4 out of 4 stars
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Viktoria Faust. The name rolls off the tongue and evokes images of medieval horror. This is clearly what the author had in mind when she adopted this pen name and began writing horror stories at the age of thirteen. It’s Hard to Be a Vampire represents one of almost fifty books written by Ms. Faust, also dubbed the “Croatian Queen of Horror.”
This is a collection of nine short stores, totaling just over one hundred pages. By all accounts, it is a quick read. The stories are varied and unconventional, with “Gallery of Horrors” and “The Painting Strikes Back” forming two parts of the same story. These should be read together. The rest stand alone, as the reader descends deeper into the dark realms of the macabre.
The stories are linked by themes of the supernatural, as well as main characters who all display a variety of personality disorders. Sandra, in the opening chapter, is clearly obese and has issues with her body image. She cannot be accepted as a vampire unless she loses considerable weight. Conversely, we also meet Narcissus, a perfectly exquisite woman who is desperately in love with herself. She flies into a jealous, murderous rage when a prospective suitor approaches her. You see, her love for herself is so strong, she cannot share it with anyone else, as one unlucky admirer soon finds out
One artist is struggling to make his paintings more realistic until he discovers a gruesome technique which imbues the images with extraordinary, life-like qualities. The hauntingly beautiful tale entitled “Ghosts from the River” shows the author’s writing at its finest. Sometimes the endings are sad and poignant; sometimes there is an unexpected twist. In every case, the reader is left asking themselves, “What just happened there?”
“Behind the Door” was one story that was completely beyond me, and I struggled to understand what it was all about. Despite reading it twice, I am still none the wiser. The writing is rich and evocative, but the story left me with a big question mark. Perhaps this is what the author intended - I cannot say for sure.
Each story is highly individual in its imagination and approach, but they are all dark beyond belief. As a huge fan of horror stories, I couldn’t pass up the chance to read this book. I wasn’t disappointed. The writing was elegant and mature. Careful attention to grammatical detail and excellent editing impressed me, especially as English is not the author’s first language. There were smatterings of small mistakes through the book, but these were not serious and could easily be forgiven.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Short horror stories can be a bit of a gamble, and if rushed, can leave the reader feeling unfulfilled. This was not the case. There are solid storylines throughout. Admittedly, it is replete with gore, so much so that I am quite glad this book isn’t longer: the continued recurrence of blood and violence can get a bit much after a while.
Enthusiasts of horror fiction will be thrilled, especially those who are not averse to over-the-top gore. However, if you are a reader who has no stomach for blood and violence, I suggest you give this book a wide berth. Devoutly religious people will find the contents offensive. So will those who don’t enjoy stories of vampires and ghosts. There are overt sexual references in a couple of the stories. On many levels, this is definitely not a book for younger readers, not even young teenagers. Nor is it for the faint-hearted.
Paradoxically, Viktoria Faust has also written a children’s book, which has piqued my interest. She assures her readers there is hardly any violence in that one. All in all, I think It’s Hard to Be a Vampire is a great collection by a talented author. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars and look forward to reading more short stories written by her.
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It's Hard to Be a Vampire
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