδιναβική μυθολογία(!). Κατα τα άλλα αν και πολλές δόσεις αίματος η ανάγνωση του κύλησε "αναίμακτα"...

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see like a lot of the other reviewers, I bought this book solely based on the cover. Like everyone else, I expected cheesy hilarity but instead was insanely engrossed in this book. Might even be better than Salem's Lot.

Very nice twist on the vampire book--which with the sole exception of Salem's Lot, and Salem's Lot inspiration EC Horror comics--I've always found to be very boring. Clark takes it in a different angle by having the vampires be tied into Norse legends and ancient magic. Which shockingly works.

Also cliffhangers galore! Makes the book near impossible to put down--since someone is always trapped in an elevator headed to a basement full of snarling bald vampires (this seems to happen every other chapter too--I now have a new reason to be nervous in elevators).

At first I wasn't 100% unboard with past lives and psychic abilities and magic because I almost always hate plot twists like this--but it works. I actually cared about the characters--and the transformation of the tattoed up pyschotic gangsters who risks everything to protect the somewhat bumbling doctor protagonist was amazingly enough believable.

I now want to read all his other books and I will!

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

They say don’t pick a book by its cover, but we all do it, right? Well, Simon Clark’s Vampyrrhic has one of the best horror covers ever to grace a Leisure Horror novel. But, it’s also a solid entry in the vampire sub genre that actually brings a few unique spins on the legendary creatures.

Dr David Leppington returns to the town, which is named after his family, to visit his uncle, the last remaining Leppington. He learns of his strange heritage as the “keeper” of a crazy vampire army locked in the sewers under the town.

Vampyrrhic is a slow burn that twists Nordic legends with vampire folklore to give a unique twist on the tried-and-true formula. Clark is a solid writer, and he mixes in elements of The Ring and CHUD to go along with the vampires, and a wonderful gothic atmosphere. I also don’t mind the slow burn that some complain about. Where I usually enjoy longer books, Vampyrrhic seems to get stuck in the mud trying to get into gear. I also question some of the character’s decision making along the way. I also didn’t buy into the misfit punk character’s complete change along the way. All in all, a solid read. I like many of the things Clark did and look forward to my next read of his.

3.5 Smut Films out of 5

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Δεύτερο βιβλίο του Σάιμον Κλαρκ που διαβάζω, μετά το "Δίψα για αίμα" που διάβασα προ αμνημονεύτων ετών, δηλαδή γύρω στον Σεπτέμβριο του 2008 (σύμφωνα με τα κιτάπια μου), τότε που μόλις ξεκινούσα τη Β' Λυκείου. Προφανώς και δεν θυμάμαι τίποτα από εκείνο το βιβλίο, τόσα χρόνια που έχουν περάσει από τότε και τόσα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει στο μεταξύ, αλλά για να του έβαλα τέσσερα αστεράκια σημαίνει ότι θα μου άρεσε. Λοιπόν, το "Βαμπίρικ" (διάβασα την έκδοση της Άγνωστης Καντάθ) μου φάνηκε σαν ένα πολύ ωραίο, ψυχαγωγικό και αρκετά εθιστικό θρίλερ τρόμου με βαμπίρ, που ναι μεν δύσκολα μπορεί να τρομάξει κάποιον, από την άλλη όμως άνετα σε καθηλώνει στη θέση σου, μέχρι να διαβάσεις και την τελευταία σελίδα. Αν μη τι άλλο υπάρχει αγωνία και ένταση, υπάρχουν και μπόλικες δυνατές σκηνές με αίμα και βία, ενώ βρήκα την ιστορία εξαιρετικά ατμοσφαιρική χάρη στο όλο σκηνικό της μικρής επαρχιακής πόλης που βρίσκεται κάπου στην αγγλική εξοχή. Η γραφή είναι σίγουρα πολύ καλή και ευκολοδιάβαστη, με ρεαλιστικές περιγραφές σκηνικών και καταστάσεων, ενώ οι πρωταγωνιστικοί χαρακτήρες είναι μάλλον αρχετυπικοί για το είδος και ίσως με όχι τόσο πολύ βάθος, αλλά οπωσδήποτε λειτουργικοί και (πιστεύω ότι) εύκολα μπ��ρείς να ταυτιστείς μαζί τους. Μπορεί το βιβλίο να μην εντυπωσιάζει με τις ιδέες και την πλοκή του (ή ίσως ακόμα και με τη γραφή του), όμως σίγουρα περνάς καλά διαβάζοντάς το. Υ.Γ. Το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι στο κοντινό μέλλον θα ξαναδιαβάσω το "Δίψα για αίμα".

[Horror Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Simon Clark, for me, has only resulted in disappointment. This one is a bit of a paradox since it contains both the best writing of Simon Clark's books I've read (the most okay was Stranger) and the worst.

Originally, I was planning on rating this book about 2 stars for the chainsaw fight in the climax, until I got to the end after 434 pages and realized what I had read was basically Salem's Lot, combined with a bit of IT. It's possible to do a book taking ideas from Salem's Lot well, whether with a lot of energy (Blood Red by James A. Moore, or Greely's Cove by John Gideon), or changing up the settings (They Thirst by Robert Mccammon), but all Simon Clark adds is a bit linking the vampires' origins to Norse gods, not much else.

I can accept fine books, I will not accept boring ones. If you're eyeing this one, just read Salem's Lot, or Enter Night, or They Thirst, or After Age, or Greely's Cove.

You can do much better than this book.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest. I totally picked up Vampyrrhic (Vampyrrhic #1) by Simon Clark for it's cover - and just look at it! The story itself is solid, but it definitely didn't need to be over 400 pages as at times it is fairly slow. I will say though that the author does a good job at building up the creep factor. I'm not sure if I'll be back for the sequel or not.

[Nate Dawg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. It’s got a great cover and is well written but the story was just so so. I ended up being disappointed with the plot because it had so much potential and was a let down.

[Alondra Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Nothing like a great vampire tale.

It starts off with a creepy video and a strange girl; as all wonderful tales should start. It only gets weirder from there. The reason for the existence of these creatures, to their eventual demise is a crazy ride. The novel does lose some steam towards the end, but the pacing is still good....and then again, there is the video tape. *shudders*

Good grief, I love vampires. Highly recommended.

[Dimitris Zisis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η ιστορία ακολουθεί τα POV τεσσάρων ατόμων: Του Ντέιβιντ που είναι απόγονος των Λεπινγκτον, της Ηλέκτρας που έχει ένα ξενοδοχείο στο χωριό Λεπινγκτον, της Μπερνίς η οποία μένει στο χωριό και είναι καλή φίλη της Ηλέκτρας και του Τζακ ο οποίος έχει παρανομησει και ξέφυγε στο χωριό με το ταλέντο να διαβάζει το νου.
Και οι τέσσερις καταλήγουν να συναντηθούν και μαθαίνουν για ένα σκοτεινό μυστικό από τους απογόνους του Ντέιβιντ: Τους βρικόλακες.
Προσπαθούν να λύσουν τη κατάρα και να σώσουν την ανθρωπότητα από το χάος.

Το βιβλίο είναι λίγο μεγάλο σε μέγεθος (για εκατοστά) και slow burn. Παίρνει το χρόνο του να στρώσει την ιστορία αλλά έχει ατμοσφαιρικές σκηνές, πολύ μυστήριο και ωραία δράση.

[Μιχάλης Δαγκλής · Rating 4 out of 5]

Κλασικη βαμπιροϊστορία από τον μεγάλο Simon Clark, με ισορροπημένη δομή, ευχάριστους χαρακτήρες και πολύ, πολύ αίμα. Ενδιαφέρον και πρωτότυπο το origin των πλασμάτων. Το Βαμπιρικ τρέχει νερό, δεν λυπάται να σκοτώσει μέχρι και μωρά, με την δράση να κορυφώνεται κυρίως στα τελευταία κεφάλαια, ενώ υπάρχει και μια υπο-πλοκή που όμως δεν οδηγεί πουθενά.

[Peter Chandler · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you imagine that the stupid spelling of this book's title might tell you all you needed to know then, largely, you would turn out to be right although the story is unfortunately not nearly as entertaining as such silliness might suggest. Incorporating various apparently random elements of familiar horror staples, characters with secrets and latent psychic abilities, terrible family legacies, chilling things seen in drains and also that dubious morality whereby anyone exhibiting any kind of sexual behaviour that differs from an acceptable norm is virtually guaranteed to get eaten, it also adds some wild nonsense about Norse mythology and towards the end, something to improve any horror story no end, chainsaws. Whilst of course, a sensible plot isn't really something you might come to a book like this in search of, this has so many random bits and pieces as to be virtually incoherent.

Similarly random seems to be the pacing of the tale which shifts gears at particularly strange moments, taking various unnecessary detours. The writing itself does sometimes wander into engaging territory, although seemingly largely by accident as it then gets followed by particularly clunking sentences. So much randomness really does not make for a particularly gripping or in any way frightening tale of horror, though often an amusing one if perhaps not for the intended reasons. Being set in the fictional town of Leppington, somewhere on the North York Moors, somewhere near my home of Whitby, seems a cheap way to allude to a far greater horror tradition and becomes more annoying when real geographical locations are referred to incorrectly. (Church Street, not Church Lane). The ending too is also something of a disappointment, even despite the chainsaws.

To be fair though there are elements in this that sometimes suggest of better things. The beginning is reasonably creepy, and moments like the vampire child have their chills whilst some of the early characterisation is interesting. Mostly though it's just all seems a rather random mix of horror tropes, trying to make something original, but never properly fleshed out or tied together to make anything resembling an engagingly, gripping or indeed horrifying horror story. It was still fun to read but entertaining as it is largely for amusement value I still can't bring myself to award it many stars. Still, the friend who lent me this also provided me with its sequel so now shall see whether that might perhaps be of a different quality.

[Michael Benavidez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by no means a bad book. The writing is interesting. The concept is pretty cool. The execution is where it kind of falls apart.
I say falls apart because it doesn't do anything to really hold your interest. Sure it gives us some action every once in a while, it gives us mystery and suspense, and the like. But there's no payoff. For me there was nothing to really keep me interested like, "oh god he killed off such and such, let me keep reading to know the consequence". There wasn't any of that.
When our first non-core cast member dies, it really is interesting. But it didn't affect the story until far into the halfway mark, too far from when it originally occurred. When it happened to again to another, it felt used up, and then again.
All the while we have boring main characters, slightly dimensional but for the most part flat as can be. They're relegated to kismet and automatically knowing what we must be doing etc. etc. instead of actually figuring out the world for themselves.
And it's like I said, there was just no pay off whatsoever. I was bored halfway through and forced myself to finish it, and even the ending felt...flat? anti-climatic? just uncaring? All of the above more than likely.
But like i said it's not a bad book, but it just didn't do anything for me. Maybe it'll be different for others. For as much as i had a problem with it, I just can't bring myself to give it lower than three stars. Though it very much on the low scale of three stars.

[jospeh jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, BUY THIS BOOK NOW!😍

If you enjoy reading 📚books that will captivate you and keeps you
feeling like you are there. THEN BUY THIS BOOK NOW!

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, when I started reading this, I took notes with the intention of writing a review based on my opinions as I read. Instead, it turned into a little play-by-play commentary, which I decided to use anyway. It summed up my opinions better than a review could. So here it is, verbatim! Spoilers ahead! And language when I couldn't control my enthusiasm!

PROLOGUE
-Bernice seems intriguing, active with a morbid imagination
-Immediate mental correlation w/ Dracula--"Leppington, the town built on blood"
-As always w/ horror: I want to keep going just to see when it gets scary
-What is B's obsession w/ Mike Stroud?

ONE AND TWO
-Chapter structure similar to "It"...bad sign?
-David Leppington seems...arrogant? Have to wait to see what he'll do

THREE
-Skinhead punk on the train is going to get it, isn't he? At least, I hope so. He's annoying me. A lot.
-Wait...I thought fag meant something else across the pond?

FOUR
-Leech farm...huh?!
-*cough* Disney World!
-Now a slaughterhouse...pretty grisly so far
-Who the flying fart is Katrina?
-Nice touch w/ slaughterhouse and sewers
-Should I start tallying use of the word "fatalistic" already?

FIVE
-And "flippant" while I'm at it?

SEVEN
-Katrina = variation on Renfield

EIGHT
-I definitely like Bernice
-Electra might be twisted
-Jason Morrow is in denial
-Red felt-tip scar again...Clark has redundancy issues
-OK, make that Dracula/It crossover

TEN
-Skinhead seems to be telepathic. Boy, I wonder how this will work out?
-Definitely Dracula/It crossover

ELEVEN
-George seems to have some hellacious longevity. Suspicious?

TWELVE
-George...what do you know?
-Norse gods, descendants of Thor...I need a break
-Oh Lord, now stories about magic swords. And conquering empires w/ supermen. Vampires, you mean?

THIRTEEN
-Is George setting the vamps loose? The plot thickens...
-Could be...this legend seems to point that way. You know, this isn't much like the blurb described, and it has yet to get scary

FIFTEEN
-Uh oh...watch out, Dianne
-Told you so.

SEVENTEEN
-Because it's not real horror w/out an abundance of horny people getting ganked in the middle of fu-- uh, fornicating
-Bernice, I thought you were smarted than that! You NEVER go into the basement!
-And you never ever EVER open the door! Don't open the door, don't open the door, don't open the--

EIGHTEEN
-Saved by the skinhead! Who'da thunk it?

NINETEEN
-now we're getting somewhere! But still not scary, damn it!
-Still not entirely sure about David...

TWENTY
-Skinhead, perhaps a hero? You know, maybe we ought to stop calling him that and start using that stupid alias he gives everyone.
-Holy crap, I really think Jack Black might be warning them.
-Feeling sympathy for a troubled past? But he was such an asshole a few chapters ago!
-Jesus H. Christ...I know that one!
-Don't worry, Dave! They've recognized their overlord!

TWENTY-ONE
-Electra...what do you know?

TWENTY-TWO
-A guest named Matt Smith...cue Whovian enthusiasm!
-All right, Electra, what the hell do you know that you're not saying?

TWENTY-THREE
-Bingo! Jack's got it!
-Oh, so now we think of Katrina?
-Watch out, fella, she bites. *morbid chuckle*
-Watch out, lady, that ain't your husband.
-Well, I notice Clark has finally utilized the insidious nature of modern vampires and he isn't skimping on blood and death...but this still ain't scary.

TWENTY-FOUR
-Wait, so George isn't the overlord?
-Oh, shit, he turned them loose!
-Well, if setting them loose would annihilate mankind, why the hell did you do it?

TWENTY-FIVE
-This thing is inventive, if nothing else.
-Oh, she's having fun, Dad, don't worry.
-David Leppington is in denial.
-Electra is definitely twisted.
-Bingo! Bernice is getting there!

TWENTY-SIX
-Wait one damn minute! I thought this was Norse myth! What does the Middle East have to do with it?
-David is in serious denial. Electra has been in some serious denial.
-Well, you're all making progress and maybe Jack Black isn't such an asshole, but what do you mean, you're going into the basement?!

TWENTY-SEVEN
-You know, I want David and Bernice to end up together. I really do.
-Tunnels under Leppington...and sewers under Derry!
-There's that word again, flippant. Why do you keep using it? I don't think it means what you think it means. *snicker*
-Well, if he doesn't believe after all that, he's a hell of a lot dumber than I thought he was and I give up on him.
-Hell yes! War council! Now we're talking!

TWENTY-NINE
-So the slaughterhouse was on purpose...I knew it!
-And here comes Hindu reincarnation. Holy shit, man, make up your mind.

THIRTY-ONE
-For want of a better word, for want of a better word--I tell you, this man Clark has redundancy issues.
-But he researched his names. Impressive!

THIRTY-TWO
-I saw the reincarnation coming, so I wonder if I can guess how all this ends...
-All right, now that made my skin crawl. About damn time, too.
-Man up, bitch! These things want to eat you!
-I predict either Black will turn on the others and David will have to kill him, or that Black will turn noble and sacrifice himself. Either way, the vampires will be destroyed somehow, and Black bites the dust. Just my guess.

THIRTY-THREE
-Something big is about to happen, isn't it?
-Watch it, Bernice!
-Oh shit!
-OH SHIT!

THIRTY-FOUR
-Tom and Jerry reference. I approve.
-And George's sword is going to figure into saving the day, isn't it?
-That's how you take care of old-school vampires, you nincompoops! Good old decapitation!

THIRTY-FIVE
-Take back everything I said about Jack Black. He's not so bad after all.
-Cocaine in Coca-Cola...coke squared!
-Ooh, Electra's smoked them! But just what the hell is going on here?
-Yes! I knew there was something about Maximilian!

THIRTY-NINE
-Even the name "Harker" made it in here.
-George, you old coot, what have you done now?
-Man up, bitch! They'll kill you as soon as they get the chance!
-Uh oh, it's fixing to get bloody.

FORTY
-OH SHIT!
-Ew, gross.
-Ah, and Bernice has an epiphany!
-Oh come ON, man! Humane, my ass! You are an idiot!
-She's going to wake up, I know she is.
-TOLD YOU!
-Ew, gross.

FORTY-ONE
-Aw, shit yeah. That's the ticket!
-CHAINSAWS!

FORTY-TWO
-So...this is getting pretty bad ass.
-HUH?!
-Oh shit.
-I suppose it's only fair that the American is the bad guy in a British novel. After all, how often are the Brits the bad guys in American movies? So long as we stay friendly outside the realm of fiction, I'm cool with it.
-Oh shit.
-Damn. That's a good speech.

FORTY-THREE
-See? Told you. Kinda sucks, though.
-Run, Forrest, run!
-WHOA!
-Oh come on, Electra, you won't take the bait.
-Whew, close one, and I'm relieved and all, but I still think it's going to end badly.
-Oh NO!
-Uh oh. No no no no no no....
-NO NONONONONO!
-DAAAAAAMMMMNNNN IIIIIIIIITTTTTTT! FUCK! SHIT! SON OF A BITCH!

FORTY-FOUR
-Aw, shiiiiiiiitttt.....

FORTY-FIVE
-God, I hope I can finish this before work.
-GAAAAH, YOU BASTARD!
-YEAH! FUCK YEAH!
-Aw, man, this is going to suuuuuuuck....

EPILOGUE
-Oh, poor thing.
-OK, that was a bit cheesy for me, but it's minor.
-You know what, that was actually kinda good.


'Nuff said.

[Φλεγύας · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampyrrhic is the first book by Simon Clark that I read in English. Before I say anything about the book as a novel, I have to say something about the book as a book, as a tangible object.
(Start of Venting)
I don't know whether Simon has stayed with one publishing house (it would actually be very interesting to check out this possibility) but the fact is that I have actually given up on reading his works because of missing pages. Come on! It's ridiculous. You read a book, you're halfway into a magnificent chase scene ... and then ... you're like ... WTF?!?!? How did I get myself from the staircase of the hotel to the pig slaughterhouse? And then, you look at the page numbers and you're missing 27 pages.
...
27 pages. I mean... for crying out loud!
Unfortunately, the same happened with "The Fall" and the "Night of the Triffids", which I'm sorry to say, I never got to read in its entirety because, not only was I missing pages but the ones that were there, after the gap, were printed funnily. What does that mean? It means that the odd numbered pages were in order but the even numbered pages were printed backwards. Whatever.
(End of Venting)
Now, the novel.
What a marvelous piece of writing. How is it that we get such a wonderful twist on the Vampire mythos? Also, great characters to root for but one that stands above the rest. A great ending - is it always the case with Clark? I can't find something major that I didn't like about this book.
I haven't read the sequel yet, I'm not sure if I will actually as it take the story back into time and I'm usually not in favour of prequels.

[Richard Barber · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a long, hard slog.
the publisher did the story no favours as the ebook was littered with errors; predominantly carriage returns in the middle of sentences, typos and missing apostrophes. To me it looked like a copy of the original text had been scanned and no one had proofed it.
I struggled with the story. For me it was very stop-start so I never engaged with the main characters, and in some instances the motivations of some of the primary characters was unclear or unconvincing.

[Greg Heath]

Pretty fucking weird, if I do say so myself. Just passed the vampire blow-job scene, definitely wasn't expecting that.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freaky-looking bald vampires living in English sewers...

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very fun .

[Smassing Culture · Rating 3 out of 5]

Κείμενο στο Smassing Culture

Επιστροφή στον κλασσικό μύθο

Ο Κόσμος των Βαμπίρ (πρωτότυπος τίτλος Vampyrrhic) είναι ένα από τα πιο γνωστά βιβλία του συγγραφέα τρόμου, Σάιμον Κλαρκ. Κυκλοφόρησε το 1998 και έκτοτε έχει βγει ένα σίκουελ (Vampyrrhic Rites) καθώς και αρκετά ακόμα βιβλία του ίδιου συγγραφέα που κινούνται στο ίδιο μοτίβο. Στα ελληνικά κυκλοφόρησε το 2020 μία νέα έκδοση από τις εκδόσεις Οξύ.

Η πλοκή του βιβλίου εξελίσσεται στη μικρή επαρχιακή πόλη Λέπινγκτον. Ο πρωταγωνιστής, Ντέιβιντ Λέπινγκτον ανήκει στην οικογένεια που έδωσε στην πόλη το όνομα της και για πρώτη φορά μετά από δεκαετίες επιστρέφει στον τόπο καταγωγής του. Η επιστροφή του θέτει σε κίνηση εξελίξεις που αποκαλύπτουν το μυστικό που μένει κρυμμένο κάτω από την πόλη. Τα βαμπίρ, που για αιώνες ζούσαν σε υπόγειους διαδρόμους και σπηλιές, αναζητούν τρόπους να βγουν στην επιφάνεια. Ο Ντέιβιντ συγκεντρώνει γύρω του μία ετερόκλιτη ομάδα που προσπαθούν να καταλάβουν τα ανεξήγητα φαινόμενα γύρω από το ξενοδοχείο στο οποίο μένει.

Η συγγραφή ενός ακόμα βιβλίου με βαμπίρ δεν είναι ποτέ κάτι εύκολο. Υπάρχει η απαίτηση για κάτι διαφορετικό που θα προσδώσει σε έναν χιλιοειπωμένο μύθο κάτι νέο και ενδιαφέρον. Ο Κλαρκ αντιγράφει σε ένα βαθμό τον Στίβεν Κινγκ και συγκεκριμένα το Σάλεμς Λοτ και εστιάζει στο σκηνικό της μικρής –αγγλικής σε αυτή την περίπτωση– πόλης, τις σχέσεις μεταξύ των κατοίκων και την ιστορία της. Εκεί όμως που πρωτοτυπεί Ο κόσμος των βαμπίρ είναι στην καταγωγή των αποκρουστικών τεράτων. Αντλεί από την παγανιστική παράδοσης της αγγλικής επαρχίας και τη σύγκρουση με τους πρώτους χριστιανούς ιερείς και ηγεμόνες. Τα βαμπίρ είναι ένα κατάλοιπο της μαγείας που δεν εξαλείφτηκε από την επικράτηση του χριστιανισμού, ένας δεσμός με θρησκευτικά και πολιτισμικά συστήματα του παρελθόντος. Εκεί που οι νέες θρησκείες απέτυχαν, έρχεται η σειρά του Ντείβιντ Λέπινγκτον να προσπαθήσει, εφαρμόζοντας τον ορθολογισμό και τις επιστημονικές γνώσεις του ως γιατρός προκειμένου να αμφισβητήσει με λογικό τρόπο την ύπαρξη των βαμπίρ. Αυτή η ανημπόρια της ορθής λογικής μπροστά στο μεταφυσικό και το υπερβατικό στοιχείο διαπερνούν όλο το βιβλίο και είναι από τα καλύτερα στοιχεία του.

Βέβαια, δεν είναι επιτυχημένες όλες οι επιλογές του συγγραφέα. Η προσπάθεια να προ-οικονομηθούν οι πιο δραματικές στιγμές του βιβλίου μέσα από τα συναισθήματα των πρωταγωνιστών δεν καταφέρνει πάντα το σκοπό της. Επιπλέον, ο Κλαρκ δεν αποφεύγει πάντα τα κλισέ στη γραφή του με ό,τι προβλήματα αυτά συνεπάγονται. Για παράδειγμα, η φιγούρα της γυναίκας «ελαφρών ηθών» που τιμωρείται για τις επιλογές της με ένα βίαιο θάνατο σχετικά νωρίς στην εξέλιξη της πλοκής, πέρα από σεξιστική είναι και ξεπερασμένη στο σημερινό είδος τρόμου, είτε μιλάμε για βιβλία είτε για ταινίες.

Όμως τα παραπάνω δεν αναιρούν τα προτερήματα της γραφής του Κλαρκ. Το στυλ του είναι απότομο, κοφτό και λιτό. Οι περιγραφές είναι περιορισμένες και πάντα επιλεγμένες σε συνδυασμό με κάποιο κομβικό σημείο της πλοκής. Εστιάζει ιδιαίτερα στον αποκρουστικό χαρακτήρα των βαμπίρ — όπως έχει πει και ο ίδιος ο συγγραφέας, ήθελε να επαναφέρει αυτό το θέμα στις πιο αποκρουστικές ρίζες του και να απομακρυνθεί από την εικόνα του γοητευτικού, γλυκού βαμπίρ. Η ροή του βιβλίου είναι πολύ καλή και διευκολύνεται από τη συχνή χρήση διαλόγων και την εναλλαγή της εστίασης μεταξύ των τεσσάρων κεντρικών χαρακτήρων. Η ένταση χτίζεται αργά και σταθερά και οι αναγνώστες παρασύρονται από το ρυθμό της γραφής, όπως πρέπει να συμβαίνει με κάθε καλό βιβλίο, ειδικά όταν πρόκειται για έργο της λογοτεχνίας τρόμου. Χωρίς κατάχρηση της δράσης και των gore περιγραφών, η πλοκή φτάνει στην κλιμάκωση και τη λύση, κρατώντας αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον μέχρι το τέλος.

Οι πρωταγωνιστές μας δεν βγαίνουν ως πανίσχυροι ήρωες του θρύλου από όλη αυτή την περιπέτεια. Βγαίνουν με τραύματα και απώλειες κάθε είδους. Δεν είναι πιο σίγουροι για τη θέση τους στον κόσμο αλλά κλονισμένοι · όλα όσα (νόμιζαν ότι) ήξεραν, δεν τους προστάτευσαν από τη φρίκη.

[☠tsukino☠ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il primo Signore del Male è l’immaginazione.

Vampiri in salsa norrena.
All’inizio ero tutta gasata, perché il libro mi stava piacendo poi, pagina dopo pagina, il mio entusiasmo si è spento. È diventato ripetitivo, assurdo nel senso cattivo del termine, banale, per niente horror e sciocco.
Sciocchi sono anche i suoi personaggi che oltretutto credo soffrissero di una qualche sindrome che li portava a fare e dire una cosa, poi fare il contrario, poi tornare all’inizio e così via.
Alla fine tutto è diventato senza senso e mi è spiaciuto per la morte dell’unico personaggio decente.

[Glynis Hamlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off really well- apart from the typos.. The ending however was a let down.. I expected suspense but it just appeared to fade to its conclusion.

[Constantina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Περνάει καλά όποιος δεν εχει πολλές προσδοκίες.

Αυτή η έκδοση έχει πολλά τυπογραφικά.

[TheCultureVulture · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turned into a bit of a chore.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I bought this book because of its cover. And its cool title. The cover shows the head and shoulders of a truly vicious looking Nosferatu-type vampire - the bald white head, long nose, bushy eyebrows. But this head is wrinkled with prominent veins, and every oversized tooth is razor-sharp and aged a gross yellow. The eyes glint with a fiendish glee.

It's delightfully hideous.

But what about the novel itself? All show and no go?

Luckily, the opposite is true. The book is pretty good, with a twist on the vampire legend that remains true to vampiric tradition. Not an easy trick.

David Leppington is a thirty-something year-old doctor on holiday in the town that bears his name - Leppington. He was born there, but his parents moved away when he was still a child, so he remembers little of the town. He checks into the local hotel and meets its intriguing owner, Electra, and a babe named Bernice, who lives there.

Bernice is haunted by a video she found in the hotel's Dead Room, where Electra stores items that guests have left behind. The video shows an American named Michael Stroud video-taping strange goings-on in the hotel and in the room Bernice is living in. A terrible thing happens to Stroud, all caught on tape, and Bernice is determined to discover what that is.

David meets up with an old uncle who tells him of the family history, how the Norse god Thor gave David's ancient ancestors a directive to wipe out all of Christendom, which was threatening Thor's turf. Thor supplied an army of 1,000 undead creatures, available at the old Leppington's beck and call. But something happened and Leppington never took control of this army. Perhaps it still exists in the sewers and underground passages beneath the streets of Leppington?

Jack Black is a thuggish criminal with a unique talent of reading minds. The gift comes and goes with no control, but it sure comes in handy in the novel. Jack is a good character but the mind-reading thing was a real stretch, a little device Clark would have done well to leave out.

As you might suspect, there certainly is an army under the streets, and other vampires who exist above ground. David, Jack, Bernice, and Electra (who knows much more about everything than she lets on) are forced to fight the vampire hordes or die trying.

It's a fun book, an entertaining read, with some frightening moments. I liked the twist. Clark is a good writer with a fine eye for detail and atmosphere, without letting his description slow down the action. The characters are all engaging and well-rounded. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that Clark sometimes intrudes on the story, like telling us that so-and-so character is going to die tomorrow, or some such contrived device to create phony suspense.

But he does that seldom enough that it doesn't ruin the book. Horror fans should enjoy it.

[Rob Woolsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bugger me, it was the book that wouldn't end. Sure it SEEMED like it was going to be cool. What, with the cool cover and Salem Lot vibe. I'm reminded of that old saying, 'never judge a book by its cover.' This is very true. took 200 or so pages for the vampires to show up. Never really went anywhere and blurred by at the pace of drying paint. Unlike Kings amazing book that will forever be in my top 3 favorite vampire stories, this was so hard to finish. I had to force myself to read it. I started a couple other books, finishing one, before I forced myself to focus on this. Don't see the fun or how people enjoyed it like they did. So much redundancy and the feeling like it could build up to something, only to leave me with blue fangs. I feel cheated. I read the first 50% the night I obtained it. Just no. I didn't feel particularly invested in the main characters. Even so much so that when there was a death it just felt ham fisted and unmoving.
I swear if you cut out all the repetitive stuff, the book would be a good 35% lighter, and possibly more palatable. I'm used to long winded writers, I've suffered thru Kings fascination with just churning out pages of description; at least his stories have pay off and characters you care about. There is also Mr Easton Ellis with American Psycho. you want to talk about detail for details sake. Catologues for the blind should hire that guy. But once again they give us story thst goes somewhere and has some sort of emotional pay off. This was just masterbation with a cheese grater. Slightly amusing, but mostly painful.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vampire lore in the name of Thor

An army of vampires to reinstate the old gods is in need of a leader

Mike Stroud has all the moustache-twirling panache of a vaudeville villain sans moustache

Positively deranged uncle obsessed with family legacy

Y U no let Jack Black and Maximilian live? Y u no kill off boring, bonehead Bernice instead?

Revolting scene award goes to... closeted gay man getting dick bitten off

Randy women and lecherous adulterers must die.

Helvetes aka Norse Excalibur saves the day

Irrelevant Katrina is irrelevant.

Christ is victorious?

OK writing. Fairly entertaining. Horror clichés abound