De'Ath Takes a Holiday

by Shaun Micallef

‘If I wasn’t dead, I would sue.’—Bram StokerThis is the origin story of the first real vampyre (not Dracula).
The trouble with immortality is that eventually you get sick to death of it, and so to soothe his sickened soul, the Comte De’Ath decides to take a trip. From psychoanalysis in Vienna to blood transfusions in London, the Comte learns that a holiday is as good as a change. On the way, he meets the Queen, brings her husband back to life, helps win the Second Matabele War, matches wits with the Elephant Man, inspires Henry Ford to pursue the American Dream, almost solves the crisis in the Middle East and even falls in love. Will he become mortal again in time for his funeral in Carfax Abbey? Ah – but what a fine book this would be if we gave away the end of the story in the blurb.From the man Ben Elton once described as ‘perhaps Australia’s finest satirist’ comes a Victorian novel for modern times. A tale of Gothic horror so bloodcurdling that it makes Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson and Oscar Wilde look like they could barely write the word ‘cat’.PRAISE FOR DE'ATH TAKES A ‘Shaun Micallef is having a great deal of fun with De’Ath Takes a Holiday, a book that sounds like Forrest Gump has been bitten by Dracula – or perhaps the other way around’ — The Guardian , Australian books to look forward to in 2026
 

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Humor, Comedy, Audiobook, Vampires

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 31, 2026

About the author

Shaun Micallef has starred in television, films, stage shows, radio and several books. He also has won four Logies, an ARIA and an AFI but, admirably, hasn’t let any of this go to his head.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Death clocks off for five minutes and suddenly humanity forgets how to behave.”

This book feels like stepping into a slightly unhinged, velvet draped theatre where death isn’t just inevitable, it’s… on leave.

There’s something deliciously absurd about the premise, and Micallef leans all the way into it. The humour is sharp, dry, and often delightfully strange, but underneath that wit is a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on mortality, identity, and what it means to exist when the rules suddenly don’t apply.

It’s not a fast paced, plot heavy kind of read. Instead, it meanders in that intentional, almost mischievous way, inviting you to sit with its ideas rather than rush through them. At times it feels chaotic, but never careless. There’s intelligence behind the absurdity, and it trusts you to keep up.

What stood out most for me was the tone: equal parts gothic parody and philosophical musing. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also isn’t empty humour. There’s substance here, tucked beneath the eccentricity.

That eerie, lingering sense that death isn’t the end, it’s just… stepped out for a moment, and things are already beginning to unravel.

I Highly Recommend.

Thank you Ultimo Press for my early readers copy.

Available Now!

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is both intelligent and very, very stupid - classic Micallef.

[gamgi6 Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shithouse

[Jess]

DNF at 10%.

I like Shaun Micallef, but the premise of this silly lighthearted gothic parody was so fucked, it put me right off.

In the 1750s, the mortally wounded Comte De'Ath is brought aboard a slave ship, where the West African captives perform a voodoo ritual upon him that transforms him into a vampire. The ship is subsequently wrecked, everybody else drowns, and De'Ath repays his saviours by using their zombified corpses as enslaved labour on his lucrative Haitian cotton plantation.

After De'Ath spent a page delivering a comedic monologue about the comparative disadvantages of reanimated drowned African corpses as slave labour versus turning still-living Africans into vampire slaves, I checked out.

What the fuck, Shaun. I can laugh at vampires doing all manner of horrifying things, but what the fuck.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

This was a silly, goofy, fun, satirical read. I grew up watching Shaun Micallef and can definitely identify and appreciate his humour woven throughout the story.

Some parts of the humour and story reminded me of What We Do in the Shadows (which I love), however, some of the jokes definitely went over my head.

Overall, an enjoyable read and I'm glad the sausage story was included (iykyk).

[Hayley]

First book I’ve ever DNF’d. Got halfway just because I paid for the book but it did not get better. Sorry to the author

[Aisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genuinely how do you write a book that’s meant to be a satire, and funny… and make it boring and unfunny. It’s amazing, so many jokes and none of them landed. That’s genuinely impressive.

[Kate Puffett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and so silly 😊

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I laughed so much in the first half. I.love Micallef's humour, but i did lose interest towards the end

[Matt Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I completely agree with the reviewer on here who wrote of this tale of vampires, werewolves and general Victorian insanity that it is both intelligent and very, very stupid. Classic Micallef indeed.

[Steven Kolber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wide ranging ramble that allows new and humourous sentences and words to be explored.

[Katrina Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had a nickel for each time I'd read a short story about a carrot, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird it's happened twice.

If Monty Python did Dracula. This was a (genuinely) laugh-out-loud, hilarious read. Some of it was almost too fast paced, but I still highly enjoyed it. A good mix of high and low brow comedy and a brilliant novel.

[Krystelle (based on the novel by Stephen King) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very odd, but also quite fun for what it was!

[Sabriena · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were funny parts but mostly this was boring.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, weird, and fun. Nice!

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monty Python’s Dracula, somehow smarter and stupider than you are imagining

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘If I wasn’t dead, I would sue.’—Bram Stoker This is the origin story of the first real vampyre (not Dracula). This book was fun, silly, irreverent, and quite satirical. It is a mashup of Frankenstein, Dracula, psychics (put your favourite here), Wuthering Heights and more. Darwin, Queen Victoria, Henry Ford, the Elephant Man, Freud, ghost ships, a few sylphs all make an appearance and then some. And some sections just go off on a tangent. "Choosing to believe in something is much the same as knowing it to be true. Fate, Love, God and the value of stocks are all versions of Tinkerbell- get enough people to clap along ans she'll remain alive; not enough and she'll drop off the twig."

3 1/2 stars.

[Ross Mcneil · Rating 2 out of 5]

An absolutely insane stupid satirical read. Very much what I would expect from Shaun Micallef. It was perhaps almost too intellectually clever for its own good and so just read as a little too absurdist in its approach.

The previous paragraph didn't make much sense but kind of reviews this book nicely - really didn't make any sense. Most of it was interesting to read to see where it ended up.

As I am sure Oscar Wilde would say in his review of this book - this aint Shakespeare (makes more sense if you've read the book).

If you enjoy reading weird satire that at times is a little hard to follow - you might enjoy this book.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, satirical novel of the gothic genre, showcasing the delightful Shaun Micallef’s trademark blend of legal-style parody, dense wordplay, and pun-heavy humour. His decade in law comes through in the mock-formal language and clever institutional satire. However, the pacing is uneven, and in its slower sections the humour can lose momentum. Furthermore, some jokes rely a little too heavily on linguistic detail to carry the narrative. Overall, it will likely appeal most to readers who enjoy Micallef’s distinctive, language-driven style. If you’re a fan, definitely give it a read or chase up the audiobook since Micallef “does the voices”. I laughed aloud several times! 3.5 stars.

[Toni Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this, but I didn’t. It managed to be funny and boring at the same time. Not bad by any means, but not particularly good either.

There were too many historical and literary figures turned into exaggerated, sometimes silly versions of themselves. While it added humour, it felt unnecessary and a bit overdone.

I’m glad I read it, but it definitely could have waited until later in the year.

[Keely Kovacevic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. I had some high hopes for this book after reading the authors note. Turns out that’s the best part.

This book is a satirical take on the birth of gothic fiction while also weaving fictional characters with historically accurate moments. Like a European, paranormal forest gump. It was bizarre.

While some parts made me chuckle, overall, it was too convoluted and scattered to work as a novel. A series of short stories would have probably worked better.

[John Carroll]

This is the most ridiculous book I have ever read. If the author was trying to be funny, he only succeeded to the extent of making a goose of himself; if this is satire, I'm a synthetic camelopard named Geoffrey. To quote from a review fictitiously attributed to Oscar Wilde at page 85: "An unmitigated disaster. No stars."

[Cathryn Davey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was wracking my brains trying to describe this book and the best I could come up with is if Edgar Allen Poe and Douglas Adams wrote 'We Didn't Start the Fire' set in the 19th century. Very clever and funny and absolutely ridiculous.

The addendums were extraneous and irrelevant to the main plot, so you don't need to read them if you don't feel like it.

[Russell Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as I heard about this, I thought of a very funny sketch that Mr Micallef once did involving Dracula. Another well written piece that reminded me of his novella, Preincarnate. Real life characters in a humorous vein.

[RySack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some fantastic lines, with some laugh-out-loud turns of phrase.

Sadly, the story is so convoluted and buried within the good lines. And eventually the good lines become a little overdone, and it’s a stumble to the finish line.

Enjoy the joke at the top of page 48.

5/10

[Mái Medina]

DNF @30%

Not for me!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing satire on the Victorian period, told as a spoof on a Dracula novel. Masterfully weaved together. The audio was well-performed.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the faintest clue what is going on here but I laughed regularly when I wasn’t completely baffled and there is an excellent play at the end.

[Liam Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so stupid and pointless. It is funny though. Any fan of Shaun Micallef’s work would like this book

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretentious ego written slop. Maybe I’m just too dumb for this book but I hoped it would get better.