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vinedrinker1234x's review against another edition
4.0
Wow,
That was a great vampire book. Really liked it "not too serious" vibe, atmosphere of the 80s, main villain, comic book like characters and especially some dramatic scenes that were resolved with creative ideas and its intertextual awareness. Almost everything worked for me, especially the pace and very well handled mounting of tension. Maybe the ending could be a bit better, but it was satisfying enough for me.
PS. Are there any movie based on the book or TV series ?
That was a great vampire book. Really liked it "not too serious" vibe, atmosphere of the 80s, main villain, comic book like characters and especially some dramatic scenes that were resolved with creative ideas and its intertextual awareness. Almost everything worked for me, especially the pace and very well handled mounting of tension. Maybe the ending could be a bit better, but it was satisfying enough for me.
PS. Are there any movie based on the book or TV series ?
pinkiepie81's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay. I'm just not a vampire girl....I prefer zombies. Interesting story though..I just couldn't wait to be finished. Joseph was the most interesting character... he made me keep reading.
the_bookubus's review
4.0
A ragtag group of people join forces against a vampire stalking the streets and subways of NYC.
1980s New York makes an excellent setting for a vampire story and this was a fun and fast-paced ride with plenty of blood and guts. It also had a couple of emotional moments that I honestly was not expecting from a splatterpunk novel.
1980s New York makes an excellent setting for a vampire story and this was a fun and fast-paced ride with plenty of blood and guts. It also had a couple of emotional moments that I honestly was not expecting from a splatterpunk novel.
trevert's review
4.0
This was terrific. Kicked ass. Very gusty, realistic, raw sort of writing that reminded me a bit of [a:Teresa Hawk|6950494|Teresa Hawk|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1405151244p2/6950494.jpg]. An ancient vampire, passing through New York, vamps some random victims on the subway, one of whom is a skeezy wannabe punk/goth who enjoys his newfound status as an undead killing machine *way* too much. The entire book is him versus our heroes, a classic pack of 80's D&D-playing 20-somethings who call on every Lost Boys trick in the book to take on the growing tide of monsters. Total fun from start to finish.
theseliterarydelights's review
4.0
Skimming through mixed reviews of Light at the End, it’s easy to conclude why one might feel as hesitant as I did to pick up this pioneering vampire splatter punk novel. Although often included in best vampire novels lists, many also would say that it is a dull book that overstays its welcome, has no compelling characters and does not live up to its reputation as paving the way for the splatter punk. And while I might agree certain sections dragged and at times, the characters fit a little too nicely into genre stereotypes, I was pleasantly surprised that I grew fond of multiple characters. Also, maybe the gore depicted isn’t anything new from a current perspective, but I definitely see how it would be in mainstream 80’s horror fiction. I also would be lying if it I claimed I wasn’t impressed and utterly grossed out by certain passages.
The blurb on the back cover of my copy describes this book as a joyride and that certainly fits, in more ways than one. Our villain in Light at the End is the newly turned vampire, Rudy, who readers never experience sympathy for, as he is as much of an asshole when he is human. One night, he is transformed into a creature of the night on a Manhattan subway train and his disappearance sparks a search by his best friend, Stephen, which through a series of events, ends up involving a whole cast of would be vampire hunters.
Again, while the characters are often what one would expect from an 80’s monster dispatch crew (you have the macho ringleader who’s large, in charge, and constantly mocks the effeminate punk; the bumbling idiot best friends serving more as comic relief than anything else; the two women in the group who come undone whenever Rudy appears and I wish had more to do), I only found one of them truly insufferable while the others are at the very least interesting and at best endearing and have some decent development near the end of the story. In fact, I grew so quickly attached to one of the characters that I mourned their death so ardently and had to take a half day reading break.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with Light at the End and feel it definitely earns its place among classic vampire fiction. Clever plot, effective writing, and just the right amount of trademark 80’s snark makes this one a must-read for aficionados.
The blurb on the back cover of my copy describes this book as a joyride and that certainly fits, in more ways than one. Our villain in Light at the End is the newly turned vampire, Rudy, who readers never experience sympathy for, as he is as much of an asshole when he is human. One night, he is transformed into a creature of the night on a Manhattan subway train and his disappearance sparks a search by his best friend, Stephen, which through a series of events, ends up involving a whole cast of would be vampire hunters.
Again, while the characters are often what one would expect from an 80’s monster dispatch crew (you have the macho ringleader who’s large, in charge, and constantly mocks the effeminate punk; the bumbling idiot best friends serving more as comic relief than anything else; the two women in the group who come undone whenever Rudy appears and I wish had more to do), I only found one of them truly insufferable while the others are at the very least interesting and at best endearing and have some decent development near the end of the story. In fact, I grew so quickly attached to one of the characters that I mourned their death so ardently and had to take a half day reading break.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with Light at the End and feel it definitely earns its place among classic vampire fiction. Clever plot, effective writing, and just the right amount of trademark 80’s snark makes this one a must-read for aficionados.
ghost_name's review
2.0
Not bad. Could have been a 100 pages shorter without losing anything. You can speed-read this book easily enough.
ofmiceandmenudo's review
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
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