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Knuckle Balled
Following the Vampire holocaust in LA, RJ and Eldritch find themselves in Austin with Bait’s younger sister, Pinball, searching for the great L. Byron Nghtyshade--the only one Eldritch believes can help them. But Austin is weirder than the duo could have imagined. Not only are there more vamp gangs hindering RJ’s mission, they’re more insane than their LA counterparts and addicted to harder drugs than heroin.
The obstacles push RJ into a pit of self-loathing and doubt of saving Pinbill from her sister’s fate. As the chances of survival dim, and RJ is given one final chance at redemption, he must confront the one true evil… himself.
With more scum, more blood, and more drug-induced mayhem than the first book, Stepek gives the genre another twist in his unique take on the undead and their ongoing drug wars.
The obstacles push RJ into a pit of self-loathing and doubt of saving Pinbill from her sister’s fate. As the chances of survival dim, and RJ is given one final chance at redemption, he must confront the one true evil… himself.
With more scum, more blood, and more drug-induced mayhem than the first book, Stepek gives the genre another twist in his unique take on the undead and their ongoing drug wars.
- GenresHorror
241 pages, Paperback
Published November 23, 2017
24 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 5, 2022
Awesome follow up. Drew is the new King of the vampire book!
October 17, 2017
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
After all hell broke loose in L.A., RJ, Eldritch and their newly rescued charge, nine-year-old Pinball head to Austin and hopefully a safe haven for the young and abused, cancer patient. All they need to do is find and gain audience with the vamp with the power, a famous star who is harder to gain an audience with than the Pope.
What they find is danger at every turn, crazed gangs with the group mentality of an amoeba and drugs that make heroin look like peppermint candies. Face it, just landing in another Vampire’s territory is deadly and RJ has a special knack for pissing off the local gangs when all he wants is to ditch the girl and go on his way. Something happens to RJ that even he is hard-pressed to believe, he is growing a heart, and even doing nice things for the little girl who is the last member alive in her family, maybe because it was all his fault? Maybe because all Pinball knew was the abuse her parents dished out, and she equated that with love? Probably he shouldn’t have ended their pathetic existence the way he did, nope, he wasn’t wrong, but…
From crazed vamps on rollerblades to the preppy vamps who also ran from L.A., to the religious fanatics that were responsible for his very existence, RJ’s life has never been so chaotic and never has he had to dig so deep to survive and do the right thing.
Drew Stepek’s KNUCKLE BALLED is more than just another gory, over-the-top vampire tale that exceeds the norm for foul-mouthed quips, gore and over-the-top twisted moments. It becomes the redemption of one Vampire’s soul in a wildly chaotic fashion! Once again, prepare to be shocked, amused and amazed at the creative talents of Dew Stepek as he tackles the un-life of the undead on the seedy side of the streets and encourages his readers to see anti-heroes and the ravages of drug wars in a different light.
Go ahead, take a walk on the wild side and throw caution to the wind, but beware, Drew Stepek’s writing may become addicting.
I am voluntarily reviewing this copy.
Publisher: Blood Bound Books; 1 edition (November 23, 2017)
Publication Date: November 23, 2017
Genre: Horror
Print Length: 360 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
After all hell broke loose in L.A., RJ, Eldritch and their newly rescued charge, nine-year-old Pinball head to Austin and hopefully a safe haven for the young and abused, cancer patient. All they need to do is find and gain audience with the vamp with the power, a famous star who is harder to gain an audience with than the Pope.
What they find is danger at every turn, crazed gangs with the group mentality of an amoeba and drugs that make heroin look like peppermint candies. Face it, just landing in another Vampire’s territory is deadly and RJ has a special knack for pissing off the local gangs when all he wants is to ditch the girl and go on his way. Something happens to RJ that even he is hard-pressed to believe, he is growing a heart, and even doing nice things for the little girl who is the last member alive in her family, maybe because it was all his fault? Maybe because all Pinball knew was the abuse her parents dished out, and she equated that with love? Probably he shouldn’t have ended their pathetic existence the way he did, nope, he wasn’t wrong, but…
From crazed vamps on rollerblades to the preppy vamps who also ran from L.A., to the religious fanatics that were responsible for his very existence, RJ’s life has never been so chaotic and never has he had to dig so deep to survive and do the right thing.
Drew Stepek’s KNUCKLE BALLED is more than just another gory, over-the-top vampire tale that exceeds the norm for foul-mouthed quips, gore and over-the-top twisted moments. It becomes the redemption of one Vampire’s soul in a wildly chaotic fashion! Once again, prepare to be shocked, amused and amazed at the creative talents of Dew Stepek as he tackles the un-life of the undead on the seedy side of the streets and encourages his readers to see anti-heroes and the ravages of drug wars in a different light.
Go ahead, take a walk on the wild side and throw caution to the wind, but beware, Drew Stepek’s writing may become addicting.
I am voluntarily reviewing this copy.
Publisher: Blood Bound Books; 1 edition (November 23, 2017)
Publication Date: November 23, 2017
Genre: Horror
Print Length: 360 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
April 19, 2021
Do I dare say it's even better than the first? I'm not sure, but it definitely is a perfect sequel to Supper. We have new and old characters, tragedy mixed with comedy, add more gore and perverse sexuality and you have Knuckle Balled. I fell in love with the main character in this one. Even though I really liked him in the original, his imperfection and idiocy, mixed with his morality and humanity, makes him the perfect protagonist in my opinion.
Spoilers:
What I love more than anything is how it feels like even the author is aware that R.J. should not be the main character in this story; it should be Elderitch. He is the handsome, caring, kind, bad-ass, brave and beautiful character who's perspective we should be following. It's great! It makes me love the books even more!
Spoilers:
What I love more than anything is how it feels like even the author is aware that R.J. should not be the main character in this story; it should be Elderitch. He is the handsome, caring, kind, bad-ass, brave and beautiful character who's perspective we should be following. It's great! It makes me love the books even more!
January 21, 2026
Gruesome. Worth the read
January 12, 2018
RJ is back, escaped from LA into Austin with Bait's little sister Pinball and Eldritch, a Lestat wannabe. Austin has a new slew of vampire gangs with their own weird gimmicks and codes. Together, RJ and Eldritch aim to take orphaned and sickly Pinball to L. Byron Nightshayde, the onscreen vampire heartthrob who is apparently also a vampire in real life. He runs charities that help sick children and he's Pinball's best chance at getting treatment and a good life outside of dangerous vampire politics. Unfortunately, RJ is still a self absorbed junkie who creates more trouble than he solves.
I had a couple issues with Knuckle Supper, the first installment of this series. Knuckle Balled is leaps and bounds better. I couldn't put it down. The move to Austin and addition of Eldritch as a main characters are particularly welcome changes. First, the change of scenery throws RJ into a state of complete ignorance. He has no idea about vampire society outside of LA. The gangs are weaker, considering how he always pisses them off then tears some of them apart without fail. My favorite was the Chaplins, a group that dressed up like classic Hollywood stars. The drugs are weirder with the introduction of sunrise, a drug that replicates its namesake and also causes rot and accelerated healing in its users, namely a gang called the Real McCoys who could be mistaken for zombie burnouts. Some humans in the drug trade are actually aware of vampires’ existence instead of just providing food. The Minutemen are human mercenaries that clean up vampire messes and the vampire that caused them to keep the peace and vampire stay out of the public eye. Austin is hugely different and offers RJ an education of sorts.
RJ is continuing his growth started in the previous book. He ultimately wants to help Pinball especially after brutally killing her scumbag parent she in front of her. Pinball is rightfully terrified of him and is the complete opposite of Bait and brainwashed by her parents. Unfortunately, his drug addiction, general scumbagginess, and complete inability to recognize when someone is lying to him gets in the way. He’s always on the lookout for heroin and settles for other things like PCP that makes him rampage or coke which makes him incredibly manic. He takes everyone at face value and then acts surprised when there is much more to the person than they appear. The incident with the possum completely sums up RJ. He crashes under someone’s tarp to get out of the sun, kills an aggressive possum (to protect himself and take some heroin), and then guiltily tries to help after seeing the babies it left behind. He spectacularly fucks things up time and time again despite the good heart he has.
Eldritch is an amazing character. In the first book, he’s a bit of a punchline as a physical embodiment of Vampire Chronicles and Twilight type romantic vampires. He dresses in ornate style with stereotypical vehicles and furnishings that aren’t exactly low profile. Even his speech takes on that formal tinge that implies he’s much older than he is. His history is completely fabricated as he tells people he was raised by wolves. Unlike RJ, his real history is privileged with vampirism coming as a desperate cure instead of a Catholic experimental alternative to abortion for junkie mothers. His responsibility, caring, and civil nature contrasts greatly with RJ. Eldritch keeps Pinball safe, locking RJ out when he’s high or acting erratic, and is the most virtuous vampire in the series. It's nice to see someone whose morals haven't changed just because they became a vampire but it also probably helps to remember your childhood and have a conventional life.
Knuckle Balled is a another fun vampire novel with gore, violence, and heart. RJ is slowly changing and falling into drug addict traps along the way. The basic concept of the Catholic church inadvertantly creating these creatures because of their extreme aversion to abortion is awesome and sets the series apart from other vampire novels. I can't wait for more books in the series to see where the characters and the world as a whole will go.
I had a couple issues with Knuckle Supper, the first installment of this series. Knuckle Balled is leaps and bounds better. I couldn't put it down. The move to Austin and addition of Eldritch as a main characters are particularly welcome changes. First, the change of scenery throws RJ into a state of complete ignorance. He has no idea about vampire society outside of LA. The gangs are weaker, considering how he always pisses them off then tears some of them apart without fail. My favorite was the Chaplins, a group that dressed up like classic Hollywood stars. The drugs are weirder with the introduction of sunrise, a drug that replicates its namesake and also causes rot and accelerated healing in its users, namely a gang called the Real McCoys who could be mistaken for zombie burnouts. Some humans in the drug trade are actually aware of vampires’ existence instead of just providing food. The Minutemen are human mercenaries that clean up vampire messes and the vampire that caused them to keep the peace and vampire stay out of the public eye. Austin is hugely different and offers RJ an education of sorts.
RJ is continuing his growth started in the previous book. He ultimately wants to help Pinball especially after brutally killing her scumbag parent she in front of her. Pinball is rightfully terrified of him and is the complete opposite of Bait and brainwashed by her parents. Unfortunately, his drug addiction, general scumbagginess, and complete inability to recognize when someone is lying to him gets in the way. He’s always on the lookout for heroin and settles for other things like PCP that makes him rampage or coke which makes him incredibly manic. He takes everyone at face value and then acts surprised when there is much more to the person than they appear. The incident with the possum completely sums up RJ. He crashes under someone’s tarp to get out of the sun, kills an aggressive possum (to protect himself and take some heroin), and then guiltily tries to help after seeing the babies it left behind. He spectacularly fucks things up time and time again despite the good heart he has.
Eldritch is an amazing character. In the first book, he’s a bit of a punchline as a physical embodiment of Vampire Chronicles and Twilight type romantic vampires. He dresses in ornate style with stereotypical vehicles and furnishings that aren’t exactly low profile. Even his speech takes on that formal tinge that implies he’s much older than he is. His history is completely fabricated as he tells people he was raised by wolves. Unlike RJ, his real history is privileged with vampirism coming as a desperate cure instead of a Catholic experimental alternative to abortion for junkie mothers. His responsibility, caring, and civil nature contrasts greatly with RJ. Eldritch keeps Pinball safe, locking RJ out when he’s high or acting erratic, and is the most virtuous vampire in the series. It's nice to see someone whose morals haven't changed just because they became a vampire but it also probably helps to remember your childhood and have a conventional life.
Knuckle Balled is a another fun vampire novel with gore, violence, and heart. RJ is slowly changing and falling into drug addict traps along the way. The basic concept of the Catholic church inadvertantly creating these creatures because of their extreme aversion to abortion is awesome and sets the series apart from other vampire novels. I can't wait for more books in the series to see where the characters and the world as a whole will go.
October 16, 2023
I loved this book way more than the predecessor! I listened to the audio version of this book on the Chilling Tales for Dark Nights Podcast on YouTube narrated by Jason Hill and honestly it’s the only way to read this book! Jason does an amazing job narrating the tale and brings Stepek’s novel to life. A great ending to RJ Reynolds and his crusade to bring meaning to his undead life. Love how this story unfold and really loved the ending! I secretly hope Drew writes more about Reynolds although I was satisfied with the ending. Really surprised at how much I enjoyed this nasty and graphic novel series but honestly between the guts and gore there is a great story about evil, redemption and true wit!! Highly recommend this novel and it’s predecessor Knuckle Supper, especially if you’re a horror fan.
October 15, 2020
I almost gave up at the beginning of knuckle supper but there were so many great reviews I kept going .. both of these books are phenomenal. Characters are interesting and well developed, the story amazing... I am looking forward to another installment
December 26, 2025
These are SO MUCH FUN, batshit crazy, hilarious, and grimy as hell, but I'm constantly impressed at the strength of prose and sympathy of the characters. I would recommend this author in a heartbeat.
November 19, 2025
Someone please tell me that there will be another book for this knuckles series
November 15, 2017
Returning to dazzle your blood-soaked taste buds, RJ barrels his way through another gory adventure in general debauchery. One thing this book beats into your head is not all heroes wear capes and not all protagonists are heroes.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews