VAM PD Volume 01

Vam PD #01

by James Goss

Vampires live their lives by rules - but who polices them? Welcome to the Office of the Night, where vampires Catrin and Magnus keep an uneasy peace between the living and the undead.

Party All Night - Vampire Circuit Parties? Someone's set up a series of tasting clubs at which vampires massacre unsuspecting human invitees. Magnus and Catrin must stop this before the craze goes viral. It's Jane's first day as human liaison to the Office of the Night and it may well be her last.

Blood Bank - Some vampires choose not to kill for blood – they prefer to have it supplied. It's a lifestyle choice. There’s a thriving red market in liquid gold. But the vampires running the Red Market are worried – something's contaminating the blood – a contaminant that for some is a drug and for others is lethal. If the Red Market falls, then their customers are suddenly going to get very hungry.

Under the Sun - A vampire cult has sprung up allowing vampires the ultimate cure – the ability to walk in the sun. Catrin and Magnus are worried. Is the cult a trick, or will it change the way that vampires feed, unleashing terror on the world?

Note: This production features scenes of vampiric feeding and blood consumption.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook

Audiobook

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

James Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Reviews

[Rick]

Party All Night - Jane’s first day on the job and it’s all very vampiric. There’s a blend of comedy and drama that is more than just a little bit uneven. Some of the stuff works quite well, other times it doesn’t work at all. But I’m leaning more toward it works. In a lot of ways this has a lot in common with films like Fright Night (1985) and The Lost Boys (1987), more comedy and less horror. But not everything is as it seems in the beginning.

Blood Bank - This episode presents a very dark concept, but a lot of this is played for laughs. I was hoping this series might feel like Vampire: The Masquerade Revised (which I adore), unfortunately the humor brings the whole concept to a weakened standstill. It’s still entertaining, just not as much as I’d hoped for and in the ways I was hoping. At least the humor is noir comedy.

Under the Sun - More of the same borderline camp humor. This doesn’t quite work for me, but it’s still entertaining. There’s also a big revelation at the end of this episode, one that I’m not going to give away, that changes everything. Everything.

[Marcel van Driel]

Let’s start with all the good stuff. VAM PD is a lot of fun! The premise is really cool, the acting is great, the dialogue is very funny and the stories are very enjoyable.


The only complaints I have, is that there are sometimes inconsistencies (like, Jane, the human liaison can be spotted as a human by some vampires, but not by others) and the stories are a little light. It’s a terrible pun, but it feels like the stakes aren’t very high. Still, there’s so much potential here, I’m looking forward to the next bunch of stories. 3.5 stars.

[Sara Habein]

Oh, this was pretty great! It really establishes itself as an original series, and is this the most American story from Big Finish yet? Its reach continues ever across the world. The bonus features are also done a bit differently from other BF titles. Not a complaint, just a different tone. I'm definitely interested in the next set of stories. It's both funny and dark, and everyone does a good job.

Because of the cover art, in my head, I was pronouncing the title as "Vamped," but no, it's two separate words, VAM PD.

[Jamie Holland]

More 4.5 than 4

Enjoyed this a lot!
Story 1 - weak ish opening but establishes the characters really well and they're all really fun
Story 2 - really enjoyed this one, really starting to feel the characters
Story 3 - really really starting to enjoy this, the characters are all great and I love this world that's been set up

[Alyce Caswell]

I like my vampire media fun and cheesy with a side order of intrigue, which is exactly what this audiobook volume delivers. There is, of course, the added bonus of our bi queen Mara Wilson. I'm looking forward to listening to the next volume. Side note - I'm not the only one reading Magnus as autistic, right?

[James Freeman]

I don't know what I expected but this series is funny with a depth of characters I didn't expect. I'm looking forward to more of this.

[Steven Shinder]

I like the way this played with vampire lore. Never thought about how lockdown would affect things.