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jgurniak's review against another edition
2.0
This was bad. This was not a good R.L. Stine book at all.
ericathrone's review
4.0
I first read this book as a kid (I read most of the original Goosebumps and Fear Street books back then) and never really forgot about it. Back in '96, '97, I was really into vampires and read quite a few vampire novels and watched vampire movies. I couldn't get enough! I was basically T.J., one of the book's main characters. This book really hit the spot. For a kid dreaming of being a fanged predator in the night, it represented the promise that all my bloody little dreams could come true. So of course I sought it out again, and here I am.
I just reread it. It took me an hour, maybe less, and I enjoyed it for the most part. It's not the finest prose, but one thing Stine and his contemporaries always did well was to keep kids books short and simple. The book relies heavily on readers' knowledge of vampires from movies and books out at the time (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview With the Vampire, and of course all the classics) to support the imagery. Basically, the story is in a world already built by a century or so of vampire literature and popular media. If you look at it that way, you can forgive the lack of actual world building in the book, though of course adult me wanted more background on Ved (the vampire), and the world of vampires at large. Why pick a kid for his "Dark Gift? Why was he so old and rotted? How many more vampires like him exist in then world? What happened to his previous vampires-in-training? Why was the book malfunctioning? Than again, once you start in the direction, it's a slippery slope, and the story would have hurtled away from Andrew's experience while the speedy plot ground to a crawl. That's probably too much metaphor.
In short, I think, even now post-Twilight, kids who are into vampires would love this book. It has some great vampire mojo scenes, and the ending is perfection. For adult readers, unless you're looking at this through the forgiving lens of nostalgia, this book leaves something to be desired. Is it a total disappointment though? Hey, if you have about an hour to kill, it's kind of fun. Grab a free 30 day trial of Scribd or something and give it a go. I don't think you'll feel your time is completely wasted.
Nostalgia/Vampire-obsessed kid rating: 5/5!
Actual rating: 3/5
Split the difference. Solid 4/5 from me!
I just reread it. It took me an hour, maybe less, and I enjoyed it for the most part. It's not the finest prose, but one thing Stine and his contemporaries always did well was to keep kids books short and simple. The book relies heavily on readers' knowledge of vampires from movies and books out at the time (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview With the Vampire, and of course all the classics) to support the imagery. Basically, the story is in a world already built by a century or so of vampire literature and popular media. If you look at it that way, you can forgive the lack of actual world building in the book, though of course adult me wanted more background on Ved (the vampire), and the world of vampires at large. Why pick a kid for his "Dark Gift? Why was he so old and rotted? How many more vampires like him exist in then world? What happened to his previous vampires-in-training? Why was the book malfunctioning? Than again, once you start in the direction, it's a slippery slope, and the story would have hurtled away from Andrew's experience while the speedy plot ground to a crawl. That's probably too much metaphor.
In short, I think, even now post-Twilight, kids who are into vampires would love this book. It has some great vampire mojo scenes, and the ending is perfection. For adult readers, unless you're looking at this through the forgiving lens of nostalgia, this book leaves something to be desired. Is it a total disappointment though? Hey, if you have about an hour to kill, it's kind of fun. Grab a free 30 day trial of Scribd or something and give it a go. I don't think you'll feel your time is completely wasted.
Nostalgia/Vampire-obsessed kid rating: 5/5!
Actual rating: 3/5
Split the difference. Solid 4/5 from me!
samiism's review
4.0
Not too scary, but not too dumbed down. When I read this back in the day, I didn't know what a bagel was. Now, whenever I have one, I think of this book.
alduina's review
4.0
It brings me back. One of the first vampire books I read. I got a little obsessed with it, to be honest. It's more for pre-teens.
twistedreads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
samarastark's review
Cool cool cool!!!! It was a very good book and u should read it
:):)
:):)
manwithanagenda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Fear Street # 79
Andrew Griffin loves the supernatural. He reads all the scary books in the library and pulls pranks with his best friend T.J on his over-achiever sister Emily . One morning he wakes up atter a nightmare to find a strange book in his room. It's ice-cold, with writing that appears after he's certain the pages are blank. The book is a vampire manual. Soon, Andrew finds he can't eat garlic, cross running water, and gets a real bad sunburn in the daylight. The vampire who gave him the Dark Gift doesn't seem like someone who'd appreciate a "No, thank you." Is Andrew stuck on the road to vampirism?
This could have been better. Andrew's character is pretty one-dimensional and there wasn't much of a thrill to reading about his powers or the gross-out moments as put down here. I liked the shout-out to the Cameron Mansion (from 'Halloween Party'), though. There was a tie-in product called 'My Vampire Handbook' that came with plastic fangs and other accessories, so the series was doing well.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #80: 'The Last Scream', Fear Park #3
Previous #78: 'The Loudest Scream', Fear Park #2
Andrew Griffin loves the supernatural. He reads all the scary books in the library and pulls pranks with his best friend T.J on his over-achiever sister Emily . One morning he wakes up atter a nightmare to find a strange book in his room. It's ice-cold, with writing that appears after he's certain the pages are blank. The book is a vampire manual. Soon, Andrew finds he can't eat garlic, cross running water, and gets a real bad sunburn in the daylight. The vampire who gave him the Dark Gift doesn't seem like someone who'd appreciate a "No, thank you." Is Andrew stuck on the road to vampirism?
This could have been better. Andrew's character is pretty one-dimensional and there wasn't much of a thrill to reading about his powers or the gross-out moments as put down here. I liked the shout-out to the Cameron Mansion (from 'Halloween Party'), though. There was a tie-in product called 'My Vampire Handbook' that came with plastic fangs and other accessories, so the series was doing well.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #80: 'The Last Scream', Fear Park #3
Previous #78: 'The Loudest Scream', Fear Park #2
More...