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How a Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian Saved the World
Quentin was the local accidental librarian. Accidental because he was of course not a trained librarian, and there were hardly any people to visit his library in the classical sense, not in damn near two hundred years. Unfortunately, just because the world had ended, that didn't mean it needed no more saving. And someone's gotta do it, right?
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Published October 31, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 27, 2019
Are you a librarian? Do you like vampires? Do you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories? Do you like fantasy books with awesome, unique plots and dynamic characters? If you answered yes to any of those, read this book!! Just try the free preview and I promise you’ll get hooked! As soon as I finished reading this I promptly purchased her other two books and asked if any more were in the works!!
October 30, 2018
„How a Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian Saved the World“
The title alone awoke my interest: Not only having a post-apocalyptic scenario AND a Vampire as a main character, no, it also suggested a slightly humorous approach. Three things I like, mixed into one story... Dangerous! Would it hold up against my favorite apocalyptic books or movies (like Stephen King's "The Stand" or the TV series "Jericho") and my favorite vampire stories (from Mark Rein-Hagen's incredible layered "Vampire: The Masquerade"-Universe)?
I was lucky enough to read it two weeks before the official release and I was not disappointed. On the contrary. Some may find the start a tad slow, but I enjoyed how the author took her time to let me get familiar with the main protagonists. It may be hard to believe (after so many movies and stories about vampires), but she has been able to give the theme a fresh and interesting perspective, with intellectual as well as emotional depths, creating characters that actually are likable and believable. Something a lot of movie makers or authors keep neglecting, playing on the same stereotypes over and over.
On some occasions the story may be a little bit predictable, but the characters and the author's fine humor (and a lot of references to movie and nerd culture!) more than make up for it. Without spoiling: It really got better and better and I enjoyed reading this book. It has a satisfying ending (not like more and more books recently where you are left feeling this was just the first half of a book split for profit reasons!), and still leaves you interested in the past and future of Quentin, Jana and Calynn.
I can highly recommend this book and it made be curious enough to buy the author's first two books, too!
The title alone awoke my interest: Not only having a post-apocalyptic scenario AND a Vampire as a main character, no, it also suggested a slightly humorous approach. Three things I like, mixed into one story... Dangerous! Would it hold up against my favorite apocalyptic books or movies (like Stephen King's "The Stand" or the TV series "Jericho") and my favorite vampire stories (from Mark Rein-Hagen's incredible layered "Vampire: The Masquerade"-Universe)?
I was lucky enough to read it two weeks before the official release and I was not disappointed. On the contrary. Some may find the start a tad slow, but I enjoyed how the author took her time to let me get familiar with the main protagonists. It may be hard to believe (after so many movies and stories about vampires), but she has been able to give the theme a fresh and interesting perspective, with intellectual as well as emotional depths, creating characters that actually are likable and believable. Something a lot of movie makers or authors keep neglecting, playing on the same stereotypes over and over.
On some occasions the story may be a little bit predictable, but the characters and the author's fine humor (and a lot of references to movie and nerd culture!) more than make up for it. Without spoiling: It really got better and better and I enjoyed reading this book. It has a satisfying ending (not like more and more books recently where you are left feeling this was just the first half of a book split for profit reasons!), and still leaves you interested in the past and future of Quentin, Jana and Calynn.
I can highly recommend this book and it made be curious enough to buy the author's first two books, too!
March 3, 2019
This is definitely a story you can sink your fangs into...(Yeah, I regret that one, sorry)
A caveat before I go into things: I have known the author as a person long before I knew their work as an author...I can honestly say with my whole, entire chest that they are fantastic as both. Now, since that is out of the way:
I couldn’t help but think about “Q’s Key” as I read “How A Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian Saved The World” simply because of how differently I initially connected with the two worlds. If “Q’s Key” has the kind of touch of childhood familiarity that can be likened to Bastian’s attachment to “The Neverending Story”, “Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian” is the “you’re never going to believe this s***” story shared with friends over drinks and laughter.
What I mean is, it’s a fantasy story in genre but it feels a lot closer to home. It has its ideals firmly grounded without being idyllic but somehow manages to get you to maybe, just maybe trust in hope. Also you WILL stop reading a few times just to giggle and slap the chair you’re sitting on while going “I understood that reference!” (Or if you’re me, capslocking at friends). Which, honestly, was another way of grounding the story/its world for me.
The world of Quentin & Lana & the apocalypse is...far from far-fetched. It barely fetched at all as we, in the here and now, grapple with the possibilities of our affect on the world.
Even with an unnamed event causing the end of the world (which is so perfect, because I can’t imagine that everyone everywhere would know distinctly what changed the world, only that it happened & now they have to survive). It’s real and tangible, which only serves to ease us into the life of our less than mythical but no less impressive narrator. A narrator who speaks a language we can understand & relate to because his points of reference work to further entrench you in the idea of “before vs. now”and put you into the very shoes of our well-read vampiric protagonist.
Who, as a protagonist, is almost unlikely. Quentin easy enough to like from the start but you just don’t see him sticking his neck out nor can you really blame him for it.
He doesn’t show a spark for wanderlust, he isn’t politically motivated. & I feel that’s why you like him as a person, rather than as “the hero”. Quentin is charming in his desire to simply have a life uninterrupted and filled with good books, good flicks, & a rapier wit in the form of Jana. He’s us, in a manner of speaking. A world built on comfort and purpose in preserving knowledge (& entertainment). He’s often funny, sometimes a bit curmudgeonly, and even surprisingly optimistic (in reasonable doses). To experience his world changing with him, there’s no high-handedness to him. He’s a person, making a choice based on who he is, on who he’s really always been. It’s such an honest premise. I also want to say that there’s a reveal with regards to Quentin and it is done in a way which is always so appreciated & makes me so happy.
I am trying to edit here, I don’t want to give too much away while wanting to discuss everything, but it’s a great read.
The pacing is good and easy to slip back into when life keeps getting in the way. The people are real and manage to have complexities even though we don’t have enough time to dig in deep. They’re people you’ve met, just under stranger circumstances. The conflict comes from such a real and historical yet still depressingly modern issue...the theme is familiar yet handled a bit anew. It all comes down to the resilience of community & relationships in the face of change and that human (or formerly human) nature is a two sided coin.
I don’t want to call it a happy ending because it felt nothing like an ending. The book did, sure, but the story’s still going on with all the potential that entails. However, I will concede that I may have sported a goofy grin on my face once it was done.
There’s so much I haven’t even been able to touch on, so just read the book, “How A Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian Saved The World”, is absolutely worth it. (Then go read the rest of Ursula Katherine Spiller’s works!)
A caveat before I go into things: I have known the author as a person long before I knew their work as an author...I can honestly say with my whole, entire chest that they are fantastic as both. Now, since that is out of the way:
I couldn’t help but think about “Q’s Key” as I read “How A Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian Saved The World” simply because of how differently I initially connected with the two worlds. If “Q’s Key” has the kind of touch of childhood familiarity that can be likened to Bastian’s attachment to “The Neverending Story”, “Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian” is the “you’re never going to believe this s***” story shared with friends over drinks and laughter.
What I mean is, it’s a fantasy story in genre but it feels a lot closer to home. It has its ideals firmly grounded without being idyllic but somehow manages to get you to maybe, just maybe trust in hope. Also you WILL stop reading a few times just to giggle and slap the chair you’re sitting on while going “I understood that reference!” (Or if you’re me, capslocking at friends). Which, honestly, was another way of grounding the story/its world for me.
The world of Quentin & Lana & the apocalypse is...far from far-fetched. It barely fetched at all as we, in the here and now, grapple with the possibilities of our affect on the world.
Even with an unnamed event causing the end of the world (which is so perfect, because I can’t imagine that everyone everywhere would know distinctly what changed the world, only that it happened & now they have to survive). It’s real and tangible, which only serves to ease us into the life of our less than mythical but no less impressive narrator. A narrator who speaks a language we can understand & relate to because his points of reference work to further entrench you in the idea of “before vs. now”and put you into the very shoes of our well-read vampiric protagonist.
Who, as a protagonist, is almost unlikely. Quentin easy enough to like from the start but you just don’t see him sticking his neck out nor can you really blame him for it.
He doesn’t show a spark for wanderlust, he isn’t politically motivated. & I feel that’s why you like him as a person, rather than as “the hero”. Quentin is charming in his desire to simply have a life uninterrupted and filled with good books, good flicks, & a rapier wit in the form of Jana. He’s us, in a manner of speaking. A world built on comfort and purpose in preserving knowledge (& entertainment). He’s often funny, sometimes a bit curmudgeonly, and even surprisingly optimistic (in reasonable doses). To experience his world changing with him, there’s no high-handedness to him. He’s a person, making a choice based on who he is, on who he’s really always been. It’s such an honest premise. I also want to say that there’s a reveal with regards to Quentin and it is done in a way which is always so appreciated & makes me so happy.
I am trying to edit here, I don’t want to give too much away while wanting to discuss everything, but it’s a great read.
The pacing is good and easy to slip back into when life keeps getting in the way. The people are real and manage to have complexities even though we don’t have enough time to dig in deep. They’re people you’ve met, just under stranger circumstances. The conflict comes from such a real and historical yet still depressingly modern issue...the theme is familiar yet handled a bit anew. It all comes down to the resilience of community & relationships in the face of change and that human (or formerly human) nature is a two sided coin.
I don’t want to call it a happy ending because it felt nothing like an ending. The book did, sure, but the story’s still going on with all the potential that entails. However, I will concede that I may have sported a goofy grin on my face once it was done.
There’s so much I haven’t even been able to touch on, so just read the book, “How A Post-Apocalyptic Vampire Librarian Saved The World”, is absolutely worth it. (Then go read the rest of Ursula Katherine Spiller’s works!)
June 6, 2019
I love books. I love vampires. So when Facebook decided to recommend I read a story about a book loving vampire, I naturally couldn't resist getting myself a copy. It was worth every cent!...
The setting of the story is in our world in the future - exact date unspecified. The world as we know it has been destroyed due to a combination of warfare, climate change (resulting in a new ice age, the complete opposite result of what has been currently predicted), and overuse and misuse of technology. Quentin, our blood-sucking protagonist, lives a peaceful existence with his friend and assistant librarian, Jana, who is also a vampire (albeit has been around centuries longer than Quentin has). Together they scavenge around for books, video cassettes, DVDs and other such remnants for the purpose of preserving the history of what life was like before the world ended. Their particular favourite findings are those books and films depicting the mythos of their own species, which they take great delight in making fun of as they're watching/reading them. These treasures are stored in their great library - transformed out of an abandoned cathedral that the vampires have refurbished.
Quentin's idyllic lifestyle is shattered when their mortal friend, Takoda, comes to visit with nearly two dozen children - refugees who have escaped from the oppressive government stronghold so that they wouldn't have to face the fate of being trained into becoming child soldiers. Takoda begs the two vampires to grant the children sanctuary until he can take them all safely to a haven far away from their idolated town. Word is out that spring is approaching, and the children will be able to reach the safe haven once the snow thaws. Quentin is reluctant to let these children into his library, and has serious doubts as to the rumours about the change in weather, until he too eventually realises after investigation that the climate is indeed changing.
The refugee situation becomes more precarious when it is revealed that two of the children are actually the illegitimate heirs of one of the four governing bodies - a small detail that Takoda perhaps-sort-of-might-have deliberately neglected to tell Quentin when the deal was initially made. When the two children are discovered and recaptured by the soldiers, the library and the remaining children soon become a target for the government's wrath. For the sake of preserving everything he holds dear, Quentin must decide whether to be complacent and continue to live his idyllic lifestyle, or join the revolution and fight...
This is NOT your typical vampire novel by any means. Spiller takes a completely different approach to the vampire legend, while at the same time critiquing the previous vampire stereotypes and cliches with humour and flare. There is laughter, there is sadness, there are elements of shock and full on action and suspense throughout. The reader takes an instant liking to the protagonists as soon as they are introduced. Spiller also has the gift of 'show, don't tell' in her writing; she makes her readers think and feel what the characters are thinking and feeling without just 'telling ' the story.
A word of caution that this book should really only be recommended to older teenagers and young adults. There is a fair bit of explicit language throughout the book (but hey, when you're dealing with the apocalypse and fighting corrupt baddies, calling people a bunch of 'poopy heads' doesn't exactly cut it, right)?
However, a must read and must have for older audiences who have a love for vampire literature. As I even commented on her Facebook post promoting her book, Quentin ought to be placed alongside the likes of Dracula and Lestat as part of the 'holy trinity' of all things concerning vampire lore.
The setting of the story is in our world in the future - exact date unspecified. The world as we know it has been destroyed due to a combination of warfare, climate change (resulting in a new ice age, the complete opposite result of what has been currently predicted), and overuse and misuse of technology. Quentin, our blood-sucking protagonist, lives a peaceful existence with his friend and assistant librarian, Jana, who is also a vampire (albeit has been around centuries longer than Quentin has). Together they scavenge around for books, video cassettes, DVDs and other such remnants for the purpose of preserving the history of what life was like before the world ended. Their particular favourite findings are those books and films depicting the mythos of their own species, which they take great delight in making fun of as they're watching/reading them. These treasures are stored in their great library - transformed out of an abandoned cathedral that the vampires have refurbished.
Quentin's idyllic lifestyle is shattered when their mortal friend, Takoda, comes to visit with nearly two dozen children - refugees who have escaped from the oppressive government stronghold so that they wouldn't have to face the fate of being trained into becoming child soldiers. Takoda begs the two vampires to grant the children sanctuary until he can take them all safely to a haven far away from their idolated town. Word is out that spring is approaching, and the children will be able to reach the safe haven once the snow thaws. Quentin is reluctant to let these children into his library, and has serious doubts as to the rumours about the change in weather, until he too eventually realises after investigation that the climate is indeed changing.
The refugee situation becomes more precarious when it is revealed that two of the children are actually the illegitimate heirs of one of the four governing bodies - a small detail that Takoda perhaps-sort-of-might-have deliberately neglected to tell Quentin when the deal was initially made. When the two children are discovered and recaptured by the soldiers, the library and the remaining children soon become a target for the government's wrath. For the sake of preserving everything he holds dear, Quentin must decide whether to be complacent and continue to live his idyllic lifestyle, or join the revolution and fight...
This is NOT your typical vampire novel by any means. Spiller takes a completely different approach to the vampire legend, while at the same time critiquing the previous vampire stereotypes and cliches with humour and flare. There is laughter, there is sadness, there are elements of shock and full on action and suspense throughout. The reader takes an instant liking to the protagonists as soon as they are introduced. Spiller also has the gift of 'show, don't tell' in her writing; she makes her readers think and feel what the characters are thinking and feeling without just 'telling ' the story.
A word of caution that this book should really only be recommended to older teenagers and young adults. There is a fair bit of explicit language throughout the book (but hey, when you're dealing with the apocalypse and fighting corrupt baddies, calling people a bunch of 'poopy heads' doesn't exactly cut it, right)?
However, a must read and must have for older audiences who have a love for vampire literature. As I even commented on her Facebook post promoting her book, Quentin ought to be placed alongside the likes of Dracula and Lestat as part of the 'holy trinity' of all things concerning vampire lore.
February 13, 2020
This is by far my favourite of Ursula's books! Which is mainly due to the fact that it has vampires in it, I admit, and libraries, and architecture, and so many tiny yet powerful facets of human characteristics which I adore to read. The whole story is packed with details which make it a truly lively and utterly lovely read. I can also not get enough of the characters in this book, they are deep, feel real, funny and unpredictable.
Give this book a go, you won't regret it!
Give this book a go, you won't regret it!
July 14, 2020
Such a good book! Id love to read more books like this. We're so accustomed to vampires being stereotypes where they lost for blood, are violent, troubled, long for their lost love, etc. This was a completely new look at vampires. It was humorous and triggered my imagination. Id love more books like this!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews