Review by Chevesic_1234 -- It's Hard to Be a Vampire

[Chevesic_1234]

[Following is a volunteer review of "It's Hard to Be a Vampire" by Viktoria Faust.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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I rate the book ‘It’s Hard to Be a Vampire’ by Viktoria Faust two out of four. The book is a collection of nine disparate short stories which fall broadly under the genre of supernatural and/or horror. Unfortunately, each of these is not of the same standard and quality- hence, the ambivalent rating.

The first story (titled ‘It’s Hard to Be a Vampire’) is excellent. It is a perfect blend of subtle horror and dark humour. The Reader is conscious of a sense of morbidity throughout the narration. The eighth and ninth stories (titled ‘The Invisible Ink’ and ‘That Bloody Useless Bloodless Body!’ respectively) are also good, though they lack the brilliance of the first one. Good ideas have been successfully transformed into pieces that are capable of giving the Reader the chills. These three stories are recommended for anyone who is looking for a short read and for some mild horror.

The stories- ‘Gallery of Horrors’, ‘The Painting Strikes Back’, ‘Quietly They Rise from the Fog’ and ‘Narcissus’- are frustrating to read. The underlying ideas behind the stories are unique and have a lot of potential. However, they fail spectacularly in execution. Emotive language is heavily relied upon to try and convey the intense emotions of distress, terror and despair of the characters. However, the result is that the characters sound like angst-ridden adolescents whining about minor inconveniences. This effect detracts heavily from the actual elements of horror, to the extent that the Author is unable to produce any feelings of fear, revulsion or even pity in the Readers. These stories can only be described as flat and boring.

The stories- ‘Do Vampires Dream of Slaughtered Sheep?’ and ‘Behind the Door’- are truly awful. These two stories neither have a good premise behind them nor have they been written well. They do nothing but fill the Reader with a profound sense of irritation and annoyance. In ‘Behind the Door’, the entire story is lost, drowned in a sea of unnecessary description of the protagonist’s emotions. This was absolutely exasperating. In ‘Do Vampires Dream of Slaughtered Sheep?’ the Narrator incessantly speaks of how difficult his life is and how nobody appreciates how difficult it is (from the first word of the story to the last). After the first three paragraphs or so, the story becomes unbearable.

Overall, this book is recommended for people who seek to venture into the genre for the first time and also for those who are merely looking for some mild creepiness. It makes for a light reading: the vocabulary is simple and the text is largely grammatically correct. However, true horror aficionados are bound for disappointment with it. In conclusion, it can be said that it is not worth spending money on ‘It’s Hard to Be a Vampire’, but, if it is available for free or at inexpensive rate, it is worth a try.

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It's Hard to Be a Vampire
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[Aniza Butt]

I was very fascinated by the cover and the title of the book and wanted to read it. Sad to know that it didn't meet the standard of a horror book.
Thanks a lot for the review.