Anca's Undead Playlist

by David Rider

Anca is a sixteen-year-old Romani busker who has everything stolen from her following a vampire attack in a Bucharest subway—love, dreams of rock stardom, and her young life… all gone. Her first twenty-four hours after being sired by the abusive monster Darius will be hard, but they won’t be as difficult as her next twelve months alone, or the dark challenges in the years to come. She must learn to navigate this strange, moonlit world on her journey to the fateful events of We Are Van Helsing. While traveling through Europe under the omnipresent shadow of a supernatural patriarchy, she’ll be hunted by legendary enemies, become part of a midnight sisterhood, and experience a Change affecting the Undead community during a worldwide pandemic. Before she can gain a sense of closure, and prior to finding her team, Anca will need to discover who her enemies are, but more importantly… who they aren’t.

This is a Team Van Helsing Archives novel.

339 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2024

About the author

David Rider grew up roaming the alleyways of Calumet City, Illinois. Like most Gen X kids, he lived an unsupervised, feral existence. This included consuming horror movies and Stephen King novels at too young an age. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association. His stories have appeared in anthologies from Dead Sky Publishing, Sinister Smile Press, and Grendel Press. He has published three novels: We Are Van Helsing Books One and Two and Anca’s Undead Playlist. His new novella is Bride of the South Side.

He lives with his wife, kids, and dogs, and he needs coffee to transform into a functional adult.

Reviews

[Damien Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there a cooler, more relatable to an old punk guy vampire than Anca? She reminds me in so many ways of the kind of person you wish you would have been, or could have been friends with. I mean, yeah, there’s all of… THAT, but she’s pissed and rightfully so. The third book in David Rider’s Van Helsing Archives is another entry that refuses to give you a good point to pause the narrative. You need to know more about what’s going on in every one of these books and this was no exception. Rider’s way of concocting characters that you have to journey with is unreal; much with the other two entries, Anca’s playlist nails that. This entry feels equal parts Underworld, The Lost Boys, and Jennifer’s Body. Another unique approach to the old fang folk from Rider. K thx.

[Mak Attack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting to know Anca in this book was such a whirlwind of emotions. She’s featured in Rider’s other books (the WAVH series) but you really get to know her in this one.
She might be my favorite character I’ve ever read.

In this story you learn about how she was thrust into the supernatural world, forced to leave behind everything she’s worked for thus far. It takes her such a long time to get back even a sliver what her monster of a maker took from her.
She suffers so much at the hands of this guy but he’s not even the only one. Regular human men are just as diabolical and it really goes to show how women have to navigate the world as entertainment for men to just get by. Anca, and others, uses this info to their advantage when going hunting for food and the justice that Anca (and co.) delivers to these creeps is so satisfying.

It’s not just a story about a teen girl living life as a vampire, it’s also about escaping abuse, finding herself again after everything she’s ever loved was taken from her, friendship, mysterious boundaries, found family, LGBT and disabled characters, perseverance in the face of misogynistic pigs, just desserts, I could go on and on and on.

If you’re looking for an underdog to root for, please give my girl a chance.

Thanks to the author for having the brain he does because so far?? *chefs kiss*

[Cynthia Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I haven't read too many vampire books. I have read Dracula and Anne Rice's vampire books that fall on the horror genre. I do love this book. I love how the author kept some of the original vampire traits to his vampires and didn't make cringy like Twilight (which I read in my younger years, don't judge). Anca's story was really suspenseful to read. I couldn't put it down. Quite a life and adventure she went through. Dealing with her sadistic master Darius and meeting all different types of vampires was a pleasure to read. And her change/evolution through the book was a surprise. This is my first book I've read from David Rider. I will be checking out his Van Helsing books. I was fortunate enough to meet the author at a book fair and bought my copy of Anca's Undead Playlist where he told me Anca is in his other books so with the ending telling me there's more adventures that Anca goes through with other creatures aside from vampires I'm sold.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to Rider’s Van Helsing novels and continuing with this prequel, Rider keeps the story moving at such a pace that the pages turn very quickly and you become absorbed in the story. His books are very hard to put down. Well researched with vivid details.
Full disclosure is I’ve known the author since high school and I’ve been reading his work since his early short stories. This affords me the ability to message him to ask him questions on the plot, facts, protagonists, antagonists, and anything else. It’s a pleasure to see how his writing has grown and I can’t wait to read his next short story and novels even though there will be no confetti. 😉

[Eileen Schoeb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my favorite of the three in the Van Helsing Archives. I loved them all could not put them down. I was as engrossed in the clever take on vampires, especially the women. Also the playlists are great, especially this one. Hoping there are more coming!

[Birdy Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOOOOVED this book

[Brian Pinkerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Globetrotting goth youth vampire adventure that is consistently engaging and full of interesting characters and revelations.