What do you think?
Rate this book
Grave Marker #4
Tolerance: A West Hollywood Vampire Novelette
Children are disappearing from the streets of West Hollywood. The police are clueless, but Christopher Driscoll suspects he might know who is responsible. The trail leads to a local new hot spot that has become THE place to eat. Has the owner been serving up finger-licking good baby barbecue, or has there been a HUGE misunderstanding?
53 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 29, 2016
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 28, 2016
Hal Bodner's West Hollywood vampires are always fun, and in the novelette, Tolerance, he treats us to a rollicking good time. A pair of detectives go to a restaurant and end up suspecting the ogre (a literal ogre) who runs it has been cooking up children. What ensures is delightfully fun and screamingly funny.
December 22, 2019
I thought this was going to be a light and breezy read - that is, until the last chapter came and I was up to my nose in moral dilemmas. I don't think I'd see eye to eye with Chris on this one. .
Anyway, it was still an enjoyable read and the wit and humor was spot on. I've read Bodner's piece in DOA III and it's one of the best stories there so I'll definitely be reading Bite Club and The Trouble with Hairy.
I'm rating this short by its lonesome though. Giving it 6.5/10 or 3 stars out of 5.
Anyway, it was still an enjoyable read and the wit and humor was spot on. I've read Bodner's piece in DOA III and it's one of the best stories there so I'll definitely be reading Bite Club and The Trouble with Hairy.
I'm rating this short by its lonesome though. Giving it 6.5/10 or 3 stars out of 5.
March 20, 2016
Hal Bodner writes horror spelled H-U-M-O-R. He hits all the tropes, and then he makes you laugh. Chris and Troy are the centerpiece of the West Hollywood Vampires; Chris is the gay vampire, and Troy is his gay Renfrew. The human characters are folks we have all met and shaken our heads over. The older, overweight woman who dresses like a clown. The fastidious to the point of obsession Black man. The glad hand guy that would be equally comfortable selling used cars as he is in politics.
If you haven't read BITE CLUB, stop reading this and go buy it! It's available on Kindle, and it's funny as hell. Ditto for THE TROUBLE WITH HAIRY. They are every bit as funny as Ivanovich's Stephanie Plum books, maybe even funnier.
Bodner has a way with innuendo. One might say his is the master of the double entendre. His way with words make this series more PG than MA. Oh yes... Don't let sexual orientation dictate what you read. Hell no. Funny is funny. Horror is horror. People are people. Monsters are monsters. They all make this big old world go round.
If you are familiar with the WeHo Vampires, be assured you will meet new characters of the supernatural bent. The addition of new tropes is what keeps these tales fresh and entertaining. I highly recommend this very quick read to readers of horror, humor and cookbooks. Yes, cookbooks! While you're at it, make sure you read the introduction, "Welcome to West Hollywood." It says so many of the things I would have liked to say in this review. Also read "About the Author" at the end. It will give you a sense of just who Hal Bodner is. I will tell you what he is not... he is not as prominently known for his fine writing as he should be. I am so looking forward to the publication of his new gay superheroes series, as well as that of his gay detective and Watsonian sidekick stories. With any luck, we will be reading them before the end of this decade. Bodner is on my list of 'if he writes it, I will read it' authors.
TOLERANCE is not all fun and games. It deals with the kind of very real prejudices we face every single day. Wrapping bigotry and intolerance in innuendo and humor does not make them go away. In fact, it makes you face the real problems of real people while allowing you to laugh at the real problems of the real monsters in fiction. Sound like a conundrum? Maybe. Maybe not. Fiction is an outlet for the dark side of human nature where no one is actually hurt. Those who say that they don't read fiction are missing out on expanding their horizons by seeing life through the eyes of others.
Read this, and anything else you can find that Hal Bodner has written. You will find him in various anthologies. I 'discovered' him when I read a beautiful story in TRAPS called "Virtuoso."
The author sent me a copy of TOLERANCE for review.
If you haven't read BITE CLUB, stop reading this and go buy it! It's available on Kindle, and it's funny as hell. Ditto for THE TROUBLE WITH HAIRY. They are every bit as funny as Ivanovich's Stephanie Plum books, maybe even funnier.
Bodner has a way with innuendo. One might say his is the master of the double entendre. His way with words make this series more PG than MA. Oh yes... Don't let sexual orientation dictate what you read. Hell no. Funny is funny. Horror is horror. People are people. Monsters are monsters. They all make this big old world go round.
If you are familiar with the WeHo Vampires, be assured you will meet new characters of the supernatural bent. The addition of new tropes is what keeps these tales fresh and entertaining. I highly recommend this very quick read to readers of horror, humor and cookbooks. Yes, cookbooks! While you're at it, make sure you read the introduction, "Welcome to West Hollywood." It says so many of the things I would have liked to say in this review. Also read "About the Author" at the end. It will give you a sense of just who Hal Bodner is. I will tell you what he is not... he is not as prominently known for his fine writing as he should be. I am so looking forward to the publication of his new gay superheroes series, as well as that of his gay detective and Watsonian sidekick stories. With any luck, we will be reading them before the end of this decade. Bodner is on my list of 'if he writes it, I will read it' authors.
TOLERANCE is not all fun and games. It deals with the kind of very real prejudices we face every single day. Wrapping bigotry and intolerance in innuendo and humor does not make them go away. In fact, it makes you face the real problems of real people while allowing you to laugh at the real problems of the real monsters in fiction. Sound like a conundrum? Maybe. Maybe not. Fiction is an outlet for the dark side of human nature where no one is actually hurt. Those who say that they don't read fiction are missing out on expanding their horizons by seeing life through the eyes of others.
Read this, and anything else you can find that Hal Bodner has written. You will find him in various anthologies. I 'discovered' him when I read a beautiful story in TRAPS called "Virtuoso."
The author sent me a copy of TOLERANCE for review.
March 31, 2016
Tolerance: A West Hollywood Vampire Novelette by Hal Bodner is the first in the Grave Markers series, an experimental line of short e-books published by Grinning Skull Press. This story was given to me gratis by the author to be reviewed.
The story is vignette that takes place in the West Hollywood Vampire universe that Bodner began crafting in his book Bite Club! back in 2005 and has been honing since with other entries such as 2012's The Trouble with Hairy. Readers do not necessarily need to read the other entries in the series to understand the standalone plot of Tolerance, however it does provide more support in regards fleshing out the characters who have seem to have evolved since their last outing (such as Becky's impressive weight loss). Thankfully the characters' personalities come out in spades almost immediately. They speak to each other with specific zingers and pop culture references as if they were written specifically for a sitcom. The brevity of the short story, while taking place mostly in one location adds to the sitcom feeling.
Tolerance focuses on coroner Becky O'Brien and Captain Clive Anderson of the West Hollywood Police Department as they try to solve a spree of kidnapped children. Going over the predicament at a frozen yogurt/BBQ joint, (such juxtapositional humor is common in the story), the duo meet up with the gay vampire Christopher Driscoll and his partner Troy Raleigh who are able to steer Clive and Becky to the source of the kidnappings, which turns out to be as gruesome as it is hilarious.
Bodner's writing is humorous, with a tinge of the macabre. He falters somewhat juggling when all four character come together initially in the froyo/BBQ joint that requires a re-reading of a few paragraphs to suss out what character is what and whom, but once it is stabilized the story is back to flowing perfectly. The ending attempts to satisfy all loose ends and make everyone happy, but it it cautions toward neat-n-tidy rather than going for gusto, which Bodner appeared to have been setting up to do initially.
The story comes in at a scant 33 pages, but it is fulfilling and especially satisfying for readers on the go. The digital version also comes with a forward written by Michael Evans of Grinning Skull Press who gives an anecdotal story of how he came to meet Bodner and eventually publish this story. It's a nice addition, but the real meat of the novelete is Bodner's story proper, especially in regards to his humorous writing. The wacky and surreal West Hollywood that Bodner hints to in his writing and his unique, if not a little too over the top, characters, are the real gems in Tolerance.
The story is vignette that takes place in the West Hollywood Vampire universe that Bodner began crafting in his book Bite Club! back in 2005 and has been honing since with other entries such as 2012's The Trouble with Hairy. Readers do not necessarily need to read the other entries in the series to understand the standalone plot of Tolerance, however it does provide more support in regards fleshing out the characters who have seem to have evolved since their last outing (such as Becky's impressive weight loss). Thankfully the characters' personalities come out in spades almost immediately. They speak to each other with specific zingers and pop culture references as if they were written specifically for a sitcom. The brevity of the short story, while taking place mostly in one location adds to the sitcom feeling.
Tolerance focuses on coroner Becky O'Brien and Captain Clive Anderson of the West Hollywood Police Department as they try to solve a spree of kidnapped children. Going over the predicament at a frozen yogurt/BBQ joint, (such juxtapositional humor is common in the story), the duo meet up with the gay vampire Christopher Driscoll and his partner Troy Raleigh who are able to steer Clive and Becky to the source of the kidnappings, which turns out to be as gruesome as it is hilarious.
Bodner's writing is humorous, with a tinge of the macabre. He falters somewhat juggling when all four character come together initially in the froyo/BBQ joint that requires a re-reading of a few paragraphs to suss out what character is what and whom, but once it is stabilized the story is back to flowing perfectly. The ending attempts to satisfy all loose ends and make everyone happy, but it it cautions toward neat-n-tidy rather than going for gusto, which Bodner appeared to have been setting up to do initially.
The story comes in at a scant 33 pages, but it is fulfilling and especially satisfying for readers on the go. The digital version also comes with a forward written by Michael Evans of Grinning Skull Press who gives an anecdotal story of how he came to meet Bodner and eventually publish this story. It's a nice addition, but the real meat of the novelete is Bodner's story proper, especially in regards to his humorous writing. The wacky and surreal West Hollywood that Bodner hints to in his writing and his unique, if not a little too over the top, characters, are the real gems in Tolerance.
August 4, 2016
It appears that, some time back, Elmore Leonard and John Waters had themselves a love child and named him Hal Bodner.
TOLERANCE, my first read by Bodner, is a perfect novelette for your morning walk or subway commute...if, that is, a cast of weary detectives, gay vampires, and immigrant ogres delivering fast, lively banter about child murder and cannibalism is your thing.
This is a quick read, about an hour for me, but it seemed quicker, and I'll gladly read more by this guy any day.
TOLERANCE, my first read by Bodner, is a perfect novelette for your morning walk or subway commute...if, that is, a cast of weary detectives, gay vampires, and immigrant ogres delivering fast, lively banter about child murder and cannibalism is your thing.
This is a quick read, about an hour for me, but it seemed quicker, and I'll gladly read more by this guy any day.
April 6, 2016
Short and very creepy!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews