Blood Junky

Dam' Um: Song of the Vam'Pyr

by Stavros

Blood Junky is a chronicle about the lives and un-lives of three women who have become vampires, Dominique De'Paul, Linnet Albee (Pevensey), and Zia.  It tells their stories over a number of centuries and creates an entire culture through their stories.  The story of Dominique begins a thousand years ago with Dominique as a "blood slave" and continues to the 21st century. Included in those eras are their lives in the 18th century England where Linnet encounters a man who will make a sweeping change in her life. In Brazil of the same era where Dominique and Linnet find themselves making changes that will have grave consequences. It will also include America of the early 20th century where the reader will meet Zia.




This is an epic vampire tale which rivals LeFanu's "Carmilla" in sheer quality and is much better than most vampire stories. This has to be one of the best vampire novels ever written. I would even hazard to say that this novel is among such greats like "Dracula".  I think that this one has the potential to become a new classic in the genre. The novel tells the story, primarily, from the experiences of an 18th century young woman named Linnet. She begins the story as a source of blood for the older Dominique.  I chose to take my time with this story and savor the novel. I would urge others to do the same.  Readers won't want to miss every nuance that "Blood Junky" has to offer.  The only flaw that it has is that it gets a bit heavy on exotic terms, but this is only a very slight flaw.  The author includes a glossary which explains and defines the terms he's created that helps the reader understand the terms.  This is a novel that readers need to immerse themselves in. It provides a very different innovative world that readers can revel in. This novel has a distinct style which can be characterized as being like a very rich dessert.  It's like crème brulee on a literary level.


The parts that are the most engrossing are the ones that take place in the 18th century.  This is where the meat of the story is.  I got to know two of the characters, Dominique and Linnet.  These are wonderful women and very out of the ordinary. The vampire Dominique is very much a protective entity in the story which makes her very heroic.  Linnet has a child that is in peril and Dominique takes on a parental role too and goes to bravely rescue the boy. This part is full of interesting conflicts. One of the more interesting conflicts entails one with the concept of slavery.  The vampire vehemently despises the criminal practice and she takes steps to end it on her South American plantation. This is another aspect of this character which also makes her valiant.  The bulk of Linnet's story is told here too. She's a very deep character and has as many facets and depth as any diamond.  She's one of the most resilient and resourceful characters of the book. She's infinitely likeable.  Zia's story begins in the early 20th century and continues into the 21st. She's very much a brat and one that the readers will enjoy following. She's the kind of character that one never knows what she is going to do next.  She also becomes the obsession of a musician, Ryan Silva who goes to insane lengths to be with her.  Each of these women is a huge pleasure in reading.  I would advise those that desire excellent fiction and especially vampire fiction lovers to read this novel. It will be something that they will not regret.  

Blood Junky can be purchase via Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.