Night Blood

Elijah Pike Vampire Chronicles #1

by James M. Thompson

Reinventing himself as brilliant hematologist Roger Neimann to find a cure for a deadly blood disease that is in his body, a vampire races against time to save himself, while ER physician Matthew Carter and forensic pathologist Samantha Scott desperately search for a killer who drains his victim's of their blood--a killer who is very close to them. Original.

Genres: Vampires, Horror, Fiction, Paranormal

400 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2001

About the author

James M. Thompson was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Thompson practiced family medicine and surgery in Corpus Christi, Texas for 25 years, then retired in 1999 to write full-time. Now he splits his time between Rockport, Texas and North Waterford, Maine with wife, Terri, and their dogs, Captain MacTavish and Shuggie, and loves to hear from his readers.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Night Blood is built upon a very interesting premise, but the plebeian prose and cliches out the wazoo did not make for inspiring reading. The story centers on a vampire, of course, but Thompson gives a unique vampire history. It seems vampires started from a small village that was plagued by Erythropoietic Uroporphyria, a disease 'cured' only by ingesting blood. In the afterword, Thompson claims it is a real disease (he is/was a M.D.) and that somehow, this genetic disease mutated or something and can be passed on to healthy people.

Our main vampire is currently working as a doctor, researching a cure for Mad Cow disease. It seems that vampires are susceptible to it and it eats their brain. He is hoping to find a cure for he may have this himself! On the other side of the story are some doctors and cops. An ER doctor (Matt) is unable to help a woman brought in with horrible neck wounds and very little blood. Turns out this is not an isolated case and the cops think there is a serial killer on the loose. Basically a cabal of doctors and cops keeps this close and they work to find out who the 'vampire killer' is.

Again, interesting premise, but execution is everything, and this novel really suffers from weak prose and cliche. The new head of detectives, a black guy (in Houston no less) with everyone gunning for him. Some spunky doctors... A ruthless T.V. reporter dying to get the story... It just feels like I have encountered these tropes a hundred times already. The medical science was the best part-- fitting as the author is a doctor-- but I will give the sequels a pass. 1.5 toothy stars.

[Brian Hersko · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have read in recent years. Maybe part of the problem is that I read this book after reading Interview With the Vampire and Mignolas Baltimore, both of which had characters I adored and a story I didn't want to end (although it's not like Anne Rice's stories ever really end). If some of the other reviews I read are accurate and this is part of a series maybe I missed something, but I found myself not caring for these characters and when the book ended I found myself saying thank god that's done!

[Wayne Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book but, not a "fun" or "light" read. It felt at some times like you had switched from reading a horror fiction novel to reading a text book with all of the medical information throughout. It seemed the story hung up a bit on semantics trying to explain through science and medicine how vampirism could remotely be plausible.

There was also lots of "rape", gruesome murder, and such throughout. Some of the parts were difficult to read and may be triggering for some people.

Overall, the story was just okay. It wasn't ground breaking by any means and if you are an avid reader you will feel like parts of this story were transposed from other stories you have read before, not plagurized to be clear, but very cliche and familiar, with exception to the medication details which did sort-off set it apart on its on, but in my onion weren't needed and just weighed down the story.

[Scissorearedrabbit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love the 'Blood' series. If you haven't had a chance to read them, check them out. I refuse to divulge spoilers. If you like vampires, science, medicine, grisly death scenes, and gratuitous sex then I'd wager these books are for you!

[Stephen Brayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot

Maine, 1820. Lost in a blizzard, a young woodcutter seeks refuge in an isolated cabin, never suspecting that the recluse who lives there is not what he appears to be—or that the strange-tasting brew he’s offered isn’t tea. Too late, the woodcutter realizes that he is doomed to wander the earth, consumed by a raging thirst that can only be sated with human blood.

My Analysis

I bought this book years ago, very interested in reading it. It looked like a different take on the vampire horror genre. After reading it, I discovered it was the first in a series with, currently, three others available.

However, I don’t know if I’ll buy them.

Sometimes, one goes into a book expecting a certain story. In this one, I expected a present-day doctor trying to cure his vampirism. I wanted to sympathize with the character.

I also expected more scenes from Pike’s (name not mentioned in the book—he’s called Nieman) point of view. At the beginning, he started a journal and I thought he’d continue telling us scenes from that account.

However, this soon went in another direction. Yes, he has been on a quest for a cure but too often loses control to the bloodlust. The sexually graphic scenes became repetitive.

Nieman became the bad guy who shows up every so often in a murder mystery. The heroes and heroines of the story get the most spotlight. By the blurbs, I’m seeing Nieman is supposed to be featured more in future stories.

I was expecting a bit more history of Nieman, a bit more struggle against his urges. Instead, he becomes the bad guy hunter/stalker/killer that no one likes.

The ending had a bit of a twist that was good.

Otherwise, the book was sort of *shrug shoulders for the enjoyability factor.

My Rank:
Green Belt

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

And yet another twist on the vampire,
Medical mysteries of their blood,
The blood drinking/rapes not for the faint-hearted reader,
good character buildups,
as original as can be any more in this genre.

[Patch · Rating 1 out of 5]

For those who can't be swayed from reading this, I propose a drinking game: every time a character mentions coffee take a shot. Ideally, you'll be dead before the end of it sparing you from the book.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for a good vampire horror. This wasn't it.